The 58th NBA draft pick in the history of University of Cincinnati basketball is in, as Papa Ababacar Bartolome Miller, also known as Baba Miller, was made a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Clippers on June 24. Miller was the 36th pick overall.
The 6-foot-11 forward from Mallorca, Spain, played one year for the Bearcats, averaging 13 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Miller was second in the Big 12 with 13 double-doubles and was the first UC player since Naismith Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson to lead the team in scoring, rebounds and assists (3.7 per game).
He notched a team-high 23 double-figure scoring games, 17 double-figure rebounding contests and tied for the team high with four 20-point games. Miller led the team in rebounding 23 times, assists on 13 occasions and scoring in eight games.
Baba Miller told ESPN reporter Vanessa Richardson: “I feel like I’ve been through so much throughout my career,” Miller said. “All of the people who have helped me get here have prepared me for this moment. I feel I’m a versatile player who can guard different positions defensively. I need to bring intensity on that end, and then my playmaking is a big part of who I am on the offensive end. I’m ready to get to work.”
Former coach Wes Miller, UC GM Corey Evans on Baba Miller’s NBA future
Wes Miller, now head coach at Charlotte, got Baba Miller to UC from Florida Atlantic in May 2025 and he was the most successful of the transfer portal additions that offseason.
Nine Big 12 players were picked in the Tuesday, June 23 first-round, a conference record. No other conference had more than six. Baba Miller faced them all: AJ Dybantsa of BYU, Darryn Peterson of Kansas, Kingston Flemings of Houston, Brayden Burries of Arizona, Christian Anderson of Texas Tech, Cameron Carr of Baylor, Chris Cernac Jr. of Houston and Koa Peat of Arizona.
He had 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a Senior Night win over top pick Dybantsa’s BYU Cougars and 18 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals in UC’s upset over No. 8 Kansas with second overall pick Darryn Peterson in Allen Fieldhouse Feb. 21.
“I believe he’s prepared to positively impact NBA games immediately,” Wes Miller said. “He’ll be able to defend and rebound successfully at multiple NBA positions, and he’s capable of playing in different roles and positions offensively, depending on what a team may need.”
Before joining the Bearcats, Corey Evans, currently the GM under new coach Jerrod Calhoun, was with the Oklahoma City Thunder as Amateur Evaluation Scout/Identification and Intelligence. He believes Miller’s FIBA and international experience will come into play and points out that Miller is still young, having just turned 22 in February.
“The daily habits he possesses, and the unselfish approach are just a few of the reasons why, as long as he finds the right entryway into the NBA, he can stick and play for a prolonged period of time,” Evans said of Miller.
Baba Miller breaks NBA draft drought for Cincinnati Bearcats
The last player to play for UC and get drafted was 6-foot-8 Tari Eason, a John Brannen recruit who averaged 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 2020-21 before transferring to LSU, where he scored 16.9 points per game with 6.6 rebounds. Eason was a first-round pick of the Houston Rockets in 2022.
The last player to end their college career as a Cincinnati Bearcat and get drafted was Jacob Evans III, who played under Mick Cronin. The 6-foot-6 swingman started every game for Cronin from 2016-2018 and averaged 13 points per game his senior year with 4.7 rebounds per contest. Evans was picked in the first-round by the Golden State Warriors in 2018.
Brief Bearcat, Dillon Mitchell of St. John’s, also gets picked
Four picks after Baba Miller, another former Wes Miller/UC player was chosen when Dillon Mitchell went with the 40th pick of the second round to the Boston Celtics. After averaging 9.9 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Bearcats in 2024-25, Mitchell averaged 8.3 points and seven rebounds after transferring to St. John’s and Rick Pitino.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Baba Miller becomes 58th UC Bearcat to be selected in NBA draft
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
