Cavaliers Now

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
In this story:

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

Published |Modified
Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Managing Editor and Publisher, CavaliersNow Email: mattnewton@virginia.eduTwitter: @mattynewtssWebsite | LinkedIn | Instagram Matt Newton is the managing editor and publisher at CavaliersNow. He has been covering UVA athletics since 2019 and has been the managing editor at CavaliersNow since launching the site in August 2021. Matt covers all things UVA sports, including Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Wahoos in the pros, and coverage of all 23 of the NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. A native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan, but has also been a UVA sports fanatic his entire life thanks to his parents, who are alums of the University of Virginia. Matt followed in his parents' footsteps and attended UVA from 2017-2021, graduating with a degree in Media Studies and a minor in Economics in May of 2021.