This story is one that many readers who are basketball fans were already fully aware of. But for readers who didn’t follow the NBA draft (like me) — Southborough native Alex Karaban played in his final March Madness Final this spring.
He made headlines this week as he moves on from UConn to play for the Sacremento Kings. I’m sharing highlights from media coverage of the big news.
The Worcester Telegram recapped:
the Southborough resident was selected No. 29 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2026 NBA Draft. Karaban was then traded to the Sacramento Kings for the No. 34 overall pick and a future second-round selection according to ESPN.
“It’s going to be super exciting,” Karaban told the Boston Herald before being drafted. “All the work, all the sacrifices, just all the hours, days, months, whatever it is, just all that time built up to reach my dream of playing in the NBA. It’s going to be special.”
Prior to the draft, CT Insider noted that being a first-round draft selection had long been a dream of Karaban’s. The same story highlighted that Karaban was publicly saying the right thing for NBA teams looking for “unselfish role players”. They quoted him as recently saying, “”I want to make the lives of superstars easier out there”.
Post draft, a Yahoo Sports analyst explained “why the two-time champion at UConn is the perfect addition to Sacramento’s rebuild alongside Darius Acuff Jr.” You can read about that, or check out the The Kevin O’Connor Show podcast episode titled “Did the Kings get the steal of the draft in Alex Karaban?”, here.
