Meleek Thomas is heading to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers selected the Arkansas guard with the 34th overall pick Wednesday night in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft continuing a big draft for the Razorbacks.
Thomas becomes the 49th Arkansas player ever drafted into the NBA and the third pick for John Calipari since he arrived in Fayetteville in 2024.
He’s also the 64th Calipari-coached player taken in NBA Draft history — a pipeline number that carries weight on the recruiting trail.
The Cavaliers made a specific move to get him.
Cleveland traded its original 29th pick to the Sacramento Kings and received the 34th selection in return, which is the pick used on Thomas Wednesday night.
Freshman season that caught league’s attention
Thomas didn’t waste his one year in Fayetteville.
The 6-foot-3 Pittsburgh native averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 43.5% from the field and 41.6% from three on his way to being named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
He also led the Hogs in free throw percentage at 84.3% and steals with 57 on the season.
He appeared in all 37 of Arkansas’ games with 21 starts, one of just three Razorbacks to play every minute of every game this past season. As a true freshman in the SEC doesn’t go unnoticed by pro scouts.
His efficiency against conference opponents was particularly sharp.
Thomas shot an Arkansas-record 48.7% from three in SEC games only, going 38-for-78 from beyond the arc against some of the best defenses in college basketball.
He also earned 2026 first team NABC All-Southeast District honors to go along with his All-Freshman nod.
Thomas is also the second Razorback taken this week. Teammate Darius Acuff Jr. went No. 7 overall to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night in the first round.
From Pittsburgh to Fayetteville to the NBA
Before he arrived on campus, Thomas was one of the most decorated prep players in the country.
He committed to the Hogs as a consensus five-star recruit and the No. 13 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
His composite rating of 0.9956 makes him the sixth-highest Arkansas commitment in the modern recruiting era.
Thomas came to Fayetteville by way of the Overtime Elite program, where he averaged 31.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 38.1% from three during the OTE regular season.
He was a 2025 McDonald’s All-American and also participated in the Jordan Brand Classic and the Iverson Classic.
His high school career at Lincoln Park Performing Art Charter School in Midland, Pa., was just as decorated.
Thomas led the program to back-to-back 4A PIAA state championships in 2023 and 2024 and was a two-time Pittsburgh Tribune-Review HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Year before ever setting foot in the SEC.
