Former Stanford Cardinals from Past and Present Who Excelled/ Are Excelling in the NBA

undoubtedly Draft season. This is when recruitment experts pick and choose new talent to strengthen their squad’s roster, with the hope that University rookies can take their organizations to the next level and even help them snag a Championship or two.

And the Stanford Cardinals are one of the most productive colleges out there, sending over 43 players into the professional league. Over time, these elite athletes have been given a chance in the highest level of domestic basketball that exists —the NBA. Here we take a look at those past and present pro stars who originated from Stanford.

Adam Keefe

Throwing it back to the ‘90s with Adam Keefe, a promising baller from Stanford’s squad who was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks in 1992, he averaged a whopping 25.3 points as a senior. This same year he also made the All-American Second Team, a prestigious honor only given to the best basketball players in the country.

Keefe went on to spend nine years in the NBA primarily with the Utah Jazz, although he ended as a Golden State Warrior. Today, he is remembered for his tall physique and impressive shooting ability which allowed him to be an extremely useful scorer for every professional team he played on.

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Casey Jacobsen

First chosen as a first-round draft pick back in 2002, Casey Jacobsen primed himself for the big leagues during his three seasons as a Stanford Cardinal where he maintained an impressive 21.9 points per game. Considering the average player holds down a PTS of 8.7, Jacobsen made Stanford history on multiple occasions.

In the NBA he continued his stride, showing off his shooting range that included making game-winning shots from the three-pointer line. Jacobsen also took his talent abroad to Europe where he enjoyed success winning the Bundesliga championship on many occasions as well as the German Cup and German Super Cup, not to mention a German MVP award in the League Finals.

While stateside, Number 23 spent the majority of his career playing for the Phoenix Suns, the franchise he was initially drafted from after college. Here, the guard became a fan favorite on the court and impacted the team's overall defensive and offensive climate as a whole. Nowadays, Jacobsen is a basketball commentator for major networks like FOX Sports. As far as the Suns go, they haven't been in such good shape in years. The betting experts at OLBG.com tell us that they have as good of a chance at winning the NBA Championship title as their Western Conference competitors, the LA Clippers. Although Jacobsen's former team did not win a Finals title while he was on board, this year could be their first shot.

Brooke Lopez

Moving on to a player who is currently in the NBA, Brooke Lopez has seen momentous success as both a college star and professional one. Along with his twin brother and fellow player Robin Lopez, the pair became Stanford sensations and helped lead the University to the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Brooke was also named to the All-American team while a sophomore and was later drafted in ’08 by the Brooklyn Nets (previously New Jersey Nets).

While with the Nets, Lopez established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the court, becoming an NBA All-Star and making the All-Rookie First Team after his first year of playing professionally. What’s more is that Lopez holds the organization’s record for all-time leading scorer with the most points in the regular season. Nowadays, Number 11 plays center for the Milwaukee Bucks, a team who is currently fighting it out in the 2021 Conference Semifinals.

Dwight Powell

In 2010, Dwight Powell was one of the Cardinals’ most elite starters and went on to earn some major awards during his college career. These include becoming a back-to-back All-Pac-12 First-Team member and the conference’s most improved player. The Canadian born player was then drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2014 but was traded shortly after to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Today, Powell is a member of the Dallas Mavericks, but had to spend this past season on the bench as he suffered from a serious Achilles tendon injury. However, when healthy, Powell has proven to be a useful asset to the Mavs, setting both career-high and season-high points.

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