Alabama Professional Athletes

Alabama's NBA alumni are generating some of the biggest storylines of the preseason — and neither of the two headliners is doing it from a healthy practice floor.

Brandon Miller: Money Talks, Injury Walks

Brandon Miller is the most coveted unsigned player in Charlotte, and the Hornets intend to keep it that way. The fourth-year forward is reportedly in active extension talks with the organization on a rookie-scale max deal worth over $200 million, with Miller's camp eyeing comparable contracts secured by Franz Wagner, OG Anunoby, and Amen Thompson as benchmarks. The Hornets have an October 19 deadline to get a deal done before Miller hits restricted free agency territory, and by all accounts both sides are motivated.

The timing, however, is awkward. Miller suffered a shin contusion during a recent practice session and was ruled out of Charlotte's preseason matchup against the Nets — leaving a Hornets team already reeling from injuries to Kon Knueppel and Coby White even thinner heading into camp. The Hornets announced a Miller-less starting five for that contest, a reminder that however bright Miller's franchise-cornerstone ceiling looks on paper, Charlotte's injury luck has been brutal.

There's also noise on the trade front: a proposed three-team blockbuster surfaced this week that would send Miller to Golden State. The chatter reflects just how widely around the league Miller is viewed as a cornerstone-caliber talent — which, if anything, probably stiffens Charlotte's resolve to lock him up before October 19.

Collin Sexton: Big Stage, Uncertain Status

A few hundred miles west on the glamour spectrum, Collin Sexton signed with the Los Angeles Lakers to play alongside Luka Doncic — and coach JJ Redick has been effusive about the fit, describing his new additions as purpose-built pieces around his star. Sexton, for his part, has made clear he's determined to silence critics about his defense and use the Lakers' spotlight to prove his full value.

The problem: nobody's seen him play yet. Sexton has been absent from preseason action with a lingering injury, and Redick admitted he doesn't know when the guard will make his preseason debut. A Lakers shootaround this week offered little clarity on his status, and an NBA insider flagged Sexton's health as a genuine concern for a franchise that has already absorbed the departure of LeBron James and is leaning heavily on its new acquisitions to deliver. With Walker Kessler also working through his own injury, the Lakers' depth is being stress-tested before a meaningful minute has been played.

At $19 million, Sexton is one of Los Angeles' key investments. The longer he sits, the louder the questions get.

Around the Rest of the Tide

Outside the two headliners, Herbert Jones continues to carve out a role in New Orleans. Jones appeared in the Pelicans' preseason opener against Oklahoma City, assisting on Zion Williamson's thunderous first bucket of the preseason — a cameo that underscores his value as a facilitating wing. Meanwhile, Keon Ellis — now with the Brooklyn Nets after two seasons in Sacramento — cited his relationship with new head coach Jordi Fernandez as the decisive factor in signing with Brooklyn, and scouts are watching to see if a full season under a familiar system unlocks a breakout campaign for the Alabama product.

It's early October, and Alabama has four alumni already making news. Roll Tide — if everyone can stay healthy long enough to play.

Brandon Miller's Big Moment in Charlotte — With Strings Attached

Brandon Miller enters the 2026-27 season carrying more weight than just a healing shoulder. The former Alabama standout has given encouraging updates on the lingering shoulder issue that hampered his early 2025-26 campaign, and Hornets GM Jeff Peterson used Media Day as an opportunity to underscore the franchise's optimism in their young cornerstone. But optimism only goes so far — Charlotte has yet to extend Miller, and according to Sports Illustrated, the Hornets are playing a genuinely risky game by waiting.

The risk is double-edged: delay too long and Miller's market value could spike beyond what Charlotte can absorb; extend too early and the Hornets may overpay for a player still working to prove he can anchor a winning team as a true No. 1 option. An NBA scout consulted by SI noted that Miller's profile still carries real question marks at that level of responsibility — particularly when Charlotte's offseason moves have left analysts puzzled about their direction.

The silver lining is the second half of last season. Once Miller's shoulder steadied and the Hornets found their footing, his play took off noticeably. He showed flashes of the player Charlotte drafted him to become. The 2026-27 season is his clearest runway yet to silence the skeptics — and, not incidentally, to make that extension conversation a lot less complicated.

Sexton Zeroing In With the Lakers

Across the country in Los Angeles, Collin Sexton is doing what veterans on crowded rosters have to do: find a lane and dominate it. According to Sports Illustrated, the former Alabama guard has been putting in extra work on a specific area of his game that could define his role with the Lakers this season. The details of that focus area are telling — Sexton knows his path to meaningful minutes in LA runs through being indispensable in a defined capacity, not by trying to out-do stars on a roster built around them.

Sexton has always been a bucket-getter, but sustainability and role fit have been the recurring questions throughout his career. With the Lakers, the opportunity is real — and so is the competition. His preseason focus suggests he's approaching this chapter with the clarity of a player who understands exactly what's at stake.

Keon Ellis Finds His Footing in Brooklyn

Away from the Miller and Sexton storylines, fellow Alabama alum Keon Ellis is making news in Brooklyn for a personal reason. Ellis joined the Nets in large part for a reunion with head coach Jordi Fernández, who coached him previously and clearly made an impression. Ellis has described the Nets environment as a "safe space" — a telling phrase from a young player still establishing himself in the league. Fernández's trust could be exactly what Ellis needs to break out in 2026-27.

The Bigger Picture

Alabama's NBA footprint is wide — 13 active alumni across the league as rosters finalize — and Miller, Sexton, and Ellis are among those with the most compelling narratives heading into opening week. Miller is carrying a franchise's hope and a contract clock. Sexton is chasing relevance in Hollywood. Ellis is betting on a relationship to unlock his potential.

Three Tide alums. Three different stories. One thing in common: something to prove.

Alabama's NBA footprint is expanding heading into the 2026-27 season, with two Crimson Tide alumni — Collin Sexton and Brandon Miller — commanding attention for very different reasons.

Sexton Lands in Hollywood, but Questions Follow

Collin Sexton is officially a Laker, joining a retooled Los Angeles roster built around Luka Dončić. The offseason overhaul also brought in Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, and others — a sweeping reconstruction that signals championship-or-bust ambitions in Southern California.

Sexton has wasted no time settling in. He's already publicly singled out teammate Austin Reaves as a player who stands out for what he brings to the floor — a notable early endorsement that suggests the Alabama product is buying into the culture quickly.

But the signing hasn't been universally praised. Critics have put the Lakers on blast for allocating free-agent money to Sexton at a time when the team still has a glaring hole at starting power forward. The argument: that roster construction leaves Los Angeles exposed in ways that could haunt them once the playoff bracket tightens. The question isn't whether Sexton can play — it's whether he's the right priority given what the team still needs.

Yahoo Sports framed it cleanly: Sexton's game was never in doubt, but with positional needs elsewhere, the Lakers' investment has to prove its value in context. For a team with title expectations, "luxury" is a dangerous word to attach to any signing.

Miller Gets a Hall of Famer's Co-Sign

In Charlotte, Brandon Miller is entering a pivotal stretch of his young career — and he's doing it with Tracy McGrady in his corner. T-Mac, who knows a thing or two about carrying a franchise as a young wing, has publicly endorsed Miller as a legitimate cornerstone for the Hornets to build around.

That kind of validation matters in a market where Miller has faced questions about whether Charlotte can ever construct a viable team around him. McGrady's endorsement doesn't answer the roster-building questions, but it does signal that the basketball world sees real star potential in the former Alabama forward.

For Hornets fans who've watched Miller develop — flashing elite scoring instincts and perimeter versatility — the vote of confidence from a Hall of Famer serves as external confirmation of what they've seen internally.

The Bigger Picture for 'Bama

Sexton and Miller represent the two ends of the Alabama NBA spectrum right now: one chasing a title in a market with no margin for error, the other anchoring a rebuild in a small market desperately in need of an identity. Both face pressure. Both have something to prove in 2026-27.

Alabama's NBA alumni list runs deeper — Herbert Jones in New Orleans, Kira Lewis in Utah, Mark Sears in Milwaukee, and JD Davison in Orlando among others — but this week belonged to Sexton and Miller, two Tide products at the center of the league's offseason conversation.