Swiss center becomes 1st Penn State player ever picked in 1st round of NBA Draft
With the 30th and final pick of Round 1 of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser.
The 6-foot-11 native of Switzerland is the first first-round pick from Penn State.
Niederhauser improved his draft stock with a big combine. He led all big men there with a 37-inch max vertical leap and his wingspan measured 7-3.
An all-Big Ten honorable mention selection last season, Niederhauser led the Big Ten and ranked 12th in Division I with 2.31 blocks per game. It was the seventh-best total in Penn State history.
He also averaged 12.9 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game and led the Nittany Lions with a 61.1 field goal percentage.
Niederhauser, who started his career at Northern Illinois before transferring to Penn State for one season, is the Nittany Lions’ 16th overall NBA Draft pick. Denver Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett (2nd round, pick 32) was the previous highest pick from Penn State in modern draft history.
Niederhauser is the third Penn State player drafted in the last three years, joining Pickett and Seth Lundy (2023 to Atlanta).
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