Big 12 NBA Draft History: With the 25th Overall Pick...

***NOTE: No Big 12 player has gone 26^th overall***

Best Big 12 Player Drafted #25: Tony Allen, Oklahoma St. Cowboys, by the Boston Celtics in 2004.
Allen was serviceable bench guy for the Boston Celtics during his first six seasons in the NBA, seeing time in about half the Celtics' games each year. But during the past offseason, Allen was signed by the (then) lowly Memphis Grizzlies, where he blossomed into a defensive stalwart, finishing fifth in the league in steals 1.8 per game and first in steal percentage at 4.5% -- which is a calculation of the percentage of opponent possessions that end in a steal by an individual. According to Basketball-Reference.com, the calculation is 100 * (Steals * (Team Minutes Played / 5)) / (Minutes Played * Opponent Possessions)

Other Notable Big 12 Players Drafted 25th: None.

Best Non-Big 12 Player Drafted 25th: Gerald Wallace, Alabama Crimson Tide, by the Sacramento Kings in 2001.
Sometimes being a big fish in a small pond ain't the worst thing. Wallace played on some pretty crappy Bobcat teams and has averaged upwards of 18.2 ppg during the 2007-08 season. Like Allen above, Wallace is also a defensive ball hawk and led the NBA in steals and steal percentage in 2005-06.  

In preparation for the 2011 NBA Draft, each day until June 23 we'll count down the best Big 12 player drafted with each pick. This list only takes into account players who played in the Big 12, so it starts with the 1997 draft. In total 70 Big 12 alumni have been selected, filling 43 of the 60 possible slots.

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