Pac-12 Men's Basketball again leading way in NBA Finals
SAN FRANCISCO - Thanks, in large part, to the burgeoning dynasty of the Golden State Warriors, Pac-12 men's basketball will lead the way in the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive season when the 2019 title series tips off on Thursday, May 30.
Eight former Pac-12 standouts are part of the active rosters for the Western Conference champion Warriors and Eastern Conference representative Toronto Raptors, more than double the next closest league (SEC - 3). Beyond the on-court representation, the Warriors boast a trio of former Pac-12 standouts on the sidelines in head coach Steve Kerr (Arizona) and assistants Jarron Collins (Stanford) and Bruce Fraser (Arizona) as well as general manager Bob Myers (UCLA).
After opening the 2018-19 NBA regular season (69, trailing only the ACC's 83) and 2019 postseason (34, trailing only the ACC's 43) with the second-most active players, the Pac-12 once again outpaced all collegiate leagues in the Conference Finals (nine, ahead of the ACC's seven) for the fourth straight year and now for the upcoming Finals between the Warriors and Raptors.
The Conference had representation on 13-of-16 Playoff teams and from all 12 members.
FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETES ON 2019 NBA PLAYOFFS ROSTERS BY CONFERENCE
(excludes two-way contracts)
| Conference | Student-Athletes | Avg. per Membership | |
| 1. | ACC | 43 | 2.9 |
| 2. | Pac-12 | 34 | 2.8 |
| 3. | SEC | 27 | 1.9 |
| 4. | Big 12 | 23 | 2.3 |
| 5. | Big Ten | 15 | 1.1 |
| 6. | Big East | 14 | 1.4 |
FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETES ON NBA PLAYOFFS ROSTERS BY PAC-12 TEAMS
(excludes two-way contracts)
| Team | Student-Athletes | |
| 1. | UCLA | 7 |
| 2. | Washington | 5 |
| 3. | Arizona | 4 |
| T4. | California | 3 |
| T4. | Colorado | 3 |
| T4. | USC | 3 |
| T7. | Oregon | 2 |
| T7. | Utah | 2 |
| T7. | Washington State | 2 |
| T10. | Arizona State | 1 |
| T10. | Stanford | 1 |
| T10. | Oregon State | 1 |
FORMER PAC-12 STUDENT-ATHLETES ON NBA PLAYOFFS ROSTERS
| Team | Former Student-Athletes |
| Boston Celtics | Aron Baynes - WSU; Jaylen Brown - CAL |
| Brooklyn Nets | Allen Crabbe - CAL; Spencer Dinwiddie - COLO; Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - ARIZ |
| Denver Nuggets | Isaiah Thomas - WASH; Thomas Welsh (TW) - UCLA |
| Detroit Pistons | None |
| Golden State Warriors | Jordan Bell - ORE; Andrew Bogut - UTAH; Andre Iguodala - ARIZ; Kevon Looney - UCLA; Klay Thompson - WSU |
| Houston Rockets | James Harden - ASU |
| Indiana Pacers | Darren Collison - UCLA; Aaron Holiday - UCLA; TJ Leaf - UCLA |
| LA Clippers | Tyrone Wallace - CAL |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Brook Lopez - STAN |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Andre Roberson - COLO; Russell Westbrook - UCLA |
| Orlando Magic | Markelle Fultz - WASH; Aaron Gordon - ARIZ; Terrence Ross - WASH; Nikola Vucevic - USC |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Jonah Bolden - UCLA; T.J. McConnell - ARIZ |
| Portland Trailblazers | None |
| San Antonio Spurs | DeMar DeRozan - USC; Drew Eubanks (TW) - OSU; Chimezie Metu - USC; Dejounte Murray - WASH; Jakob Poeltl - UTAH; Quincy Pondexter - WASH; Derrick White - COLO |
| Toronto Raptors | Chris Boucher - ORE; Eric Moreland - OSU; Norman Powell - UCLA |
| Utah Jazz | None |