Jahmai Mashack took to Instagram after being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2025 NBA Draft to say goodbye to Tennessee basketball. Mashack's decorated four-year career with the Vols came to an end in March after he helped lead the program to their second straight Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
"Vol Nation - To the countless fans who have become my family, I THANK YOU!" Mashack wrote on Instagram. "You welcomed me. You appreciated my heart. You respected my commitment. You allowed me to boldly share my faith. You gave to the community WITH me. You encouraged me as I gave 110% of myself 100% of the time. THANK YOU for understanding ME."
Mashack was drafted with the final pick by the Houston Rockets. The second-round pick belonged to the Grizzlies as part of a proposed trade. He was one of two Vols drafted in this year's draft. Fellow Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier was selected earlier in the night by the Detroit Pistons in the second round with the No. 37 overall pick.
"In basketball, playing hard is a SKILL," Mashack wrote. "Being an elite, multi-positional player is a gift. And never missing a game in four years is the grace of God. You took this journey with me and together, along with my teammates, we won at a historic level.
"And lastly, in the most fitting of ways, you were right there with me for another BUZZER BEATER, when my name was the last one called as the 59th pick in the 2025 NBA DRAFT!!"
Mashack was a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in his final season with the Vols. He also earned All-SEC defensive honors for the first time in his career.
The Fontana, Calif. native had a defensive-box plus-minus (DBPM) of 6.6 this season, the fourth-best in the country, per College Basketball Reference. His career number of 6.12 slotted him at No. 11 among Division I players (min. 50 games played) over the last 15 seasons (2010-25).
Mashack held opponents to 32.8% shooting as the primary defender this season, as well as 0.585 points per possession on drives. He was one of only five Power Five players nationally with at least 55 steals and 20 blocks on the year.
Tennessee ranked third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency (89.7) on KenPom with Mashack leading the way. UT ranked third in 3-point percentage defense (28.2), third in effective field-goal percentage defense (44.7), fourth in field-goal percentage (38.3) and No. 11 in scoring defense (63.0).