{"id":510142,"date":"2026-06-25T08:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T08:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/510142\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T08:52:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T08:52:11","slug":"emanuel-sharp-selected-in-2026-nba-draft-second-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/510142\/","title":{"rendered":"Emanuel Sharp Selected in 2026 NBA Draft Second Round"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EmanuelORLANDO, Fla. \u2013\u00a0University of Houston guard Emanuel Sharp<\/a> became the latest Cougar to enter the professional ranks when he was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the #45 overall pick in the Second Round of the 2026 NBA Draft includes Barclays Center on Tuesday night.
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\nSharp watched the Draft with his family, friends and Head Coach Kelvin Sampson<\/a> and Assistant Coach K.C. Beard<\/a> at a party in Orlando.
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\nWith Sharp’s selection, the 2025-26 Cougars set a school single-season record with their third student-athlete selected in the NBA Draft. Houston previously had two Men’s Basketball student-athletes taken in the 2023, 1987, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1978, 1975, 1973, 1970, 1969, 1968, 1961 and 1956 Drafts.
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\nPoint guard Kingston Flemings<\/a> was taken with the #8 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks while forward Chris Cenac Jr.<\/a> was selected with the #27 pick by the Boston Celtics in Tuesday’s First Round.
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\nAll three Cougars led Houston to a 30-7 overall record for the program’s fifth straight 30-win season (tying the NCAA Division I record) and the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the seventh consecutive season, the nation’s longest active streak.
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\nWith three NBA Draft picks, Houston tied with six other schools for the highest total. The Cougars were joined by Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, Michigan, St. John’s and Tennessee.
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\nDRAFT NOTES
\nSharp became the fourth Cougar to be taken in the NBA Draft by the Kings franchise. He joined guard Alvin Franklin (1986 \u2022 Fourth Round \u2022 #80 overall); guard Otis Birdsong (1977 \u2022 First Round \u2022 #2 overall \u2022 Kansas City Kings) and forward Royce Ray (1952 \u2022 Ninth Round \u2022 #86 overall \u2022 Rochester Royals).
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\nSharp became the 12th Cougar selected in the NBA Draft Second Round in program history. He is the most recent Second-Round selection since point guard Jamal Shead (2024 \u2022 Toronto Raptors).
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\nSharp became the second Cougar taken with the #45 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Point guard Jamal Shead was taken with the #45 pick by the Toronto Raptors in the Second Round of the 2024 Draft.
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\nSharp became the eighth Cougar to be drafted under Head Coach Kelvin Sampson<\/a>. He also was the 20th NBA Draft pick in Sampson’s career.
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\nThe 1984 NBA Draft also featured three Cougars taken, but only two were Men’s Basketball student-athletes. Track and Field legend Carl Lewis was taken in the 10th Round by the Chicago Bulls despite having never played basketball in college. That same year, Lewis also was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Draft despite having never played football in college.
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\n\"Emanuel
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\nABOUT EMANUEL SHARP
\nIn five seasons with the Cougars, Sharp established himself as one of the nation’s top guards.\u00a0
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\nIn 2025-26, he collected All-Big 12 honors for the third consecutive season after being named Honorable Mention during each of the previous two years. For his impressive work, he was recognized as one of five finalists for the Jerry West Award, presented annually to the nation’s top shooting guard.
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\nHe was one of three Cougars to start all 37 games and stands second on the team with 15.5 points per game. The Tampa, Fla., native led the Cougars and ranked among the Big 12 Conference Top-10 leaders in 3-point field goals per game (2.6) and 3-point field goal percentage (.372) and led the league with an 89.1 free throw percentage.
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\nSharp scored double-digit points in all but seven games this season with a season-high 27 points in wins over Florida State during the Houston Hoops Showdown inside Toyota Center on December 8 and at Big 12 rival Utah on February 10.
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\nWith a career-high eight 3-point field goals in the road win at Utah, he became only the eighth Cougar in school history to drain 8+ 3-pointers in a game, joining Cameron Tyson (twice), Robert McKiver (three times), Quentin Grimes, Marcus Sasser, Corey Davis Jr., Jherrod Stiggers and Andre Owens.
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\nHis trey total against the Utes also made him the Cougars’ career 3-point field goal leader. Sharp moved past guard Marcus Sasser for the top spot and finished with 309 treys in his career.
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\nSharp finished second in Houston history with 125 career wins and ranked ninth in school history with 1,702 points.
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\nHe received his bachelor’s degree in integrated studies from the University in May.
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\nBUY TICKETS
\nNon-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.<\/a>
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\nSUPPORT YOUR COOGS
\nFans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men’s Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs<\/a> \u2013 UH’s NIL collective \u2013 and by joining the 50-50 Club<\/a>, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men’s Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.
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\nFans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
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\nSTAY CONNECTED
\nFans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK<\/a> on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at UHCougarMBK<\/a> or by visiting the team’s Instagram page at UHCougarMBK<\/a>.
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