Oklahoma went seven years without producing an NBA Draft pick.
Then Jeremiah Fears came along.
The crafty 18-year-old point guard on Wednesday night became the first Sooner to be selected in the NBA Draft since Trae Young went fifth overall to the Atlanta Hawks back in 2018. Fears, who like Young spent just one season in Norman, was picked seventh overall by the New Orleans Pelicans during the first round of the draft in Brooklyn, New York, at the Barclays Center.
Fears is the fourth top-10 pick out of Oklahoma since 2009, as he joins a select group that includes Young, Buddy Hield (No. 6 overall in 2016) and Blake Griffin (No. 1 overall in 2009). That fact isn't lost on Fears, who just a couple hours before the draft was quizzed live on ESPN pre-draft show about the last three OU players to go in the draft's lottery; he quickly rattled off the names — then added his own, acknowledging the spot in program history he would soon occupy.
"(I'm going to) treat it with the same mindset," Fears said after he was drafted by New Orleans. "Approach everything the same way — to kill and to make the right reads. Make the right choices, as well, on the court. Just continuing to go out there, have fun. Personally, I don't believe in pressure because I trust my work and know what I'm capable of."
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Fears showed what he was capable of during his lone season at Oklahoma, where he enrolled before turning 18 (his birthday is Oct. 14) after reclassifying from the 2025 class to jumpstart his path to this moment. As one of the youngest players in college basketball, Fears left his mark on Oklahoma while leading the team through a historically deep SEC last season.
The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while propelling Oklahoma to its second consecutive 20-win season and its first NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Porter Moser. Fears led the Sooners in scoring, assists and steals, finishing the year as one of just five freshmen in the country to lead their respective teams in each of those three categories.
"Our staff is so happy for Jeremiah on this special night," Moser said in a statement after Fears was picked. "He joined our program last summer as a 17-year-old and was way beyond his years with his dedication, work ethic, humility and willingness to learn. He is an ultra-competitor and is driven to be the best. He has earned this incredible moment, and we are elated for him and his family."
(Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images, Getty)
Though he came off the bench in each of OU's first three games, Fears quickly established himself as the Sooners' starting point guard early in the season. He scored in double figures in 30 of his 34 appearances and scored 20-plus in 11 of those games. He weathered some struggles early in SEC play as he acclimated to the physicality and difficulty of the league, but he got over the hump and caught a second wind later in the year, as he scored at least 20 points in six of Oklahoma's final nine games—including each of the Sooners' last three games of the year.
During that nine-game stretch, Fears averaged 22.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and five assists, becoming the only SEC player since at least the 1996-97 season to average at least 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and five assists over a nine-game span.
Fears was particularly masterful in the postseason, in both the SEC Tournament and OU's first-round NCAA Tournament game against UConn. He scored 29 points and finished with six rebounds, two assists and three steals in a first-round SEC Tournament win against Georgia. The following day, in a one-point loss to Kentucky, Fears scored 28 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out five assists and had three steals. In his final game for the Sooners, in the NCAA Tournament, Fears scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed five boards to go along with four assists and two steals.
That all helped solidify his stock as a likely lottery pick in the NBA Draft, as he declared for the draft April 2 and continued to shoot up draft boards in the nearly three months since. Fears joins Hield as the only Oklahoma players to be selected by New Orleans.
Here's everything Fears told reporters during a brief post-draft press conference Wednesday night, as he discussed his pre-draft experience with the Pelicans, his potential and fit with the franchise, and more…
Q. I know in the pre-draft process you ended up working out with New Orleans. How did you enjoy your time there and meeting the people in the organization?
JEREMIAH FEARS: "Man, it was great. The staff was amazing. The players were amazing, as well. Living situation looked like it wasn't too bad, and the food was amazing as well. I enjoyed my time out there, for sure."
Q. Ten, 15 years looking back, let's say you've had a successful NBA career, accomplished all your goals. What do you think the most important development in that time will have been, the key to really unlocking your full potential?
JEREMIAH FEARS: "Really just the experience. Continuing to go out there and give it your all. You never can know too much. Continuing to learn and share some knowledge with a couple of the other guys, and hopefully the vets share knowledge with me, as well, to continue me putting myself in the best situation possible."
Q. How did you feel you'll fit in with this Pelicans team and what's got you excited about joining that group?
JEREMIAH FEARS: "I feel like they'll be a great fit. They have some amazing pieces. Obviously just got Jordan Poole, as well, so that will be a great addition. They have Zion. He's a lob threat, somebody that you can get the ball to, somebody that is going to impact the game, all aspects of the game. I bring a lot to the game, as well. It's going to be super dope.
"Looking to build that connection with those guys and add a lot of wins to the win column this year."
Q. Now that you're in this position, is there anything that comes with being the first prospect since Trae Young to come from Oklahoma?
JEREMIAH FEARS: "Really just going out there, doing my thing. Treat it with the same mindset. Approach everything the same way, to kill and to make the right reads. Make the right choices, as well, on the court. Just continuing to go out there, have fun. Personally, I don't believe in pressure because I trust my work and know what I'm capable of."
Q. The Pelicans just also made a trade to draft Derik Queen --
JEREMIAH FEARS: "For real?"
Q. Yeah, what are your thoughts on being able to play with a guy like Derik?
JEREMIAH FEARS: "That's super dope. Derik is a great guy, super talented. You can expect a lot from him this season. I feel like our connection and our duo is going to go a long way, as well.
"Looking forward to tapping into him. I haven't been on my phone, so I didn't get that notification. But I'll definitely tap in with him and we'll probably get out there at the same time. Looking forward to continuing to build that connection, two rookies coming in. You guys should expect big things."