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Virginia's Ryan Dunn Selected 28th Overall by Phoenix Suns in 2024 NBA Draft

Matt Newton

Virginia men's basketball forward Ryan Dunn was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Virginia men's basketball forward Ryan Dunn was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. / Virginia Athletics
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Virginia men's basketball forward Ryan Dunn was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night (June 26th). The 28th pick originally belonged to the Denver Nuggets, but the Suns acquired the draft pick in trade shortly before the pick was made.

Dunn is the first Virginia men's basketball player to be selected in the NBA Draft since Trey Murphy III in 2021. He is the 10th Cavalier to be drafted in the Tony Bennett era and the fifth to be taken in the first round, joining Murphy, Ty Jerome, De'Andre Hunter, and Justin Anderson. Dunn is the 42nd UVA men's basketball player to ever be picked in the NBA Draft and 12th first round NBA Draft pick in program history.

Virginia Men's Basketball NBA Draft Picks Under Tony Bennett

2012: Mike Scott | 2nd Round | No. 43 overall | Atlanta Hawks
2014: Joe Harris | 2nd Round | No. 33 overall | Cleveland Cavaliers
2015: Justin Anderson | 1st Round | No. 21 overall | Dallas Mavericks
2016: Malcolm Brogdon | 2nd Round | No. 36 overall | Milwaukee Bucks
2018: Devon Hall | 2nd Round | No. 53 overall | Oklahoma City Thunder
2019: De'Andre Hunter | 1st Round | No. 4 overall | Atlanta Hawks
2019: Ty Jerome | 1st Round | No. 24 overall | Philadelphia 76ers
2019: Kyle Guy | 2nd Round | No. 55 overall | New York Knicks
2021: Trey Murphy III | 1st Round | No. 17 overall | Memphis Grizzlies
2024: Ryan Dunn | 1st Round | No. 28 overall | Denver Nuggets

Watch Dunn's reaction to hearing his name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver below:

A 6'8" forward out of Freeport, New York, Dunn started all 34 games as a sophomore this past season and averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. Dunn, who led the ACC in blocks this season, finished runner-up to UVA teammate Reece Beekman in the voting for ACC Defensive Player of the Year and joined Beekman on the ACC All-Defensive Team while also garnering an All-ACC Honorable Mention.

Dunn declared for the draft on April 17th and penned this message in his announcement post on social media:

"Dear Wahoo nation, I want to thank you for welcoming me into Charlottesville with open arms from day one," Dunn said in the post. "You have made my time here at UVA special, there is no place like playing in JPJ. I want to thank Coach Bennett, as well as the entire coaching staff for believing in me and taking a chance on me! To my teammates, suiting up with you guys has been something that I will cherish forever, you will always be my brothers."

Read more: Malcolm Brogdon Traded to Washington Wizards from Portland Trail Blazers

We'll dive more into Dunn's fit in Phoenix in another article, but it looks like a good match on paper. The Suns have a surplus of scorers, headlined by the three-headed monster of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, but are in sore need of defenders. By drafting Dunn, Phoenix gets perhaps the best defender in the draft and one capable of guarding every position on the floor. Dunn, meanwhile, won't have his offensive shortcomings exposed due to the plethora of outstanding scorers and shooters on the roster, which will create spacing for Dunn to slash to the basket and will also allow him to work on developing his own offensive game without much pressure.

With Ryan Dunn hearing his name called at the 2024 NBA Draft, there are 10 former Virginia men's basketball players currently rostered in the NBA:

  • Malcolm Brogdon (Washington Wizards)
  • Mamadi Diakite (New York Knicks)
  • Ryan Dunn (Phoenix Suns)
  • Anthony Gill (Washington Wizards)
  • Sam Hauser (Boston Celtics)
  • Jay Huff (Denver Nuggets)
  • De'Andre Hunter (Atlanta Hawks)
  • Ty Jerome (Cleveland Cavaliers)
  • Braxton Key (Denver Nuggets)
  • Trey Murphy III (New Orleans Pelicans)

More Virginia Basketball News

Malcolm Brogdon Traded to Washington Wizards from Portland Trail Blazers

Virginia Basketball: Four-Star PG Chance Mallory Includes UVA in Top Six

Jersey Numbers Revealed for Virginia Basketball's Newcomers in 2024-2025

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.