The 2025 NBA Draft is over, and attention now turns to the future development of the 59 young men picked over two tense nights at Barclays Center in New York City.
Though Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper were widely expected to be the first two players off the board, this draft produced several surprises after the top two. Kon Knueppel completed his meteoric rise up the draft by landing in Charlotte at no. 4 overall; the Brooklyn Nets selected BYU standout Egor Demin with the eighth pick; and the New Orleans Pelicans paid a hefty price to land Maryland's Derik Queen with the 13th pick.
But the Utah Jazz raised plenty of eyebrows by selecting Rutgers' Ace Bailey with the fifth overall pick. Bailey refused pre-draft workout invites from several teams, including the Jazz; Utah selected him anyway, amid rumors that an East Coast team like Philadelphia or Washington was higher on his list.
The 76ers though selected Baylor star VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick. After Philadelphia made the pick, Edgecombe credited his mother Brendra Rolle for helping him reach the NBA despite a challenging upbringing.
Amid his admission that he lived without electricity for seven years, Edgecombe received a strong message from Bailey, who said "love yea bro" on Instagram Stories in response to the emotional interview.
Bailey's message for Edgecombe, posted Friday
Bailey's message for Edgecombe, posted Friday
IG/@acebailey
The interaction shows the close bond between the draftees amid their different reactions to draft night. Edgecombe and his family were overcome with emotion once commissioner Adam Silver announced him as the third pick; on the other hand, Bailey's agent has been noncommittal over his client's willingness to play for the Jazz.