This post was updated June 23 at 7:27 p.m.

Just a day after former Michigan head coach Dusty May left college basketball for the NBA, three of his players – one a former Bruin – will make the professional jump with him.

Former UCLA men’s basketball center Aday Mara was drafted 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, following two seasons in Westwood and a third in Ann Arbor, during which he won the 2026 NCAA championship. The former Bruin was the highest-ranked center in the draft, according to ESPN. 

Mara now becomes the third Wolverine to be drafted in this year’s lottery, with forward Morez Johnson Jr. being chosen ninth overall by the Dallas Mavericks and forward Yaxel Lendeborg going 11th to the Golden State Warriors.

Mara follows a strong lineage of defensive stalwarts from Westwood who enter the NBA. Just two seasons ago, center Adem Bona was drafted 41st overall by the Philadelphia 76ers following a sophomore campaign that culminated in a Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award. The year prior, guard Jaylen Clark won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award and was subsequently selected 53rd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Mara was the No. 15 recruit in the 2023 recruiting class and the third overall center – behind Aaron Bradshaw and now-rising senior forward/center Xavier Booker. The former five-star from Zaragoza, Spain, was the best freshman UCLA recruit under coach Mick Cronin since 2023.

In his two years as a Bruin, Mara started in just nine of 61 total games played. After just 3.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game as a freshman, he grew to respective averages of 6.4, 4.0 and 1.6 in the following campaign.

However, conditioning and health issues limited Mara’s impact and caused him to play 25-plus minutes in just two games as a sophomore.

It wasn’t until transferring to Michigan that Mara broke out.

[Related: Bye Aday: Men’s basketball centerpiece Mara reportedly not returning to program]

The former Wolverine started in all but one of his 40 games in Ann Arbor. As a junior, Mara displayed his versatility as a rim protector and passing hub, leveraging his 7-foot-3 frame to contest opposing shots and find open teammates on easy cuts.

In his final collegiate season, Mara averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds. His 2.6 blocks per game ranked sixth in the country and first in the Big Ten, helping Michigan beat the University of Connecticut 69-63 in the national title – the program’s second NCAA championship and first since 1989.  

Mara now joins Oklahoma City, a squad one year removed from an NBA championship and a game short of a back-to-back finals appearance.