Milwaukee Bucks Select Jordan Nwora with No. 45 Overall Pick of 2020 NBA Draft

The former Louisville men's basketball forward becomes the 76th Cardinal to be drafted into the NBA.

(Photo of Jordan Nwora: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports)

NEW YORK - With the No. 45 overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks have selected former University of Louisville forward Jordan Nwora.

He is the 76th Cardinal to ever be drafted into the NBA, and is the first since Ray Spalding was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 56 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Since declaring for the draft earlier this year, the the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward had been steadily climbing up draft boards thanks in part to his uncanny ability to shoot the basketball. Nwora was ranked as the the No. 43 overall prospect in Sports Illustrated's Final Top 80 Big Board, citing his shooting as his biggest asset.

"Although Nwora wasn’t as consistent as he should have been this season, he remains one of the best pure shooters in this draft, which shouldn’t be undersold," SI NBA Draft insider Jeremy Woo said. "It’s easy to nitpick the flaws here, as he’s not an elite athlete or great defender, but he’s a solid rebounder with good size, and teams will primarily ask him to space the floor and make simple plays."

A Julius Erving Award & John Wooden Award finalist as well as a First Team All-ACC selection & Third Team AP All-American, the Buffalo, NY native led the team in points per game with 18.0 and was second in rebounding with 7.7. He also shot 44.0% from the field and 40.2% on three-point shots.

Nwora was the only player to be ranked in the ACC's top ten in points, rebounding, free throw percentage, field goal percentage and three-pointers made per game during the 2020-21 season.

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