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The NBA season began this past Tuesday as ten former high school standouts from Wisconsin made opening night rosters for six different teams.

The talent is brimming from the state as eight of the ten players were first round picks. One has won a Sixth Man of the Year award, another made his first NBA All-Star team last year and both of them were once All-Rookie team members.

A few players that saw NBA action last year won't make this list, however deserve mention.

Kostas Antetokounmpo has an NBA Championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers, but after playing in the Chicago Bull's G-League last season, the Dominican grad is now playing overseas for Panathinaikos.

Both Alondes Williams of Milwaukee Riverside and Michael Foster Jr. of Milwaukee Washington went un-drafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, but found played in the G-League. That will be the case to begin this season as well for both of the Milwaukee natives.

The list will be by ordered by tenure.

Matthews enters Year 14 in the NBA this season and will do so on his eighth team of his career, the Atlanta Hawks. The former Madison Memorial grad and 2005 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin spent the past two seasons as a three-and-d guard for his home state Milwaukee Bucks. Matthews has accumulated over 11,000 points, 2,700 rebounds, 1,800 assists and made over 1,800 three point shots in his pro career after going un-drafted in 2009.

Looney is one of the more underrated and under appreciated players in the entirety of the NBA. Entering his ninth season, the 2014 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin is a three-time NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors. Looney signed a three-year extension with the club before last season and serves as one of the glue guys for one of the best teams in the NBA. Taken with the 30th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Looney has since scored over 2,300 points and hauled in over 2,500 rebounds.

Though Poole didn't graduate from Milwaukee King, he did spend his first three years playing in the state. After excelling at Michigan, Poole was taken 28th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Draft. Last October, Poole signed a four-year, $123 million dollar extension with the Warriors. However, after this season, the one-time NBA champ was the centerpiece in trade to the Washington Wizards with another former alum Patrick Baldwin Jr. Poole averaged over 20 points per game last year and has already scored over 4,100 in his career with nearly 600 made threes.

Herro was the center of the off-season trade talk the past few months as the Whitnall grad was a supposed piece in the Damian Lillard package. However, the 2022 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and 2020 NBA All-Rookie second teamer will enter his fifth season with the Miami Heat. One of the more prolific scorers off the bench, Herro has been in the starting lineup the last two seasons. He averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last year. Selected in with the thirteenth pick in the 2019 draft, Herro has scored over 4,200 points and made over 600 threes. Like Poole, Herro signed a four-year extension last October worth $130 million.

Haliburton is arguably the best player from the state in the NBA right now, though Herro and Poole are proof of the top-level talent coming out of Wisconsin. The former 12th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, Haliburton has developed into one of the top point guards in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers. The Oshkosh North and Iowa State grad made his first All-Star team last year and averaged 20.7 points, 10.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. This offseason, Haliburton signed a max extension with the Pacers worth up to $260 million over five years. Haliburton has also been an efficient three-point threat, making over 42% in his career. 

Johnson has spent the first two years of his NBA career developing for the Atlanta Hawks and is a top pick to bust out in Year 3. The former Nicolet grad and Duke Blue Devil was taken with the 20th pick in the 2021 draft and has averaged just over twelve minutes per game through his first two seasons. However, Johnson started his 2023-24 season off on the right foot scoring 21 points and hauling in seven rebounds. Johnson will team with fellow alumni Wes Matthews for the Hawks. 

Hauser has grown into a bigger role each season with the Boston Celtics. Going un-drafted in 2021, the former Marquette and Virginia standout played in just 26 games as a rookie. Last season Hauser averaged 6.4 points per game while playing over 16 minutes in 80 games. Despite not scoring in Game 1, the 2016 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin played 13 minutes, which was seventh best on the team.

Davis had a very up and down rookie season after going tenth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft to the Washington Wizards. The 2020 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin struggled in the preseason and was sent to the G-League for an extended time last year. However, late in the year Davis seemingly began to figure it out. He scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games and played over 30 minutes per game. Davis will now play on the Wizards with former alumni Jordan Poole and Patrick Baldwin Jr. after an offseason trade.

Baldwin Jr. has all the tools to be successful NBA player. Standing at 6'9", the UW-Milwaukee Panther can shoot, pass and create scoring with his lanky frame. Drafted 28th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 draft, Baldwin Jr. became the third player from Wisconsin drafted by the champions in eight seasons. However, Baldwin Jr. and fellow alumni Jordan Poole were traded to the Washington Wizards this offseason where they join Johnny Davis to form another trio of players from the state. A change of scenery may be just what Baldwin Jr. needs to showcase his skills.

Podziemski bet on himself two times in the last two years. First, the SJNMA guard transferred from Illinois to Santa Clara after his freshman season. The 2021 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin then declared for the draft after averaging over 19 points and eight rebounds per game and being named the West Coast Conference co-Player of the Year. Podziemski was taken 19th overall this past June by the top landing spot team in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors.

If you have any mens basketball player alumni news, DM or tweet at Colton on Twitter @coltonwilson23 or email him by clicking here.