COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Every time Nique Clifford appeared on television screens, the crowd of more than 250 at Bubba’s 33 erupted in cheers.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, the gaggle of fans arrived at the restaurant off Constitution and Powers on Wednesday to celebrate the former Vanguard boys basketball player with signage, T-shirts and varying jerseys from Clifford’s collegiate stops at the University of Colorado and Colorado State.
As the 2025 NBA Draft ventured into the 20s, the audience grew anxious. Then, a hush fell over the crowd as that familiar chime played when NBA commissioner Adam Silver made the announcement.
“And with the 24th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft,” Silver said, “the Oklahoma City Thunder select Nique Clifford from Colorado State University.”
As Clifford rose from his chair at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, he used a tissue to clear tears from his face. Much of the audience at Bubba’s followed suit.
Some wiped tears, others hugged and everyone at the restaurant erupted as the former Courser ventured to the stage to shake hands with Silver. While the newly minted champion Thunder chose Clifford, he’ll head to the Sacramento Kings, who traded for the Rams guard, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. But the destination doesn’t matter to Clifford.
“When I asked him where he wanted to go, he told me that he doesn’t care, he just wants to play basketball,” said Shawn Schwab, Clifford’s uncle. “He has a big fan support here and his jerseys will sell out in hours.”
Schwab, who is also the manager at Bubba’s 33, said he noticed Clifford’s talent early. As a senior at Vanguard in 2019-2020, Clifford averaged 24.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, six assists, 3.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game. But the abilities of Clifford began showing in eighth grade.
“The way he controlled the ball and the offense I knew he was going to be special,” Schwab said. “Where he is today, I didn’t see it 100 percent then. But his development from his sophomore year to his junior and senior years were huge. He grew 8-10 inches and played in positions he wasn’t used to. You could see it coming.”
Part of that growth came with Clifford’s work ethic and humility. Vanguard assistant coach Nathan Moffitt said Clifford never folded after a turnover and, even after a phenomenal outing, always asked for ways to improve his game.
“He’s coachable,” Moffitt said. “Whatever we need to do, whatever system it’s in or whatever situation we’re in (he worked.) If you’re coachable, somebody will find you in the right spot.”
Clifford joins a lengthy list of Colorado high school players to secure a spot in the NBA via the draft.
The most recent was in 2025, when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Prairie View’s Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick. But Knecht’s Thunderhawks play 6A basketball while Vanguard, which had a 9-12th grade enrollment of 303 students in 2023-24, plays at the 3A level.
Brandon Carrick, a long-time family friend of the Cliffords, said the way Clifford paved his way to the NBA and doing so at a small school is motivation for kids who don’t play 6A or 5A hoops.
“No matter where you come from and no matter what school you go to, you can make it,” Carrick said. “It just depends on how determined you are. You have to be in the gym and work every day. It’s a lifestyle, not just when the season comes around. As soon as the last season is over, what are you going to strive for the next year? I think this gives kids a good chance to see what he did and what they can do.”
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