| Player | Position | Team | Season(s) | Drafted |
| Jay Guidinger | Center | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2: 1992/93-1993/94 | Undrafted Free Agent |
| Bill Mattson | Center | Los Angeles Lakers | - | 1962 Draft (77th Overall) |
The NBA took notice of two student-athletes who starred at UMD in very different generations: Jay Guidinger and Bill Mattson.
From Milwaukee, Wis., Jay Guidinger came to UMD in 1987 and promptly embarked on a trip toward stardom. He started all 126 games during his UMD tenure, establishing University records for points (1,953), rebounds (1,095) and blocked shots (195). Guidinger became the first individual to be named NSIC Player of the Year in three straight seasons and made his professional debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1992, serving as the primary backup for oft-injured Cavaliers standout Brad Daugherty. The bench assignment led Guidinger to two seasons in Cleveland before retiring to pursue a business career. In his limited playing action, Guidinger averaged 1.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.2 steals and 0.2 block per game in 64 career games, including five starts, for the Cavaliers.
Bill Mattson, a master of the hook shot, was a Northern Minnesota legend who came to UMD in 1958 following a brilliant high school career at Virginia (Minn.) High School. As a freshman, Mattson led the Bulldogs in scoring with a 16.8 points-per-game average. He also led the team in scoring as a freshman, sophomore and as a senior. By the conclusion of his four-year UMD career Mattson had accumulated 1,617 points, a mark that currently stands sixth on the University’s all-time points list. Following his senior season, Mattson was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 77th pick overall in the 1962 NBA Draft. Despite not making the Lakers' 13-man roster after being selected in the ninth round, Mattson is the only Bulldog to ever be drafted.
