Former Manhattan High basketball player Cameron Carr became an NBA first-round draft pick Tuesday night, selected No. 24 overall by the New York Knicks before his draft rights were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers acquired Carr’s draft rights in exchange for the rights to Spanish guard Sergio De Larrea and cash considerations.
Prior to hearing his name called, Carr reflected on the opportunity during an interview with NBA TV.
“I think it’s going to make the little kid in me happy,” Carr said. “It’s everything I always dreamed of as a kid right there. So I’m excited. It’s going to be a great moment for me and my family.”
Carr is coming off a breakout season at Baylor, where he started all 34 games and averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He scored 642 points during the 2025-26 season, the fifth-most in program history and a Baylor sophomore record.
Carr earned All-Big 12 Third Team and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team honors while leading the Bears in points, scoring average, 3-pointers made, free throws made and blocked shots.
Before transferring to Baylor, Carr spent two seasons at Tennessee. He appeared in 14 games as a freshman during the Volunteers’ run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2023-24 before an injury limited him to four appearances during the 2024-25 season.
A four-star recruit, Carr attended Manhattan High School for two years while his father, Chris Carr, served as an assistant coach on the Kansas State women’s basketball staff.
Carr averaged 10.9 points and four rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Indians during the 2020-21 season before transferring to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri.
At Link Academy, Carr helped the program win a GEICO Nationals championship and finish No. 1 in both the ESPN and MaxPreps national rankings.
Carr’s basketball roots run deep. His father played six seasons in the NBA from 1995 to 2001, while his sister, Christianna Carr, played collegiately at K-State from 2018 to 2021 before transferring to Syracuse and Arkansas.
Carr now joins the Lakers organization with superstars LeBron James and Luka Dončić after becoming a first-round selection in Tuesday night’s NBA Draft.