Detroit — The Detroit Pistons emerged from the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night with the player they desired. The Pistons traded with the Memphis Grizzlies to move up from No. 21 to No. 17 to select Ebuka Okorie from Stanford.
In exchange, the Pistons sent the Grizzlies the draft rights to Karim Lopez (No. 21 overall) and three future second-round picks. Detroit’s decision to move up and draft Okorie sparked excitement among fans and analysts on social media.
I love the aggression by Detroit to move up for Ebuka Okorie. Elite downhill attacker and will become a better shooter in the NBA. Gonna help the Pistons turnover problem. He logged only 1.9 turnovers per game. Stanford had an 11.9% turnover rate with Okorie on the floor and… pic.twitter.com/R7SlyITaT3
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) June 24, 2026
The Pistons Have Traded The 21st Pick To The Memphis Grizzlies For the 17th Pick To Draft G Ebuka Okorie. 🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/yVkfMUcaxn
— Downtown Deuce (@DowntownDeuce) June 24, 2026
Okorie is a 6-foot-1 combo guard who can contribute significant scoring to the Pistons’ backcourt. During his lone season with the Stanford Cardinal, Okorie averaged 23.2 points per game. He led the ACC in scoring and ranked seventh nationally. Okorie scored 719 points during the 2025-26 season, the second-most by a freshman in Stanford history and the third-most overall.
“This moment means a lot. … The only reason I’m able to get here is by the grace of God. My faith is really big to me,” Okorie said. “My parents have instilled those values in me growing up, me and my whole family. Being able to inspire other people that may be of Nigerian background who have a similar upbringing as me, hopefully I can inspire them and show that hard work pays off, and to just chase your dreams.”
Ebuka Okorie draft profile 👀
Tyrese Maxey comp moves me, the newest Pistons scored 30+ points eight times, including a 40-piece, as a freshman. pic.twitter.com/kvVS8AYGxy
— Pistons Jack (@pistons_jack) June 24, 2026
WELCOME TO DETROIT, EBUKA 🔥 https://t.co/pjEruQAE2ppic.twitter.com/aO2bf5UJFh
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) June 24, 2026
Okorie broke Stanford’s freshman single-game scoring record three times last season. His best performance came in Stanford’s 95-72 victory over Georgia Tech on Feb. 8. He scored a career-best 40 points, shooting 12-for-21 from the field and 13-for-13 from the foul line. Okorie concluded his sole season at Stanford, receiving ffirst-team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team honors.
“Dream big it doesn’t matter where you’re from, you can make it.”
#17 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Ebuka Okorie on being one of only two New Hampshire natives in the NBA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IyO9lzUj9n
— NBA (@NBA) June 24, 2026
A message from our newest Piston 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0GyJ8juOeO
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) June 24, 2026
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Social media reacts to Pistons’ selection of Ebuka Okorie in NBA Draft
