Four former Big West men’s basketball players participated in the 2025 NBA Playoffs and one is set to play for a championship title.
 
Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Ajay Mitchell (UC Santa Barbara 2021-24), is set to become the 15th Big West alum to compete in the NBA Finals. The last player from the conference to play for an NBA title was fellow Gaucho Gabe Vincent for the Heat in the 2023 iteration. Mitchell was drafted with the 38th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and subsequently traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The former Gaucho guard was a three-time All-Big West selection, garnering First Team honors in the final two seasons, and was the league's Player of the Year and Championship MVP in 2022-23. In 2023-24, the Ans, Liege, Belgium product averaged 20.0 points, on 50.4 percent shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
 
Three other Big West alums were members of teams that competed in the playoffs with Boston Celtics forward Miles Norris (UC Santa Barbara 2020-23), Memphis Grizzlies guard Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside 2019-23), Golden State Warriors forward Jackson Rowe (Cal State Fullerton 2016-20) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (UC Santa Barbara 2014-18).
 
Norris signed a two-way deal with the Boston Celtics in March after previously playing for the G-League Memphis Hustle. The San Diego, Calif. product was a three-year member of the UC Santa Barbara program and was an All-Big West Second Team selection after averaging 14.1 points and 6.1 rebounds. Norris was part of the 2020-21 and 2022-23 Gaucho teams that won both the Big West regular-season and postseason crowns, and made appearances in two NCAA Tournaments.

Pullin spent four years at UC Riverside, being named All-Big West twice, including First Team honors as a senior after averaging 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The Pleasant Hill, Calif. native transferred to Florida to finish his collegiate career. The former Highlander inked a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies in the middle of the season. 
 
Rowe signed a two-way contract with Golden State Warriors this past season after a stint on its G-League team in Santa Cruz. The Toronto, Canada native played four seasons at Cal State Fullerton and earned 2016-17 Big West Freshman of the Year and 2019-20 All-Big West Second Team honors, the latter after averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds as a senior. 
 
Vincent, a fifth-year NBA veteran, signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2023 offseason. Vincent played four seasons at UC Santa Barbara and earned 2014-15 Big West Freshman of the Year, 2015-16 All-Big West Honorable Mention and 2017-18 All-Big West Second Team honors. The former Gaucho's professional career started with the Stockton Kings, the G-League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. After averaging 23.4 points per game for the team during the 2019-20 season, Vincent was offered a two-way contract with the Miami Heat, which eventually turned into a standard NBA contract before the 2020-21 season. The Modesto, Calif. native played a key role in getting the Heat to the 2023 NBA Finals averaging 9.4 points per game. 

The Big West is prominently represented on NBA coaching staffs with seven alums from five schools featured on the sidelines this season. In addition to Mitchell, Norris, Rowe, Pullin and Vincent, over 95 other players that competed for Big West schools played professionally across the globe this season.  

Big West alumni on 2025 NBA Playoff rosters
Ajay Mitchell (UC Santa Barbara 2021-24) - Oklahoma City Thunder
Miles Norris (UC Santa Barbara 2020-23) - Boston Celtics
Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside 2019-23) - Memphis Grizzlies 
Jackson Rowe (Cal State Fullerton 2016-20) - Golden State Warriors
Gabe Vincent (UC Santa Barbara 2014-18) - Los Angeles Lakers 
 
Big West alumni on 2025 NBA Playoff coaching staffs
Scott Brooks (UC Irvine '87) - Assistant Coach, Los Angeles Lakers
AC Carter (Hawai'i ’98) - Assistant Coach, Memphis Grizzlies
Eric Glass (Cal State Fullerton '07) - Assistant Coach, Miami Heat
Maxwell Kupchak (UC Santa Barbara ’19) - Coordinator of Cap Strategy and Player Personnel, Atlanta Hawks
Joe Prunty (Cal Poly '91) - Assistant Coach, Milwaukee Bucks
Brian Shaw (UC Santa Barbara '88) - Assistant Coach, Los Angeles Clippers
Martin Tombe (UC San Diego '21) - Head Video Coordinator, Indiana Pacers
Isaac Yacob (CSUN '18) - Assistant Coach for Player Development, Indiana Pacers
 
Former Big West coaches on 2025 NBA Playoff coaching staffs
Garrett Jackson (Hawai’i graduate manager 2018-19) - Assistant Coach, Houston Rockets