The Memphis Grizzlies selected Duke forward Cameron Boozer with the third overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, giving the rebuilding franchise a new frontcourt cornerstone.
The Memphis Grizzlies took another step toward their next era on Tuesday night with the selection of Duke forward Cameron Boozer at No. 3 in the NBA draft. BYU star AJ Dybantsa went first overall to the Washington Wizards, while the Utah Jazz took Darryn Peterson second, keeping the top of the draft on the script most analysts had projected for weeks.
Boozer became the ACC Rookie of the Year, the ACC Player of the Year, and the consensus National Player of the Year in his lone season with the Blue Devils. The 6-foot-9, 253-pound forward averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on 56/39/79 shooting splits, leading Duke to a 35-3 record, the ACC regular season and tournament titles, and an Elite Eight appearance as the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.
He is the son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, who exceeded expectations as a second-round pick at No. 35 overall in 2002 and went on to play 15 seasons for Cleveland, Utah, Chicago, and the Lakers, averaging 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
This marks Memphis’ highest draft selection since Ja Morant went second overall in 2019, and the franchise’s first top-three pick since Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 1996. The timing reflects just how far the Grizzlies have fallen. Boozer’s play needs to resonate loudly this season as Memphis continues a personnel reset that began in 2025 when the club fired longtime coach Taylor Jenkins less than a month before the playoffs.
“The group of young players that we already have, coupled with having as many first-round assets as nearly anyone in the league, is going to speak for itself soon,” general manager Zach Kleiman said. Boozer appears to be an ideal fit for the culture Memphis is looking to build as it attempts to move on from star guard Ja Morant, whose future remains uncertain; the Grizzlies likely won’t be able to trade him until later in the summer after free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman compared the 18-year-old to five-time All-Star Kevin Love, writing that “like Kevin Love did in his prime, Boozer produces with strength below the rim, post skill, three-point shooting and rebounding instincts” and noting that Love averaged 26.1 points per game in his best pro season, a ceiling Boozer could chase given his mix of physicality and inside-out offence.
Boozer joins Zach Edey as the second former national player of the year on the Memphis roster, slotting in alongside Edey, the No. 9 pick in 2024, and Cedric Coward, the No. 11 pick in 2025, as the foundation of a new-look Grizzlies frontcourt. Twin brother Cayden Boozer has returned to Duke for his sophomore season after the pair grew up in Miami but chose Duke, their father’s alma mater, over Miami, Florida, and Kentucky.
The Grizzlies still own two more picks in the top 32 of the draft.
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