COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State’s Nique Clifford was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 24th pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. Clifford becomes the 34th student-athlete from the Mountain West and 16th in the first round to be drafted to the NBA in league history.
Clifford, a native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the first player to be drafted from the MW since Colorado State’s David Roddy was selected in the opening round by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022 before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 2025 Mountain West Tournament MVP, Clifford played two years at Colorado State, earning all-conference honors both seasons. During his final campaign in the Green and Gold, Clifford averaged 18.9 points and 9.6 rebounds, while shooting 49.6 percent from the floor en route to Associated Press and USBWA All-American Honorable Mention honors.
In 2025, the Mountain West had a first-round selection in both the NFL and NBA drafts (Ashton Jeanty, Boise State No. 6 to the Las Vegas Raiders) for the sixth time in league history and first time since 2020 (Malachi Flynn, San Diego State No. 29 to the Toronto Raptors; Jordan Love, Utah State No. 26 to the Green Bay Packers).
Additionally, the Mountain West is one of five FBS conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, MW) to have a first round selection in both the NFL and NBA drafts in 2025.
