History is a word that Bruce Pearl loves to use. It's also something that he has helped make at Auburn since taking over the program in 2014, leading the Tigers to SEC championships, a Final Four and the first-ever No. 1 ranking.

More history was made on Thursday night in Brooklyn as two Auburn players, Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler, were picked in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. Smith, picked third by the Houston Rockets, became the highest draft pick in program history. It was also the first time two Auburn players had gone in the first round.

It was already bound to be a great night as Auburn literally took over Times Square, the school logo climbing up a building 30 stories high to let everyone know that the Tigers were there. The presence was everywhere, from Smith's and Kessler's suit jackets to all the talk about the Tigers – yes, Auburn basketball – on national television.

Yes, it was a crowning moment for Jabari and Walker, two young men who, in just a year, made an impact on the Plains. But it was also a massive moment for the program, one that has quickly risen the college basketball ladder and is ready to climb to the sport's apex. Talented recruits across the country saw the name Auburn plastered all over their television screens, telling them that that is a place where they can go, grow as a player and then live their ultimate dream of playing in the NBA. The sight of Smith and Kessler shaking Adam Silver's hands will surely be in every future recruiting video that the Tigers use.

The telling sign of how far the program has come is that this is the expectation of having players selected high enough to become millionaires immediately. If Chuma Okeke paved the way and Isaac Okoro broke some bricks, these two players tore the wall down. And they won't be the last to go from Auburn to the pros.

And another sign of the respect Auburn has built? It was shocking that Smith didn't go No. 1 overall. Read that sentence again. An Auburn player … in basketball … was disappointed … not to be the No. 1 pick … in the NBA draft. What bizarro world are we living in?

Pearl will use Thursday night to maximum advantage, showcasing those two not only to recruits but to players on his current roster. So don't think for a New York minute that Allen Flanigan, Johni Broome and others didn't see the bright lights and big stage that their former teammates were witnesses to and not be motivated by it.

Of course, all of this was possible because Jabari and Walker trusted themselves, their teammates, Pearl and the Auburn program. And, for those who say that they will forget where they came from, the answers they gave and the interior of their jackets says otherwise. These two love Auburn, and that love will be there forever. It's a night they and everyone surrounding the program will never forget.

"We just added to the history of Auburn basketball," Pearl said.

With Pearl in charge, historical moments like Thursday night have become the norm.