After winning the national championship with Michigan this season, former UCLA center Aday Mara is beginning his professional career in the NBA.

Mara will be joining another championship organization after the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted him with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday. Going into the draft, ESPN had Mara ranked as the No. 1 center prospect.

Mara was one of three Michigan players drafted in the first round. In addition to Mara, forward Morez Johnson Jr. was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 9 pick, and forward Yaxel Lendeborg was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the No. 11 pick.

Former Wolverines head coach Dusty May also left Michigan after the national championship run to take over as head coach of the Mavericks.

Mara’s Career At UCLA

Mara played one season at Michigan after playing the first two seasons of his collegiate career at UCLA.

The Zaragoza, Spain native averaged 6.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a sophomore during the 2024-25 season. Mara only started in nine of the 61 games he played with the Bruins across two seasons.

Mara transferred to Michigan as a junior ahead of the 2025-26 season. In Ann Arbor, Mara transformed into the first-round NBA pick he is today. At UCLA, he averaged 13 minutes per game his sophomore season but at Michigan, he averaged a career-best 23.4 minutes.

The 7-foot-3 center also averaged a career-high 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.6 blocks while starting in 39 of 40 games for the Wolverines.

Now, Mara will join the Thunder two seasons after Oklahoma City won the NBA championship.

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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