HOUSTON — The Atlanta Hawks selected University of Houston guard Kingston Flemings with the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, making him the sixth player in Cougars history to be chosen in the draft’s top 10.
Flemings, a San Antonio native and former Brennan High School standout, completed one season at Houston before declaring for the draft.
The 6-foot-4 point guard averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game during the 2025-26 season. He helped lead the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors, consensus All-American recognition and finalist status for the Wooden Award.
Flemings entered the season outside most lottery projections but improved his draft stock through his performance as Houston’s primary floor leader. Scouts cited his playmaking ability, defensive impact and effectiveness on both ends of the court.
The selection gives Atlanta a young guard to add to its backcourt. Flemings became Houston’s fourth first-round NBA Draft pick since 2021 and matched the highest draft position by a Cougars player since Jarace Walker went eighth overall in 2023.
Houston also had a second player selected in the first round. Chris Cenac Jr. went to the Boston Celtics with the 27th overall pick.