Walter Clayton Jr. Reveals Favorite NBA Player Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Yet for Clayton Jr., the journey didn’t start off easy. He was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school and ranked just the No. 69 point guard in his class nationally. But he happened to land in the hands of arguably the greatest coach of all time, Rick Pitino, who offered him a chance at Iona.
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Clayton spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Iona before transferring to Florida after Pitino accepted the head coaching job at St. John’s. Now, with the NBA draft just about a week away, Clayton is projected to hear his name called—whether it’s in the first or second round. Most mock drafts have him going somewhere between picks 20–30 on day one.
Ahead of the draft, Clayton Jr. sat down with the “NBA Future Starts Now” social media team, where he was asked who his favorite NBA player was. He didn’t even have to think twice—his answer came instantly: Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
“LeBron James,” Clayton Jr. said. “That’s who I grew up watching, man. He’s been in the league since I was born.”
It’s currently very unlikely that Clayton Jr. will get the opportunity to join the Lakers, unless the team makes a move to trade up in the draft. As it stands, Los Angeles only holds the No. 55 pick this year, with their first-round selection belonging to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis trade.
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Still, whichever team ends up landing the Florida star is getting a player who doesn’t crack under pressure—at all. It’s almost as if he’s immune to it, consistently hitting clutch shots throughout the NCAA Tournament and lifting the Gators in key moments.
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) celebrates after winning the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Clayton Jr. has averaged 16 or more points in each of the last three seasons. This past year, he posted 18.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting an impressive 38.6% from beyond the arc.
Related: Walter Clayton and Florida Gators Land Unique Job After NCAA Championship
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.