De'Aaron Fox, the point guard from Cypress Lakes, went No. 5 to Sacramento on Thursday.
Fox, who played in college at Kentucky, is the highest drafted player from Houston since Emeka Okafor of Bellaire went second in 2004.
Having played for Cy Lakes and his AAU team, Houston Hoops, Fox has long flourished against players who have given the NBA its recent influx of talent from the area. Justin Jackson, considered a potential lottery pick, was an AAU teammate. Fox has played against former Houston Hoops players Kelly Oubre and Justise Winslow and cites his play in his hometown as a key to his success.