NEW YORK – A pair of Arizona Wildcats were selected in the 2017 NBA Draft beginning with freshman Lauri Markkanen with the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Bulls before senior Kadeem Allen was selected with the 53^rd overall pick by the Boston Celtics. The pair of Wildcats pushed Arizona Basketball's NBA draft selection total to 71 in program history.

Markkanen, who was originally selected by the Minnesota before being traded to Chicago, was the 22^nd former Wildcat to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft and the 20^th of the modern draft era.  With the 7-footer's selection in the top ten, Arizona has now had four players selected in the top ten picks in the last six drafts.

The forward averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a freshman while shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc and 83.5 percent from the free throw line. The forward was a Third-Team All-American and Pac-12 All-Conference First Team selection for a Wildcat team that finished with a record of 32-5 and won a pair of conference championships.

The First Team All-Conference selection was also a voted to the Pac-12's All-Freshmen team by the league coaches. Markkanen went on to earn numerous national accolades, including being a USBWA All-District Team selection, Naismith Trophy semifinalist, Karl Malone Award finalist and a John R. Wooden Award finalist.

Kadeem Allen was a NBA draftee after two seasons in an Arizona uniform after transferring from Hutchinson Community College. The Wilmington, N.C. native was a Second Team All-Pac-12 and a Pac-12 All-Defensive team selection as a senior. He was a two-year starter for Arizona as the team amassed 57 wins in those pair of seasons with a Pac-12 regular season and tournament championship.

Part of Allen's lasting legacy will be his defensive prowess as he led UA in steals in back-to-back seasons. He also was the top shot-blocking guard in the conference in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. One of the iconic moments in his collegiate career was scoring the game-winning basket before tallying a victory-ensuring steal in Arizona's marquee win over top-ten Michigan State to open the 2016-17 season in the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, Hawai'i.