Seven former Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball players have made National Basketball Association (NBA) rosters as the league officially kicked off its 2025-26 season on Tuesday.
The players include former Morehead State players
Johni Broome (Philadelphia) and
Riley Minix (San Antonio), former Murray State player
Ja Morant (Memphis) and former Belmont players
Ben Sheppard (Indiana) and
Will Richard (Golden State), former Little Rock player
Myron Gardner and former Tennessee Tech player
Taelon Peter (Indiana).
Broome played two seasons at Morehead State before finishing his career at Auburn and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers (pick No. 35 overall) in the Second Round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Broome was named the 2020-21 OVC Freshman of the Year and OVC Tournament MVP in leading Morehead State to the OVC title and a NCAA Tournament berth. He followed that by being named OVC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22. In two years at MSU he tallied 986 points and 629 rebounds. Broome finished his career by playing three seasons at Auburn. For his five-year NCAA career he tallied 2,698 points and 1,594 rebounds and was named a two-time All-American (including unanimous first-team in 2024-25 in leading the Tigers to the Final Four). Broome is the only player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history to record 2,500 points, 1,500 rebounds and 400 blocks in his career.
Gardner is on a Two-Way Contract with the Heat and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He began his collegiate career at Georgetown before finishing at Little Rock. In his lone season in the OVC he earned second-team All-OVC honors after averaging 13.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals/game and netting a league-best 15 double-doubles. After going undrafted, Gardner played two seasons in the G League with the Orlando Magic's franchise, before joining the Heat prior to the 2025 Summer League.
Minix, the 2023-24 OVC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and OVC Male Athlete of the Year, appeared in one regular season game with San Antonio last year before suffering an injury. Minix had averaged 12.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists/game for the Spurs in the 2024 NBA Summer League. In the offseason he resigned with the team on a two-way deal. One of a maximum of three players per roster can be on a two-way contract, meaning Minix can go back and forth between the Spurs and its G League affiliate the Austin Spurs. Two-way players may be active for up to 50 games with the NBA team during the season.
Morant enters his seventh season in the NBA in 2025-26. As a rookie in 2019-20, he won NBA Rookie of the Year honors, making him one of three non-Power 5 players to win the award since 1983-84. At Murray State Morant earned first-team consensus All-American honors, making him just the third OVC student-athlete to earn first-team consensus All-American honors; he finished his final collegiate season with 331 assists, the sixth-most in NCAA single-season history. Last season he played in 50 games and averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 1.2 steals/game.
Peter played one season at Tennessee Tech (2020-21) before eventually finishing his collegiate career at Liberty. He was selected in the Second Round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Pacers and begins this season on a Two-Way Contract with the Noblesville Boom.
Richard played the 2021-22 season at Belmont, earned OVC All-Newcomer honors. That season Richard played in 33 games and averaged 12.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals/game. He would transfer to Florida where he helped the Gators win the 2025 NCAA Championship. He was selected No. 56 overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Sheppard played three seasons in the OVC for Belmont was a First Round Draft Pick of the Pacers in 2023. He saw action in 57 games as a rookie and in 63 regular season games a year ago, helping the Pacers to the NBA Finals. During the season he averaged 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists/game. Sheppard was a first-team All-OVC selection in 2021-22 and became the 12th player to compete in the OVC and go on to be draft in the First Round of the NBA Draft. In 2021-22, Sheppard ranked fifth in the OVC in scoring (16.2 ppg).
Former OVC Players on NBA Opening Night Rosters
Johni Broome, Philadelphia 76ers
Myron Gardner, Miami Heat
Riley Minix, San Antonio Spurs
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Taelon Peter, Indiana Pacers
Will Richard, Golden State
Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers