The 22-year-old 6’11” Mallorcan forward Papa Ababacar ‘Baba’ Niang Miller has been selected with the 36th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA draft, the Los Angeles franchise announced early this morning.
The Clippers selected the forward from the University of Cincinnati, where he played 31 games and averaged 13.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, with a 52.9 percent field goal percentage last season.
“Baba is an athletic and skilled power forward with a great wingspan and a good understanding of the game. He is an excellent passer, finisher, and rebounder, as well as a versatile defender,“ said Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations for the Clippers.
The Spanish forward led the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Big 12 Conference in rebounds and became the first player since Oscar Robertson (1959–60) to lead Cincinnati in points, rebounds, and assists. As a result, Miller was named to the second team of one of the NCAA’s most prestigious conferences and to the Big 12 All-Freshman team.
Born in Mallorca, Miller came up through the Real Madrid academy and is one of the ‘Golden Boys’ who won the U-19 World Cup with the Spanish national team in 2023.
Miller thus joins Aday Mara and Sergio Larrea, who will play for Oklahoma and the Mavericks, as the three Spaniards selected on Wednesday and Thursday in the draft lottery for the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season.
“It’s a great opportunity and it really depends on what we make of it. That will determine how good we’ll be in the future. We have a lot to prove, but it’s a big step forward,” Miller said after the announcement of his selection by the Clippers. The Mallorcan forward will thus play alongside one of the league’s biggest stars, two-time champion Kawhi Leonard, provided, of course, that the whims of the summer transfer market don’t prevent it and the American is ultimately traded. In the NBA, and especially when it comes to signings, anything is possible. All at once and everywhere.
