Story by NU Athletic Communications
A trio of former Nebraska Cornhuskers are listed on opening night rosters as the NBA season begins on Tuesday. Dalano Banton and Bryce McGowens are teammates on the Portland Trail Blazers, while Jack McVeigh is a rookie with the Houston Rockets. It is the fourth straight season that Nebraska has had multiple players on NBA rosters. While Opening Night is set for Tuesday, both Portland and Houston begin their NBA seasons on Wednesday.
Banton comes off his best season as a professional, averaging 10.3 points 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while splitting time with both the Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers. He flourished after his trade with Portland, averaging 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 30 games. Banton begins his fourth NBA season after being a second-round pick in 2021. After sitting out the 2019-20 campaign, Banton played in all 27 games, including 22 starts, for the Huskers in 2020-21, averaging 9.6 points per game while leading the Huskers in both rebounding (5.9) and assists (3.9) per game. He was the first Husker since 1974 to lead NU in both rebounding and assists in the same season. Banton posted the second triple-double in school history with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in just 21 minutes against Doane and totaled 14 games in double figures.
McGowens begins his third NBA season, as he is on a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers after signing with the organization over the summer. McGowens spent the first two years with the Charlotte Hornets, playing in 105 career games and averaging 5.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. McGowens was the No. 40 overall pick in 2022, the highest drafted Husker since 1998. At Nebraska, he was a third-team All-Big Ten performer as a freshman in 2021-22, averaging a team-high 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. An eight-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, McGowens had 11 games with 20-or-more points, including a season-high 29 points against both Sam Houston and Rutgers.
McVeigh is with the Houston Rockets after signing a two-way contract prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics. He played in a pair of preseason games for the Rockets, averaging 7.5 ppg on 60 percent shooting and 3.0 rebounds per game. This is his rookie season after he played professionally in Australia and Germany, and he will become the 16th Husker to play in the NBA when he makes his debut. McVeigh comes off a strong performance in the 2024 Olympics, averaging 9.5 points per game on 52 percent shooting, including 10-of-19 (.526) from 3-point range. McVeigh played three seasons at Nebraska before returning home to begin his professional career. His best year was in 2016-17, when he averaged 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 30 games, including 11 starts. He was a member of the Huskers’ 2017-18 team that won 23 games, including a school record 13 conference games.
In addition to the three former Husker players in the NBA, Tyronn Lue begins his fifth season as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. Lue, who played at Nebraska from 1996-98, has guided the Clippers to a184-134 record and three postseason appearances in his four seasons. Last year, he coached Los Angeles to a Pacific Division title. Before taking the Clippers, Lue led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 128-83 record, three NBA Finals appearances and franchise’s first NBA title in 2016.