Former Liberty guard Taelon Peter's moment came during a commercial break of the 2025 NBA Draft on ESPN.
He's accustomed to flying under the radar. Peter arrived in Lynchburg from the NCAA Division II level, and he shined as the Flames' sixth man, enough so to be named the best one in Conference USA as his team made it back to the NCAA Tournament.
His selection flashed on the screen during the break, and there was no highlight reel the network cut to when it returned to announce Peter was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 54th overall pick during the NBA Draft's second round in late June.
Jonathan Givony, the network's lead draft analyst, offered a brief scouting report that mostly just pointed out how surprising the selection of the 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard was.
A shock to many, but Peter had hope entering the night. He was gathered at a watch party at his grandmother's house in Alma, Arkansas, with "all my closest people."
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The moment dreams became reality ✨ pic.twitter.com/VqRvHkhRCS
— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) June 27, 2025
"We were sitting in this small living room, all on top of each other," he said. "So when my name got called everybody jumped up and jumped up. And then we all went outside and jumped in the pool with our clothes on. Gotta act like we've been there before but we haven't. So we didn't."
Peter reported last week for the first day of NBA Summer League practice with the Pacers, a scrimmage circuit for newly drafted and other young players to get early developmental opportunities. He'll take the court with the Pacers at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Las Vegas Summer League against Cleveland on NBA TV.
"It's a blessing to be here with these young guys who all kind of had to get it out of the mud," Peter said. "They had to fight for everything that they had. That's what I've been doing my whole life."
Indiana will play four games before a tournament over the final three days of the 10-day league. After workouts for seven teams, the Pacers took a chance on Peter after what he believed was a solid showing in the draft process.
summer prep 💯 pic.twitter.com/svTqIu72Ve
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) July 6, 2025
"I knew I did everything that I could to get that opportunity," he said. "I thought I put my best foot forward ... but even if not, everybody there had that expectation of not getting drafted so it was going to be cool either way."
The Pacers saw an ideal chance to take a flyer on a guard who fits exactly into the archetype of players who go on to be successful in the Association.
"It's interesting, because when we looked at him, we put him on our rankings on the draft board and he was very high," said Indiana's president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard. "He's considered one of the best shooters in the league. And movement and shooting is what this league is about right now."
Peter led the entire Division I in true shooting percentage (.7240) last season and connected on nearly 76% of his 2-point attempts. His athleticism is admittedly "sneaky," although he flashed it many times in Lynchburg last year. But it's the shooting that Peter is also relying on being the transformative trait for him at the next level.
NCAA Liberty Oregon Basketball
Liberty guard Taelon Peter (2) reacts after making a 3-pointer during the second half of a first round NCAA Tournament game against Oregon on March 21. Peter was selected 54th overall by the Indiana Pacers in last month’s NBA Draft. Lindsey Wasson, The Associated Press
"It's something that you can't take away from me," he said. "I can shoot it at any level. Being an athlete at the rim is going to be tough being 6-4 as the athletes get bigger and bigger, and everybody can jump just as you can jump. But you can't take the 3 away. The 3's always going to be there."
Flames coach Ritchie McKay picked Peter out of the transfer portal from Arkansas Tech just over a year ago. Peter was put on McKay's radar by a tip from a former assistant coach, Jason Eaker, who faced Peter as head coach at Oklahoma Baptist.
McKay's advice was for him to be the same guy that burst onto the scene by embracing what he's best at.
"Just be yourself. Operate in your true identity," McKay said on the university's Flames Central show. "I'm excited for him. I wouldn't ever doubt Taelon being able to accomplish something. He's got a great work ethic and a great posture and a belief in himself."
Taelon Peter
Liberty guard Taelon Peter shoots a free throw during a February game against Sam Houston at Liberty Arena. The Pacers selected Peter in last month’s NBA Draft after one season in Lynchburg in which he won the Conference USA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Courtesy of Liberty Athletics
It was a landmark moment for the program — its first draft selection in 40 years and the first in the modern era. Cliff Webber was the last selected from Liberty, in the 1985 NBA Draft in the fourth round by the Boston Celtics. One year prior, Ezra Hill was picked in the 10th round by the Phoenix Suns.
"It was really neat for us, too, as a program. To have a kid drafted in the NBA, that's a really big deal. So obviously we were elated."
McKay pointed to Peter's knack for shot-making and his extra gear in the open court as the tools that will help him have a chance to stick in the NBA. The intangibles help him even more, McKay said.
"That gift to score like that, he still has the overarching goal to win the game. And as a coach, that's invaluable."
Peter steps into a winning franchise right away. The Pacers are fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, and appeared in the conference finals a year prior. Next season, they'll be without point guard Tyrese Haliburton after suffering a torn Achilles in the Finals.
Taelon Peter, Liberty's selfless spark plug, flourishing in sixth-man role
"Getting to see the first four or five minutes and how the game is being played and then coming in and being able to be a spark plug is a role I didn't know I would have so much fun in," Peter said.
A few short weeks ago, Peter didn't know what his next basketball steps were going to be. Life changed fast for the former Liberty guard, who met the Pacers star at the team facility last week.
"It's something I've been working on for the last couple days. From two weeks ago, watching the Finals and being a huge fan of the NBA, not sure if it was going to be my thing or not, to being here and seeing people I never thought I'd see in-person.
"It's special, but it's something that I'll get used to here pretty soon."
Bryson Gordon, (434) 385-5529
bgordon@newsadvance.com
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