BROOKLYN (June 23, 2026) – The Brooklyn Nets have selected Mikel Brown Jr. with the sixth overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft and agreed in principle to acquire the draft rights to Joshua Jefferson, the 28th overall selection, from the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a trade that is not yet final.
Brown Jr. (6’5, 180) spent one season (2025-26) at the University of Louisville, appearing in 21 total games (19 starts) with averages of 18.2 points on 41.0 percent shooting from the field, 34.4 percent from 3-point territory and 84.4 percent from the free-throw line, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 29.2 minutes per game. The Orlando, Fla., native earned All-ACC Third Team honors in his lone season with the Cardinals, while also earning a spot on the ACC All-Rookie Team after earning two ACC Player of the Week awards on Nov. 17 and Feb. 16. The 20-year-old made history on Feb. 9 when he broke the ACC freshman single-game scoring record with 45 points against NC State while tying Louisville’s program record in points and 3-pointers made (10) to earn AP National Player of the Week recognition. Brown Jr. scored in double-digits 16 times and finished as the Cardinals’ second-leading scorer on the season.
A five-star recruit out of DME Academy in Daytona, Fla., Brown Jr. was ranked as the No. 8 overall prospect by ESPN in the Class of 2025 and was a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy Boys High School Player of the Year award. He won gold medals with USA Basketball at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup and 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup and was named the 2025 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.
Brown Jr. becomes the highest-drafted Net since Derrick Favors was chosen with the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, and he is the franchise’s second all-time draft selection out of the University of Louisville, joining Terrence Williams (11th overall, 2009).
Jefferson (6’8”, 246), played four collegiate seasons for Saint Mary’s (2022-24) and Iowa State (2024-26), holding career averages of 10.5 points on 48.3 percent shooting from the floor, 31.5 percent from 3-point range and 72.2 percent from the free throw line, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game in 23.4 minutes across 130 games (96 starts). In his two seasons as an upperclassman at Iowa State, the Las Vegas, NV., native averaged 14.7 points, 7.4 boards, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals in 30.3 minutes across 70 games (all starts) and was named a consensus 2025-26 All-America Second Team selection, All-Big 12 First Team and a Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year finalist. His season was highlighted by a NCAA Division I-leading two triple doubles, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to record multiple triple-doubles in conference play in a season. He posted 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.8 minutes per game in his senior season, and his 34 outings with at least 10 points were the third-most in Cyclone program history.
The son of former NFL player Ben Jefferson, the 22-year-old was named the Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada Boys Athlete of the Year and MaxPreps Player of the Year after leading Liberty High School to their first-ever Class 5A State Championship in 2022 before committing to Saint Mary’s.