Walter Clayton Jr., who helped lead the University of Florida men’s basketball team to its third national title in program history this past April, was selected 18th overall in Wednesday’s 2025 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.
“I feel like I gained a lot, just being around those guys, my teammates [at Florida],” Clayton said on ESPN following his selection. “I don’t think people understand just the chemistry we had on and off the court and time that we spent together.”
It marked the first time in four years that the Gators had a first-round pick since Tre Mann went 18th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Utah struck a deal with Washington for the No. 18 pick, making Clayton the first Gator to be drafted by the Jazz.
Clayton, who graduated from UF this past Spring with a degree in educational sciences, averaged 18.3 points as a senior.
He averaged 22.3 ppg in the postseason, scoring 34 points against Auburn in the Final Four and 30 versus Texas Tech in the Elite Eight to become the first player with 30-point games in both the Elite Eight and semifinals since Larry Bird (Indiana State) in 1979.
“Yes,” said ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. “Let me tell you something. I love Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma, No. 7 pick by the Pelicans), I said that, but I love him too…this brother put on a show throughout the NCAA Tournament. The ball was in his hands when it counted. He didn’t shrink beneath the pressure. The brother’s got skills. I like this guy…knows how to facilitate, knows how to get buckets for himself when he needs it.”
The consensus first-team All-American scored a single-season school record with 713 points and he became the first UF player to score more than 100 points in a single NCAA Tournament (134).
“It starts with his character – he’s just an amazing young man,” head coach Todd Golden told NBA TV at Barclays Center ahead of the draft. “Incredibly coachable, a guy that wants to be a leader and a great work ethic, and obviously over the last year, I’d argue he was the best player in college basketball. He led us to 36 wins and a national championship, best player on the floor in the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, a guy that just has a great competitive nature about him.”
He ranks 24th all-time in program history with 1,346 points, which is also the most points over a two-season span in Florida history.
A trio of Gators could be NBA bound.
Although not selected in the opening round, Gator guards Will Richard and Alijah Martin are hoping to hear their names called tonight during the second round of the NBA Draft, which begins Thursday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.