Tyler Bey Drafted By Philadelphia 76ers

BOULDER – University of Colorado's Tyler Bey was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft with the 36th overall pick Wednesday night.

A native of Las Vegas, Bey was the 2019-20 Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year while earning league All-Defensive Team and All-Pac-12 Second Team honors. Bey averaged 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks as a junior, leading the Buffaloes in the latter three categories and ranking second in scoring.

Bey, a 6-foot, 8-inch, 216-pound forward, is Colorado's third NBA Draft pick in the last four years and sixth in the 10-year Tad Boyle era.

Overall, he is Colorado's 35^th NBA Draft pick and the second Buffs pick by the 76ers. Chuck Williams was a sixth round pick of the 76ers in 1968.

Reports by ESPN have Bey being part of a proposed trade that will eventually land him with the Dallas Mavericks, though all proposed trades have to pass through NBA Legal before being finalized. Andre Roberson was in a similar situation in 2013, drafted by Minnesota 26^th overall eventually landing in Oklahoma City.

Bey led the Pac-12 in rebounding and defensive boards (7.0 drpg), third in double-doubles (12), fifth in steals, seventh in blocks, eighth in offensive rebounds (2.0 orpg), ninth in field goal percentage and 17^th in scoring. He was the only conference player ranked in the top 15 in rebounds, blocks and steals.

In addition to his 2019-20 conference honors, he was a NABC All-District 19 Second Team pick, one of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award and one of 15 on the Midseason Team for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

As a sophomore, Bey was the Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year and a first team all-league pick. He averaged 13.6 and 9.9 rebounds per game and his overall rebound total of 356 was the second most in a single season in team history.

For his three-year career, Bey averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block over 99 games with 87 starts. He's one of seven Colorado players to eclipse 1,000 points and 800 rebounds and only the third documented player to reach 1,000 points, 750 rebounds and 100 blocks.

Bey ranks eighth in rebounds (800), ninth in double-doubles (31), 10^th in blocks (102) and field goal percentage (.530) and 29^th in points (1,113) on Colorado's all-time lists.

Following his junior season, Bey declared for the NBA Draft which would normally be held in June, but delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was invited to participate in the NBA Draft Combine, held both virtually with some in person workouts. He posted a 43.5-inch max vertical leap, setting an NBA Combine record for forwards.

Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle:
"Very excited for Tyler and his family, Every kid that that comes to Colorado comes with dreams of hopefully  someday playing in the NBA, and not everybody's going to experience that reality. But fact is Tyler was drafted 36th by Philadelphia and is going to be traded to Dallas as long as everything goes right. It's a great organization and I think they value what Tyler is all about and I think he'll fit in great with the Mavericks. Anytime you're a part of helping kids reach their dream, it's very, very gratifying."

"The greatest thing about coaching college athletics is you get to see guys come in like Tyler grow into being a man before your eyes and in various capacities. I mean physically, emotionally, socially, he's had a great maturation process while he's at Colorado, and a lot of people have been a part of that. I think of (academic coordinator) Mindy Sclaro in academics, people who have worked with Tyler very closely over the three years he was here. I think of our assistant coaches our strength coach Steve Englehart. This group has really been an instrumental part of Tyler being drafted and it's just, again, it's very gratifying. And he's grown in a lot of different ways in a lot of different areas and that's what, to me that's what college athletics is all about."

"They're getting a tremendous athlete, who's going to make plays that not too many people can make physically, given his length and his ability to jump and his ability to get off the floor so quick quickly. And he's also going to be a guy who's going to grow and develop and get better as he acclimates to the NBA game. He's got all the physical tools, and now it's a matter of him just getting back in the gym and using his work ethic to continue to improve and grow into the player that that Dallas is going to appreciate, and certainly the Colorado fans have appreciated that over the last three years watching Tyler come in as a freshman, and grow into a terrific, terrific player."