Chicago Bulls select Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft
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Winners & LosersRound 2 MockLive Picks TrackerBest Available PlayersDybantsa Goes No. 1AnalysisChicago Bulls select Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft
Forward Caleb Wilson will head to Chicago. Bob Donnan / Imagn Images
By Sam Vecenie, John Hollinger and David AldridgeJune 23, 2026 Updated June 24, 2026 2:38 am EDTThe Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Chicago Bulls selected Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick on Tuesday in the 2026 NBA Draft.
“I feel like it’s a great fit,” Wilson told reporters at the NBA Draft at Barclays Center. “You only get one chance to make a first impression. It’s time for me to make my impression at Summer League and keep going.
“I’m really happy I got drafted, but it’s time to hoop. I’m excited for the opportunity, and it’s time to go to work.”
Wilson, who averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in a season truncated when he broken his right thumb in February, has a tremendous frame for the wing and forward positions. He measured at 6 feet 9.25 inches without shoes with a 7-foot-0.25 wingspan at the combine this year and has a 9-foot standing reach. He’s also a twitchy athlete with serious explosiveness, even by NBA standards. He can consistently live with his head at the rim as a leaper, allowing him to finish just about everything at the basket with a dunk in college. Beyond just getting high off the ground, though, he also gets up quickly. This allows him to be very effective as a rebounder and as a finisher on the interior when he’s dunking.
Some scouts wonder whether Wilson will have the same level of success in the NBA, where he won’t have the same degree of athletic advantage. He’s also quite skinny, having come in at just 210 pounds at the combine for what were pretty massive measurements. The biggest issues with Wilson come on defense. He’s very poor on that end despite the gaudy steal and block numbers.
Caleb Wilson blends power, explosiveness and coordination in a way other players can’tSam VecenieForty-two years after the Bulls took Michael Jordan with the No. 3 pick in the 1984 draft, Chicago gets another Tar Heel.
“I’m writing my own story, honestly,” Wilson said. “I want to be better than Mike. I know it’s a lot to go, but I’m writing my own story, for sure. I feel like it’s a great pipeline from UNC to the Bulls. I am just ready to keep it going.”
John Hollinger’s instant analysis
The only logical pick after the top three names were off the board. Wilson has some positional overlaps with Matas Buzelis, the Bulls’ other best young player, but long term, they could be a towering pair of above-the-rim bookend forwards … as long as at least one of the two becomes a reliable shooter. Grade: A
Sam Vecenie’s draft guide summary
Wilson has huge upside athletically, which gives him an All-Star ceiling. His blend of power, explosiveness and coordination on his drives and transition gives him tools other players can’t match. When you combine that with his motor on offense and nose for the ball, it allows him to be remarkably productive. With further skill-based improvement, he has difference-making outcomes in his profile, similar to someone like Pascal Siakam, who has made multiple All-NBA teams.
But he could also become a great, productive four man who doesn’t quite impact winning in the way you want if the skill level and defense don’t improve. If his defense and shot-creation skills don’t grow, he has a similar profile to John Collins as an athletic, play-finishing big man, though Wilson is more coordinated as a ballhandler and plays with quicker reactivity and twitch. Wilson could easily transition into more of a hybrid three/four wing if those pieces come along, or he could end up as more of an undersized four/five.
Wilson has serious upside, but he is more flawed than a few of the other elite players in the class. There are more pathways for him to become a good starter/rotation player than some of the others. His work ethic will tell the tale in the NBA. But if he’s willing to put in the right kind of work, the ceiling is remarkably high.
Overall 4 Forward 2 Caleb Wilson North CarolinaExplosive athlete whose ceiling is as high as the top three, but has more flaws.
Hollinger’s pre-draft analysis
Wilson has a very thin frame, can’t shoot from distance and has sequences on defense that will make you shake your head.
Even with that, his production as a freshman was phenomenal. Let’s start here: He constantly gets to the rim, whether as the initiator or rolling to the cup as a screener. Wilson took 19.3 2-point baskets per 100 possessions in ACC play and made 64.5 percent of them. In other words, he was shooting inside the arc nearly as often as AJ Dybantsa or Kingston Flemings, but he was converting at an awesome rate.
Included in those were mouth-watering transition sequences where he dunked on people’s heads. He loves to push rebounds and start trouble himself, although his dribble can get away from him. As a passer, he was pretty effective as a 6-10 forward, even though he wasn’t wowing you with his reads. It’s just an easy game for him at his size and with the advantages he creates.
The other half of that 2-point percentage is Wilson’s surprising lower-body strength. Despite his thin frame, he’s comfortable powering up in the paint and taking a hit and expertly spins off contact and takes long strides to finish, in a way that is slightly reminiscent of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Now for the bad news: Defensively, Wilson has great tools and made disruptive plays at a high rate (5.4 “stocks” per 100 possessions, 2.8 of which were steals — an amazing rate for a player of this size). However, he was often too casual at that end and was beaten on the perimeter more than you’d expect or want.
And then there’s the shooting. Wilson only made seven 3-pointers all season and shot 71.3 percent from the free-throw line. While Wilson is talented enough to survive in the NBA without a jump shot, selecting him this highly prices in the idea that his 3 will eventually get to a respectable level. Given that his form doesn’t seem broken, I don’t think that’s a crazy bet.
David Aldridge’s draft confidential
College assistant coach No. 2 (his team played North Carolina): I think he’s Garnett. That’s Baby Garnett.
College head coach No. 1 (his team played North Carolina): For me, with the athleticism of that league, I would probably pick Wilson. But it’s hard. Cam just wins. If Wilson doesn’t get hurt, Hubert (Davis) doesn’t get fired. I just think the athleticism, especially for that league, he’s got, like, some Garnett s— to him. Man, Caleb Wilson’s highlight package, I saw it a few weeks ago. Man, it’s unreal. And he seems like a great kid, super competitive.
College head coach No. 3 (his team played North Carolina): Caleb Wilson is really good. Versatile. Defensively can guard one through five. Athletic and long! Can rebound and push the break. Vocal on that end as well. Offensively he’s a three-level guy. I don’t know what his trick is on that end but as an offensive rebounder, he’s elite. Quick second jump. Secondary ball handler. Has to get a go-to move or find that spot on the floor where he can consistently score.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
