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Bruce Thornton lands with the Houston Rockets with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
Bruce Thornton is a 2026 NBA draft pick.
The former Buckeye was selected with the 31st pick (first pick of the second round) by the Houston Rockets in the draft.
Bruce is headed to the big leagues
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) June 25, 2026
Congratulations to THE Captain on getting drafted to the @HoustonRockets #GoBucks | #DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/PpbxYMFJwn
Bruce Thornton hears his name called at #31! pic.twitter.com/IOLpKZnYRD
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) June 25, 2026
He joins a backcourt with plenty of talent in Houston, including Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard. The Rockets also have former Buckeye Jae'Sean Tate and star Kevin Durant.
Bruce Thornton becomes Ohio State's first NBA draft pick in three years, when Brice Sensabaugh was selected with the 28th overall pick by the Utah Jazz in 2023. https://t.co/ROTOmxhQ0Z pic.twitter.com/wbipDtvBjz
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) June 25, 2026
Before becoming an NBA draft pick, Thornton became an all-time Buckeye during his four years in Columbus. He was Ohio State's first four-time captain, became OSU's all-time leading scorer in March and helped lead the Buckeyes to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
He was one of two players in Big Ten history to record 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in his career, along with former Penn State guard Talor Battle. Thornton was also one of only 22 high-major players this season to complete his entire college basketball career at the same school.
Thornton's mom, Tiaunna Briggans, in an interview with The Columbus Dispatch's Adam Jardy this week, said her son is ready for the moment because he has always prepared for it.
“I guess we’ve never done anything like this before because it’s a matter of someone choosing you versus you get to choose them,” she said. “We keep having conversations and you just keep showing up and keep being yourself and the best is going to come for you because you’ve done everything the best of your best.
“I asked him, ‘Does it feel weird that Ohio State is practicing and you’re not there?’” Briggans said. “He was like, ‘Mom, I did my four years.’ He’s content. He’s not scared. You’ve got to grow up now. You’re ready… I think I’ve done everything I was supposed to do to get to where I am and prepare myself, so yeah, I’m ready. It’s time for me to go.’"
At 6-foot-1, 223 pounds, Thornton plays much bigger than his size might suggest. In a career-high 36.5 minutes per game during his senior season, he shot 55.4% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc. The 22-year-old shot a career-best 64.1% from 2-point range – his previous high was 54.7% as a junior – and at least 40% from 3-point range for the second consecutive season. A three-time All-Big Ten honoree, Thornton capped his college career by earning honorable mention AP All-American recognition, a first-time honor for the senior.
"Bruce is an NBA player," Jake Diebler said Wednesday, leading up to the second round of the draft. "Every NBA scout I've talked to or NBA decisionmaker that I've talked to, I've told them that there aren't a lot of guarantees in this, but I can guarantee you that your head coach is going to love Bruce Thornton.
"He's going to work hard every single day. He's going to impact winning every single day," he continued. "All he needs is a little crack of the door open, and he's going to bust through and he's going to make it happen, no question."
Thornton becomes Ohio State's first NBA draft selection in three years, when Brice Sensabaugh was selected with the 28th overall pick by the Utah Jazz in 2023.
