For only the fifth time in school history, Alabama has a top-10 NBA draft pick.

Brandon Miller was picked No. 2 overall Thursday night by the Charlotte Hornets to tie the highest draft selection in school history. He joins Antonio McDyess, the No. 2 pick in the 1995 draft going to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Miller pick was the third lottery pick of the Nate Oats era as he joined Kira Lewis (13th in 2020) and Josh Primo (12th in 2021).

He was the No. 2 overall pick behind Victor Wembanyama of France who was selected by San Antonio.

The night isn’t over for former Crimson Tide standouts as Noah Clowney and Charles Bediako remain on the board. Clowney, another freshman last year, is projected as a first-round pick for a Crimson Tide program that hasn’t had two in the opening round since 1995.

There was late intrigue over who Charlotte would pick as the Hornets ultimately went with Miller over Scoot Henderson. The G-League star went to the Portland Trail Blazers with the third selection.

Miller’s draft pick is another step in a quick rise to fame. The Antioch, Tennessee product came to Tuscaloosa as the No. 14 player in the 2022 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

From there, he turned into one of the most explosive players in the 2022-23 college basketball season regardless of age. That tied for the fewest college players picked in the first five with the 2001 season, according to the ESPN broadcast.

In fact, of the first five picks, Miller was the only one who played college hoops in the United States last season.

The 6-foot-9 forward flashed his versatility all season while scoring 18.8 points a game, shooting 38.4% from 3-point range while grabbing 8.2 rebounds a game. He had a career-high 41 points at South Carolina on Feb. 22 while hitting the 30-point mark on four occasions.

For Clowney, there’s a range of projections as to how his Thursday night will go. He’s anywhere from a mid-first-round pick to a second-rounder in the draft forecasts.

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