Alabama Professional Athletes

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.

Alabama's NBA alumni class is making noise this offseason, and two Crimson Tide products in particular are at the center of major league storylines heading into the 2026–27 season.

Brandon Miller: Franchise Cornerstone or Still a Work in Progress?

In Charlotte, the front office has made its bet clear: the post-LaMelo Hornets are Brandon Miller's team. After trading LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns, the organization is explicitly building around the former Alabama standout and fellow young piece Kon Knueppel. Charlotte brought in veterans like Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, and Dennis Schroder to surround Miller with winning infrastructure — a signal that the rebuild isn't a teardown, it's a relaunch with the 2023 lottery pick as the nucleus.

The external noise has followed. Tracy McGrady went on record calling Miller the next player capable of becoming a franchise star — a weighty endorsement from an all-time great. But Sports Illustrated offered a counterpoint, laying out the specific flaws in Miller's game that currently separate "very good" from "true superstar." The debate itself is a marker of how far Miller has come: the conversation has shifted from whether he belongs, to whether he can lead a team deep into the playoffs. For Alabama fans, the trajectory alone is worth watching closely.

Collin Sexton Finds His Lakers Landing Spot

Up in Los Angeles, Collin Sexton made his offseason move official, signing a two-year, $19.2 million contract with the Lakers. Sexton, coming off a season in which he averaged 15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, is projected as a key contributor off the bench in a new-look Lakers lineup anchored by Luka Doncic.

Sexton has been candid about what drew him to LA — and equally candid about what he's seen from Doncic this summer. After attending Doncic's Slovenia minicamp, Sexton spoke favorably about Luka's leadership, offering an encouraging early read on team chemistry. He'll wear No. 10 in purple and gold, sliding into a bench role that could make or break the Lakers' depth in a competitive Western Conference.

The Rest of the Tide

Beyond the two headliners, Alabama's NBA footprint stretches across the league. Chris Youngblood is on a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, where a Sports Illustrated breakdown identified him as one of the more meaningful two-way players in Portland's rotation this season. Herbert Jones remains with the Pelicans, Kira Lewis is in Utah with the Jazz, and JD Davison is developing in Orlando with the Magic. Charles Bediako and Aaron Estrada are both on the Pistons' roster, while Noah Clowney and Keon Ellis represent the Tide on the Nets. Mark Sears is in Milwaukee with the Bucks, Joshua Primo is in Los Angeles with the Clippers, and Alex Reese holds a spot on the 76ers.

Eleven Alabama alumni across eleven NBA rosters — few programs can claim that kind of professional reach. But this fall, the spotlight belongs to Miller and Sexton, two former Tide guards who've arrived at very different inflection points in their careers and are both determined to prove something.

Three former Crimson Tide standouts are making noise across the league this offseason — and the stakes couldn't be more different for each of them.

Brandon Miller's Moment in Charlotte

The most consequential Alabama story of the week is unfolding in Charlotte, where the Hornets are working to make Brandon Miller the face of their franchise following the trade of LaMelo Ball. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the organization intends to offer Miller a lucrative contract extension — a clear signal of where the rebuild is headed.

It won't be simple. Sports Illustrated has reported that the Hornets cannot offer Miller the traditional max extension, creating a genuine negotiating puzzle. The benchmark being watched closely: Amen Thompson's recent extension with Houston, which gives both sides a market comp to calibrate expectations. Charlotte is walking a tightrope — they can't afford to overpay given their cap structure, but they also can't afford to let Miller's situation drag into uncertainty. A former No. 2 overall pick entering his prime doesn't stay available forever, and the Hornets know it.

JD Davison Catches On With Orlando

Lower-stakes but worth tracking: JD Davison has signed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Orlando Magic. The former Celtics two-way guard spent last season with the Houston Rockets under coach Ime Udoka, appearing in 28 regular-season games and averaging 2.5 points and 1.3 assists. An Exhibit-10 deal is a training camp invite with no guarantee of a roster spot — Davison will need a strong camp to convert it into something more. Still, landing with a young, ascending Magic squad is the right environment for a developmental guard trying to stick in the league.

Sexton Finds His Fit in Los Angeles

Meanwhile, Collin Sexton has a clear role and a clear opportunity with the Lakers. After parting ways with LeBron James this offseason, Los Angeles needed a reliable scoring presence off the bench — and Sexton is being counted on to fill exactly that void. In a recent interview with ESPN, Sexton discussed his decision to join the organization, citing the opportunity the Lakers' backcourt situation presented.

Yahoo Sports noted that Sexton brings a scoring punch off the bench that the Lakers simply didn't have last season. He's not being asked to be a star; he's being asked to be a weapon. For a player who has carved out his career as an aggressive, high-motor scorer, that's a workable — and potentially showcase — situation.

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From a franchise-defining extension to a longshot camp battle and a veteran finding new footing in Hollywood, Alabama's NBA alumni are spread across the full spectrum of offseason narratives. Miller's situation in Charlotte is the one to watch most closely — what the Hornets do in the coming weeks will define the direction of their rebuild for years to come.