2024 NBA Draft: Cody Williams, Jalen Williams join elite group of brothers selected in first round

Colorado forward Cody Williams made history on Wednesday during the 2024 NBA Draft, joining his older brother Jalen Williams as a first-round pick. The younger Williams was selected by the Utah Jazz at the No. 10 spot. Jalen was drafted with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. 

Last year, Amen and Ausar Thompson made history by both getting selected during the first five picks of the first round, which made them the first brothers to be selected in top 10 during the same draft. Amen Thompson went No. 4 to the Houston Rockets and Ausar wasn’t far behind, going with the next pick to the Detroit Pistons at No. 5.

In the same draft, Iowa’s Kris Murray joined his brother Keegan Murray — the No. 4 overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in the 2022 NBA Draft — as sibilings drafted in the first round. Lonzo and LaMelo Ball remain the only two brothers to be top-three selections in NBA Draft history. Lonzo was the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and LaMelo was selected third by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Here’s a closer look at notable siblings drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft over the years. 

Jalen and Cody Williams (2022, 2024)

The latest set of brothers to become first round picks are the Williams’ brothers. Jalen was selected 12th overall by the Thunder in 2022, and Cody went No. 10 to the Utah Jazz in the 2024 NBA Draft. The younger Williams was one of the top prospects in the 2023 recruiting cycle by 247Sports.

Amen and Ausar Thompson (2023)

The Thompson brothers were considered two of the best prospects in the class since 2022. They both played for Overtime Elite and would are the highest players drafted from that program. They made history together by being the first twins selected in the top 10 in NBA Draft history.

Keegan and Kris Murray (2022, 2023)

Neither of the Murray brothers were considered high-level draft prospects when arrived at Iowa prior to the 2020-21 season. First, it was Keegan who raised his stock drastically following a standout 2021-22 season, which helped him skyrocket up draft boards and ultimately land with the Kings with the No. 4 pick. Keegan was one of the oldest players drafted in the first round last season, and his twin brother was selected by the Trail Blazers at No. 23.

Lonzo and LaMelo Ball (2017, 2020)

Lavar Ball’s dream of seeing all three of his sons drafted into the NBA didn’t come true, but two out of three isn’t bad. Lonzo was considered one of the top point guards in the 2017 NBA Draft and ultimately landed with the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 2 pick. After a few seasons playing for his hometown team, he was shipped to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade. Lonzo’s playing career is in serious jeopardy following a knee injury from which he’s never fully recovered. On the flip side, LaMelo looks like one of the young rising stars in the NBA and landed with the Hornets with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Warriors had a chance to select Ball, but elected to draft Memphis big man James Wiseman. Who knows what LaMelo’s career trajectory would’ve looked like had he been drafted by the Warriors. 

After staring together at Kansas, the Morris brothers entered the 2011 NBA Draft and became back-to-back selections at the end of the lottery. Markieff was drafted first by the Phoenix Suns with the 13th pick; minutes later, Marcus was selected by the Houston Rockets with the last pick of the lottery. Both Morris brothers played four years at Kansas and are still in the league to this day. Markieff plays for the Dallas Mavericks and Marcus was recently traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Washington Wizards. 

Both played two seasons at Stanford before declaring for the 2008 NBA Draft. Brook was a lottery pick at 10th overall by the New Jersey Nets, but Robin just missed the cut when he was selected with the No. 15 pick by the Phoenix Suns. After years of playing in the NBA, Brook transformed his game and became one of the best defensive centers in the league. He finished near of the top of Defensive Player of the Year ballots and transformed into a lethal 3-point shooter. Robin spent last season playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Bernard and Albert King (1977, 1981)

Bernard was drafted seventh overall in the 1977 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets out of Tennessee. A few years later, his brother was drafted 10th overall by the Nets in the 1981 NBA Draft from Maryland. Bernard went on to have a successful Hall of Fame career as a four-time NBA All-Star and was twice named to the All-NBA First Team. Albert played for four different teams over nine years during his career. 

Gene and Purvis Short (1975, 1978)

Coming out of Jackson State, Gene Short was selected ninth overall by the New York Knicks in the 1975 NBA Draft. His younger brother, Purvis, also attended Jackson State and was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the No. 5 pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. Purvis averaged 17.3 points per game in his 12-year NBA career. Gene, on the other hand, only played 34 total games in his NBA career with the Knicks and the Seattle Supersonics.

Russ and Ron Lee (1972, 1976)

The first set of siblings to be selected in the top 10 of the NBA Draft. Russ was drafted sixth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1972 NBA Draft out of Marshall. His NBA career only lasted three seasons, and he retired following the 1974-75 season. Ron had a successful college career at Oregon and left as the program’s all-time leading scorer. The Suns selected him 10th overall in the 1976 NBA Draft, and he went on to play from 1976-82 before playing in Italy for three years to end his professional career.

Brothers selected in first round of NBA Draft