This is an opinion column.

The NBA draft came and went last week with little local fanfare.

That’s notable considering the recent history of this state’s two premier college basketball programs. Alabama and Auburn are arguably in the thick of parallel golden eras.

Outside of Florida’s national championship in April, the Yellowhammer State is arguably the epicenter of the SEC basketball orbit. Among the strongest nationally.

Final Fours for both.

Each was ranked No. 1 in the nation at some point last season.

SEC titles.

Yet, just one draft pick.

Auburn’s Johni Broome was the 35th overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft second round. The only player from the last two Alabama and Auburn teams picked by an NBA team doesn’t even get a guaranteed contract.

Now this might blow John Calipari’s mind, but that’s reason to celebrate.

Where the then-Kentucky coach called the 2010 NBA draft the “greatest day in the history of the program,” I’d argue the quiet draft nights for Alabama and Auburn reflect the balanced composition of those historic teams.

And it’s a reason to tout the much-maligned NIL marketplace.

Sure, both had All-Americans like Broome and Mark Sears. But they were never the kind of stars who were constructed for NBA greatness.

That’s why both returned for senior seasons instead of chancing pro careers after the 2023-24 season. Both arrived as transfers from mid-majors but stuck around with the encouragement of the NIL bucks (and the realization first-round riches weren’t in the cards regardless of when they were done with school).

The same is true for the rest of Alabama’s 2024 Final Four team and the Elite Eight sequel. Grant Nelson, another transfer from the wilds of North Dakota, became an essential member of Alabama teams that won a combined 53 games.

Chris Youngblood and Clifford Omoruyi were also portal players who played essential roles last year. Neither sniffed a draft pick.

A year earlier, Aaron Estrada fit that same mold. Rylan Griffen, too, though he’s been in the transfer portal to Kansas last year and now Texas A&M. When he’s done, a lottery pick would feel like a longshot.

Again, that’s what makes these last two Alabama rosters special. They did it without the superstar who consumed all the oxygen.

They were teams and not collections of individuals.

Alabama’s most recent draft picks came in 2023 with Brandon Miller going No. 2 overall and Noah Clowney No. 21. They were part of a history-making team that claimed the No. 1 overall NCAA tournament seed but ultimately ended in a Sweet 16 disappointment.

The same was true for Auburn.

Before Broome was picked this year, the most recent draft pick class saw Jabari Smith go No. 3 overall and Walker Kessler go No. 22 in 2022.

Both incredible talents led the Tigers to the program’s first No. 1 ranking and a 19-game winning streak. But like Alabama the following season, the 2021-22 Auburn team will be remembered for a March bust.

Broome paced the 2024-25 team that played in the Final Four along a few veterans likely headed for the NBA G-League. Dylan Cardwell, Miles Kelly, and Chaney Johnson signed free-agent deals with NBA teams, though making a roster next year will be a long shot.

That only adds to the legend of last year’s regular-season SEC champs that played in the program’s second Final Four.

Both Alabama and Auburn had freshman stars test the NBA market last season before Labaron Philon and Tahaad Pettiford opted to return. These were business decisions (helped, no doubt by NIL or revenue sharing money) and could very well be high draft picks of the future.

So the book isn’t closed on the NBA potential of these two teams but we have a good read on the theme here.

It’s not without precedent, either.

The 2018-19 Tigers were the first to play on the last weekend of the season. They had one draft pick, Chuma Okeke (16th overall) who got hurt in the Sweet 16 round of that magical run.

That team, like the last few from Alabama and Auburn, proves you can win without a crown jewel prospect.

Stacking lottery picks is great for recruiting, and nobody’s going to turn down the next NBA superstar who needs to log his college season somewhere.

Yet, Alabama and Auburn built national contenders the last few seasons with players who were never destined for that future.

They built teams.

Those players redecorated the rafters of their respective arenas with mostly mid-major transfers, smart use of NIL, and distinctive brands of basketball.

Who cares if they didn’t have a draft night to meet Calipari’s standards?

The core of these last two Alabama and Auburn will be legend in this state forever.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.