Three years ago, Washington State’s Cedric Coward was a Division III basketball player. Today, he is an NBA draft pick.
With the 11th pick of the 2025 NBA draft, Coward went to the Memphis Grizzlies by way of the Portland Trail Blazers’ selection.
With that, Coward joins former Cougar Jaylen Wells in Memphis. Wells, a 2024 pick, just completed an NBA All-Rookie season with the Grizzlies.
The pick ties with NBA legend Klay Thompson for the highest drafted Coug in NBA history and it marks the first time since 1970-72 that WSU has had players selected in three consecutive NBA drafts.
“Even though it was a short season and unfortunately I did get hurt, I appreciated all my time there, all the battles with my guys,” Coward said of his time at WSU during a red carpet interview before the draft. “Everything there was absolutely incredible. I’ll be back in Pullman soon. I still gotta get my stuff. … Coach (David) Riley and them, they’ve got it in good hands out there.”
Coward, who saw his NBA draft stock grow by the day, emerged from the green room in New York to shake Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand when he heard his name called.
His longtime college coach, Riley, who also coached him at Eastern Washington, made the trip to New York to celebrate Coward’s achievement.
The 6-foot-6 guard/forward is the fifth former Coug active in the NBA, joining four-time NBA champion Thompson (Dallas Mavericks), Mouhamed Gueye (Atlanta Hawks) and the two key contributors from the Cougars’ 2024 NCAA Tournament run, Isaac Jones (Sacramento Kings) and Wells.
“What Washington State has done the last three or four years is pretty special,” Riley said in a Monday news conference. “Really cool stories and I think Washington State is a place where you can achieve your dreams.”
