PROVO, Utah (KUTV) — Former BYU guard Richie Saunders was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the No. 32 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Saunders went early in the second round after becoming one of BYU’s top players over the last few years.
His selection gave the Cougars a second pick in the NBA Draft and sent the Riverton native to Memphis to begin his professional career.
Sanders missed BYU’s 2026 NCAA Tournament run after suffering a season-ending ACL injury in February against Colorado.
Before the injury, he averaged 18.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as one of the Cougars’ top scorers. He finished his BYU career with 1,544 points across 128 games.
The selection of Saunders and AJ Dybantsa with the top pick by Washington marked just the second time in BYU history that two players were selected in the same NBA Draft, joining Mel Hutchins and Roland Minson in 1951.
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