Nique Clifford is Colorado through and through.

He’ll represent his home state at the highest level.

The Colorado Springs native was selected with the No. 24 overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder — and immediately was traded to the Sacramento Kings — in Wednesday night’s draft.

Donning a suit jacket that inside had the logos of his three teams over the last decade — The Vanguard School, Colorado and Colorado State — Clifford took the stage and posed for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center after becoming the fifth CHSAA alumni to get picked in the first round of the NBA draft this century.

It caps a meteoric rise for Clifford, who was once a lightly recruited prospect out of the Pikes Peak area that blossomed into a star at Colorado State in his final season of eligibility.

On the way to leading the Rams to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in his two seasons in Fort Collins, Clifford received honorable mention All-American honors after averaging 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game last season.

He did so after declaring for the draft a year ago but opted to return to CSU.

In doing so, Clifford went from a likely undrafted free agent to a first-round pick — the fourth Rams player taken in the first round.

“All the superstars that we’ve ever had have that ignorant confidence in themselves, where it’s like you really shouldn’t have this confidence but you do,” Rams coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. “He has that, but he also has the humility to understand, ‘I love where I’m at and I am where my feet are, but I know I can take that next step and get better even though I’m a first round draft pick.’ That’s what made him so good here, even when he came back after going through that process.

“I think it’s hard to go through that NBA process, come back to college and really dive into the things you gotta get better at. He did it. That’s why I know when he goes to the NBA, he’s gonna have that same mindset.”

In the draft green room in Brooklyn, Clifford was surrounded by his parents, grandmother, agents, Farokhmanesh and former CSU coach Niko Medved.

Clifford spent the last few weeks jetting across the country, telling The Denver Gazette he wound up working out for 15 of the 30 teams. Meanwhile, he was watching the playoffs and trying to imagine himself in the NBA Finals.

“I see how much I even need to just continue to grow and get better. Like, these dudes are playing at such a high level,” Clifford said. “They’re playing super hard, picking up full court all game, so that’s where I’m realizing I need to get. I need to start getting in the best shape of my life. I need to be able to knock down open jumpers like these dudes are, play at such a high level. I just wanna be on top of my game once I get there. It’s definitely motivated me to push myself to be even better.”