Sept. 8, 2026, 3:08 p.m. ET
As the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, guard Kingston Flemings joins the Atlanta Hawks after a dazzling freshman campaign at Houston.
Flemings was a consensus second-team All-American, averaging 16.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 38.7% from 3-point range in 37 games. He became the first freshman in program history to earn an All-America selection.
The 19-year-old led the team in scoring average, field goals (222), 3-point percentage, assists (192), steals (56) and 20-point games (12). He set the Cougars’ freshman scoring record after recording 42 points and six assists on Jan. 24 in a loss to Texas Tech.
Flemings became Houston’s fourth first-round pick since the NBA went to a two-round draft in 1989, joining Quentin Grimes (2021), Jarace Walker (2023) and Marcus Sasser (2023). He is the Hawks’ third lottery pick since 2020 (Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu).
The 6-foot-3 Flemings debuted with the Hawks in summer league, averaging 10 points, 6.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks in four games. He finished in double figures twice, including a 14-point, nine-assist effort on July 4.
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Flemings established himself as a lottery pick this year because of his scoring, playmaking and maturity as a lead guard with the Cougars. The team was ecstatic to add him to the roster and is eager to see him take the court this season.
Throughout September, Rookie Wire is compiling some of the most interesting facts about each first-round pick in an effort to further introduce the incoming draft class ahead of the 2026-27 season
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Car Accident
In a Players’ Tribune article published before the draft, Flemings recalled a life-changing event when he was run over by an SUV at 4 years old. While he doesn’t remember much of the accident, his parents have explained what happened to him. While a car accident certainly doesn’t fall under the category of a “fun fact,” Flemings believes it gave him a different outlook on life and how to overcome adversity.
My mom says that after the accident, even if I didn’t fully know it, I actually started acting like.… Life is short. It was like: Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t sit back and let life pass you by. So now, all of a sudden, I’m wanting to play every sport imaginable, and doing and saying everything I can.
Foundation
Flemings and his family started the Team Flemings Foundation, which is dedicated to enhancing family well-being globally by promoting sports, wellness, education and financial literacy to build stronger, healthier communities. Flemings hosted 200 elementary and middle school boys at his second annual “4 The City” basketball camp in his hometown of San Antonio last month.
Flemings attended William J. Brennan High School, where he led his team to back-to-back Class 6A state semifinal appearances and became the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year. In fact, his sister, Bella, who is 18 months younger than him and is committed to Duke, was the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year at William J. Brennan High School the following season. She also led her team to the state semifinals.
Derrick Rose
Flemings grew up a huge fan of Derrick Rose and has honored him by wearing his jersey numbers. He often watched the former MVP with the Chicago Bulls and tried to emulate his mentality and competitiveness. He even collected his signature shoes, which Adidas introduced in 2010. He wore No. 1 in high school and No. 4 at Houston, both of which were worn by Rose throughout his 15-year career. With No. 1 occupied by Jalen Johnson, Flemings picked No. 4 with the Hawks.
“I always liked being No. 1 because of D-Rose,” Flemings said earlier this summer, via the NBA on X. “But D-Rose also wore No. 4.”
USA Basketball
Flemings led USA Basketball to the gold medal in the 2024 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup in Hungary, alongside Amir Jenkins Jr., Nikolas Khamenia and David Ogden. He also attended the men’s junior national team minicamp in October 2023 and was a finalist for the 2024 USA U17 men’s national team.