GAINESVILLE — UF All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. was cool-headed and in control on his way to a national championship, but the 22-year-old let the tears flow Wednesday night as his NBA dream became reality.
In a head-spinning turn of events for one of the draft’s fastest-rising players, Clayton was selected with the No. 18 pick by the Washington Wizards, who promptly traded Clayton to the Utah Jazz.
Clayton rose into first-round consideration after a spectacular, national championship senior season with the Gators. As the draft neared, his stock continued to climb.
Clayton attended the draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, just 25 miles south of where he began his college career at Iona University. Decked out in a sports jacket, belt and shoes from the luxury brand AMIRI, he posed on the red carpet outside the arena.
Entering Wednesday’s first round, Clayton appeared on track to begin his NBA career close to his native Lake Wales. The Miami Heat, owners of the No. 20 selection, had worked him out a few times while the Orlando Magic were another option with pick No. 25.
Instead, the Wizards undercut both Florida franchises, drafted and traded Clayton to Utah in exchange for the No. 21 pick and multiple second-round picks.
Clayton was overwhelmed as he received the news by phone. He then stood up and hugged his mother, Cherie Foster. Soon he joined NBA commissioner Adam Silver on stage.
Clayton is due to earn $19.32 million during the four-year deal, including $3.99 million as a rookie.
UF coach Todd Golden was in the New York City borough for the draft, where he gushed about Clayton during an interview with NBA TV prior to the draft.
“Incredibly coachable, a guy who wants to be a leader and a great work ethic,” Golden said. “Over the last year, I’d argue he was the best player in college basketball. He led us to 36 wins and a national championship … just a guy with a great competitive nature about him.”
Clayton played two seasons at Iona, where he was Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year as a sophomore in 2023, before he transferred to UF. He led the Gators in scoring in 2023-24 but took his game to another level last season to become the school’s first first-team Associated Press All-America selection.
He finished the season averaging 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals while making 120 3s, but Clayton was at his best during the postseason. He scored at least 22 points in six of nine games, including back-to-back 30-point games during the Elite Eight and Final Four.
“He’s a guy that these NBA franchises are going to look at and say, ‘This is a guy that we can play next year that can help us win, that can space the floor, that can make plays out of the ball screen, a guy that has range up to 28, 29, 30 feet, and can make players around him better,’ ” Golden said.
Clayton became the 13th UF player selected in the opening round, dating to center Neal Walk’s selection with the No. 2 pick by Phoenix in 1969 after UCLA’s Lew Alcindor. Tre Mann, the No. 13 pick by Oklahoma City in 2021, was the Gators’ most recent first-round pick.
First-round Gators
Name Position Year Selection Team
Neal Walk C 1969 No. 2 Phoenix SunsDwayne Schintzius C 1990 No. 2 San Antonio SpursJason Williams G 1998 No. 7 Sacramento KingsDonnell Harvey F 2000 No. 22 New York KnicksMike Miller G 2000 No. 5 Orlando MagicDavid Lee F 2005 No. 30 New York KnicksAl Horford F 2007 No. 3 Atlanta HawksCorey Brewer F 2007 No. 7 Minnesota TimberwolvesJoakim Noah C 2007 No. 9 Chicago BullsMarreese Speights C 2008 No. 16 Philadelphia 76ersBradley Beal G 2012 No. 3 Washington WizardsTre Mann G 2021 No. 18 Oklahoma City Thunder
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
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