For a second straight year, Alabama basketball is sending a young guard to the NBA. Joshua Primo was selected No. 12 overall by the San Antonio Spurs during Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
Primo was projected as a mid-to-late pick in the first round heading into Thursday. During a Zoom call with reporters later in the night, he said he was a bit surprised by the selection, joking that he had to watch his name called on television because he didn't believe his agent.
"I didn't realize I was going to be [selected] that high, but I'm glad it's with the Spurs," Primo said during a Zoom call with reporters Thursday night. "I've always wanted to be a Spur. I told my agent when I first got into this process, that's where I want to be. It ended up working out that way."
Primo is the third lottery pick Alabama has produced in the past four years, following Collin Sexton (No. 8 overall in 2018) and Kira Lewis Jr. (No. 13 overall in 2020). The selection marks the first time Alabama has had a player picked in the first round in consecutive drafts since 1995-96. It also marks the first time the Crimson Tide has produced lottery picks in consecutive drafts. Alabama hadn't had players selected in back-to-back drafts since 2007-08.
Primo, who will turn 19 on Dec. 24, will be the youngest player in the NBA. The Toronto native reclassified to join Alabama last season, working his way into the starting lineup.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound guard earned SEC All-Freshman honors, averaging 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week in January after averaging 19 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in contests at LSU and vs. Mississippi State. During that span, he shot 73.7 percent (14 of 19) from the floor and 76.9 percent (10 of 13) from beyond the arc. Primo posted a season-high 22 points in wins over Auburn (Jan. 9) and LSU (Jan. 19).
"I think the way I'm able to give energy to my guys," Primo said when asked about his best asset on the court. "I'm really good at being able to lock into what a person needs in order to be successful, so I use that to my advantage. I'm just really personable, so I'm able to give energy to my teammates and really affect the game whether I'm on the court or off it.
