Thomas Sorber broke down in tears after he was selected by the newly-minted NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder with the 15th pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
Sorber’s mother, Tenneh, fled the civil war in Liberia in 1999 when she was 28 and raised him and his two older siblings in Trenton, N.J. His dad, Peter, a former soccer player who also coached Thomas, passed of colon cancer when Thomas was 6.
“I’m a mom, I’m a hard-working person,” Tenneh told ESPN’s Monica McNutt. “Him learned that from me. I work to get him where he is today.”
The 6-foot-9 Sorber, who was one-and-done at Georgetown, began to cry when asked about his mother’s role in his development.
“It’s all for you, mommy,” he said as he broke down. “It’s all for you.”
As for being picked by Sam Presti and the Thunder, he said: “Man, they just have a lot of trust in me. I appreciate this opportunity and I’m ready to get to work.”
Sorber suffered a left foot injury in February and missed the remainder of the season. It’s possible he could return for Summer League July 10-20. If not, he is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, NJ Advance Media has learned.
“He can impact the game in so many different ways — scoring it, passing it, screening, physical energy,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley told NJ Advance Media in December. “He’s one of the best energy-givers I’ve ever been around. He has an infectious smile and personality, but he’s tough.
“We knew he would be a good player. Right now, we see somebody who has an opportunity to be a great player.”
Sorber is the first Hoya drafted since 2013 when Otto Porter Jr. was chose by the Washington Wizards with the third overall pick.
Sorber is represented by WME Sports, the same agency that represents Thunder players Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, per Thunder beat writer Addam M. Francisco.
The Thunder posted pictures of Sorber hugging his family with the caption, “From dreams to reality.”
The former four-star recruit from Archbishop Ryan High School averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks across 24 games before the foot injury.
“Well, he’s a he’s a presence in the lane,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said. “[He’s] 6-9, 6-10, with a 7-6 wingspan. He’s got a good skill level. And Thomas Sorber has a motor, great hands and can control the paint. He’s a lob threat. He’s a good passer, and he catches everything but a very high level post defender, very good rebounder.
“He was the second freshman in Division 1 rebounding behind Derik Queen of Maryland, and he was the first Big East freshman with over two blocks per game and over 50% from the field in the last 25 years to that point. Guys that have done that recently were guys like Chet Holmgren and Evan Mobley. [He] averaged over two blocks and over one and a half steals.”
Per ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Sorber told his agent: “I’m going to make sure that everyone knows my dad’s last name.”
And now Thomas Sorber has a chance to do that with the reigning NBA champions.
NBA Draft
Wednesday, June 25
First Round
By AP
1. Dallas Mavericks, Cooper Flagg, f, Duke.
2. San Antonio Spurs, Dylan Harper, g, Rutgers.
3. Philadelphia 76ers, VJ Edgecombe, g, Baylor.
4. Charlotte Hornets, Kon Knueppel, w, Duke.
5. Utah Jazz, Ace Bailey, w, Rutgers.
6. Washington Wizards, Tre Johnson, g, Texas.
7. New Orleans Pelicans, Jeremiah Fears, g, Oklahoma.
8. Brooklyn Nets, Egor Demin, g, BYU.
9. Toronto Raptors, Collin Murray-Boyles, f, South Carolina.
10. a-Houston Rockets (from Phoenix via Brooklyn; reported traded to Phoenix), Khaman Maluach, c, Duke.
11. b-Portland Trailblazers, Cedric Coward, w, Washington St.
12. Chicago Bulls, Noa Essengue, f, (France).
13. c-Atlanta Hawks (from Sacramento), Derek Queen, c, Maryland.
14. San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta), Carter Bryant, w, Arizona.
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Miami via the LA Clippers), Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown.
16. d-Memphis Grizzlies (from Orlando), Yang Hansen, c, (China).
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Detroit via New York, Oklahoma City and Houston), Joan Beringer, c, (France).
18. e-Washington Wizards (from Memphis), Walter Clayton Jr., g, Florida.
19. Brooklyn Nets (from Milwaukee via New York, Detroit, Portland and New Orleans), Nolan Traore, g, (France).
20. Miami Heat (from Golden State), Kasparas Jakucionis, g, Illinois.
21. Utah Jazz (from Minnesota), Will Riley, w, Illinois.
22. f-Atlanta Hawks (from the L.A. Lakers via New Orleans), Drake Powell, w, North Carolina.
23. g-New Orleans Pelicans (from Indiana), Asa Newell, f, Georgia.
24. h-Oklahoma City Thunder (from the L.A. Clippers), Nique Clifford, w, Colorado St.
25. Orlando Magic (from Denver), Jase Richardson, g, Michigan St.
26. Brooklyn Nets (from New York), Ben Saraf, g, (Israel).
27. Brooklyn Nets (from Houston), Danny Wolf, f, Michigan.
28. Boston Celtics, Hugo Gonzalez, w, (Spain).
29. i-Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland via Utah), Liam McNealy, w, UConn.
30. L.A. Clippers (from Oklahoma City), Yanic Konan Niederhauser, c, Penn St.
Proposed Trades
a-Houston to Phoenix.
b-Portland to Memphis
c-Atlanta to New Orleans.
d-Memphis to Portland.
e-Washington to Utah.
f-Atlanta to Brooklyn.
g-New Orleans to Atlanta.
h-Oklahoma City to Sacramento.
i-Phoenix to Charlotte.
Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoriaand check out his Website atZAGSBLOG.com.