Although much of Sooner Nation spends the NBA season rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder down the road, Oklahoma fans have plenty of other rooting interests throughout the league thanks to a few former Sooners.
The 2026-27 NBA season is underway, with four players who finished their careers at OU before going pro on a roster and making an impact. Almost all of them are under new contracts and entering career-defining seasons.
Here's every Sooner playing in the NBA and what their situation looks like as the new season tips off:
Every former OU player in the NBA this season
It's a new era in Trae Young's career as he starts Year 9 in the NBA. After spending his entire career with the Atlanta Hawks, Young was traded to the Washington Wizards last season, then signed a four-year, $212 million contract with them over the offseason.
Young is a four-time NBA All-Star and was Third-Team All-NBA in 2022, but he's eyeing just his fourth appearance in the NBA Playoffs. The Wizards could make some noise in the Eastern Conference with Young, Anthony Davis, Deandre Ayton, and a lot of young talent on the rise.
For maybe the first time in his career, Austin Reaves finally has some expectations to meet.
Reaves signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted free agent out of OU in 2021. He says he declined an option to be drafted in the second round by the Detroit Pistons to instead sign a two-way contract with the Lakers, who he grew up rooting for. Reaves hit the jackpot with his gamble.
After averaging over 20 points per game the last two seasons, including 23.3 in 2025-26, Reaves earned a massive four-year, $185 million max deal with the Lakers over the offseason. The deal gave Reaves the richest contract in NBA history for an undrafted player.
Now, Reaves has to prove his worth alongside Luka Dončić, and with LeBron James out of the picture.
Buddy Hield has been in the NBA for over a decade now, entering his 11th season with his seventh different team after a wild 2025-26. He was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Atlanta Hawks last season, but then during the offseason, he was traded again to the Charlotte Hornets. His stint in Charlotte lasted just five days, though, before he was traded to the Chicago Bulls.
Hield isn't a budding superstar anymore, but he's had a longer NBA career than most and is still dangerous from the 3-point line when he comes off the bench.
Jeremiah Fears has officially been in the NBA longer than he was at Oklahoma as a one-and-done talent in 2024-25.
Fears is on the cusp of a breakout season after flashing a lot of potential as a rookie, especially down the stretch. He averaged 14.3 points per game last season while making 49 starts in 82 appearances. He should be an everyday starter this year, and already previewed what he's capable of by scoring double digits in every preseason game.
Look for Fears to soon be the next big name to come out of Norman.
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