Many sports fanatics call the University of Connecticut the “Basketball Capital of the World.” Therefore, it is no surprise that the UConn men’s basketball team won back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024.
That raises a question, though: Where are the players from those national championship rosters now?
In 2023, despite being a No. 4 seed in March Madness, UConn cruised their way to a national title, winning every game in the tournament by a margin of 13 or more points.
The 2023 UConn men’s basketball team was led by star big Adama Sanogo, who won the award for Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four that year. After winning the national title, Sanogo went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft and joined the Chicago Bulls on a two-way contract. He appeared in just 17 games for the Bulls but dominated in the G League. The Bulls waived Sanogo in 2025, and he would then sign with the Trapani Shark, a professional basketball team in Italy. Sanogo left to join the Hapoel Holon in the Israeli Basketball Premier League where he currently plays.
Jordan Hawkins was a sharpshooter for the Huskies in 2023. Shortly after winning the national championship, Hawkins would declare for the draft where he was picked No. 14 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans. Hawkins played three years for the Pelicans before getting traded to the Memphis Grizzlies who would soon waive him. However, earlier this week, the Chicago Bulls signed Hawkins to a two-way contract.
Andre Jackson Jr. was the co-captain of the Huskies in 2023 alongside Sanogo. He went on to be drafted No. 36 overall by the Orlando Magic, however he was immediately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He ended up playing for the Bucks for the following three years. Jackson Jr. became a free agent in June of 2026 and is not on an NBA roster at the moment.
Alex Karaban, Donovan Clingan and Tristen Newton were all part of both the 2023 and 2024 national championship-winning UConn teams.
After cutting the nets twice, point guard Tristen Newton was drafted 49th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 NBA Draft. Newton played eight total games in his first season with the Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves and was waived at the beginning of the 2026 NBA season. He would sign with the Rockets in January 2026 where he only appeared in one game, however he averaged 25 points in the G League. Newton is currently on a training camp contract with the Sacramento Kings.
Speaking of the Kings, after being drafted 29th in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Alex Karaban was immediately traded to Sacramento where he currently awaits his first NBA season after staying at UConn in 2025 and 2026.
Big man Donovan Clingan was the backup behind Sanogo in the 2023 title run and was the starting center for the Huskies the following year in 2024. Clingan was selected seventh overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Clingan has spent two seasons playing for Portland, and his most recent one was a breakout year where he averaged 12.1 points and 11.6 rebounds as the Blazers’ starting center. Clingan is getting ready to play his third season with Portland.
The 2024 UConn men’s basketball team was beyond dominant. They finished with a record of 37-3, which includes a title run where their average margin of victory was 23.3 points.
Perhaps the most successful player from either of the two national championship-winning teams is current San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Stephon Castle. Castle was drafted fourth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by San Antonio and made an immediate impact in his first season, winning the Rookie of the Year award. In his second year in the league, Castle improved in nearly every statistical category, averaging 16.7 points and 7.4 assists. Castle would make it to the NBA finals that year as well, but his team fell short against the New York Knicks. Now, Castle is gearing up for his third season with the Spurs.
Last but certainly not least, we have former UConn guard Cam Spencer who was the second-leading scorer for the Huskies in their 2024 national title run. Spencer was selected with the 53rd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons but was traded immediately to the Memphis Grizzlies. After his first season with the team where he only played 25 games and spent some time in the G League, Spencer averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 assists the following season and started 20 games. Spencer is set to begin his third season with Memphis.
The 2023 and 2024 UConn men’s basketball teams produced a total of eight NBA players combined, and so it makes sense why the Huskies went 68-11 and won two national championships in those two years.