There will be a Weber State connection in the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.
Weber State legend Dillon Jones is in his first season with the Thunder and will become the first Wildcat and just the second player from the Big Sky Conference to compete in the NBA Finals.
On the Pacers' side, another Weber State legend will be involved. Weber State Hall of Famer and former Pacers player Eddie Gill is a radio/TV analyst for the Pacers.
It's been quite a rookie season for Jones. He was named Big Sky MVP in March 2024, then was drafted with the 26th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, and traded immediately to the Thunder. He became just the second Weber State player ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, joining Damian Lillard in 2012.
In his rookie season, Jones appeared in 54 regular season games with the Thunder, helping the team to the best record in the NBA. He averaged 2.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game during the season.
He played in seven games in the playoffs before the NBA Finals and averaged 2.7 points per game. He scored 10 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
During his standout four-year career at Weber State from 2020-24, Jones played in 119 games and finished his career ranking in the Weber State all-time top 10 in 13 statistical categories.
He finished his career as Weber State's all-time leader in steals and ranks second in assists, second in free throws made, third in rebounding, and fifth in points. He also ranks fourth in Big Sky history in rebounds. He also has 56 career double-doubles, the second-most in WSU history.
In his final year of 2023-24, he led the Big Sky in points, rebounds, and assists, the only player in the nation to lead a conference in all three categories. He was also one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year award. During the year, he became only the second player in the last 31 years to score at least 600 points, 300 rebounds, 150 assists, and 50 steals in a season. He finished the season 11th in the nation in double-doubles with 18 and was eighth in minutes played and third in defensive rebounds. He was also 23rd in the country in scoring and 23rd in overall rebounds per game.
Eddie "The Thrill" Gill was a part of the Weber State 1999 team that won the Big Sky Championship and beat North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. Gill played two seasons at Weber State (1999-2000) and teamed with Harold "The Show" Arceneaux for one of the best duos in Wildcat history.
He played in 61 career games in two years with the Wildcats. He earned first-team All-Big Sky honors in each of his two seasons and was named the Big Sky Tournament MVP in 1999. He finished his career as WSU's all-time leader in steals and steals average and still ranks fourth in career free throw percentage and fifth in steals. He had Weber State's last triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists against Montana State in February 2000.
Gill was named to the Weber State 50th Anniversary team in 2013 and was inducted into the Weber State Hall of Fame in 2014.
After his Weber State career, Gill played seven years in the NBA, appearing in 187 career games. He played two seasons and 114 games for the Pacers from 2004-06. He also played with New Jersey, Memphis, Portland, Milwaukee, and Seattle. He also played professionally in other parts of the world. He scored the 8-millionth point in NBA history in 2001 while playing with the Nets.
Gill has been a broadcaster with the Pacers since 2016, where he has appeared on TV pre- and post-game shows of Pacers games, and broadcasts games as an analyst on radio and TV.
Jones and Gill were together on January 20, 2024, when Weber State held a 25-year reunion for the 1999 Wildcat team. Gill was in attendance at the Wildcat game against Idaho that night. At that game, Jones passed Gill to become Weber State's all-time leader in steals.
The Finals begin on Thursday, June 5, in Oklahoma City.