Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin was the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after a freshman season at BYU in which he showed his potential as an NBA player. Not only was Demin taken by Brooklyn with a premium pick, he was also the highest-drafted player in the history of Russia’s basketball legacy. Demin doesn’t take either of those facts lightly.
“I think there should be excitement in any case. From this excitement I get motivation to work — which should ultimately lead me to where I want to be,” Demin said in an interview earlier this summer with Nikita Biryukov of Championat. In terms of representation, Demin will be one of two players in the NBA this upcoming season that were born in Russia along with Miami Heat center Vladislav Goldin.
“The pressure is to some extent a formality, I have my own standards, requirements and expectations from myself,” Demin continued. “And even if it takes time or if I am not visible at first, I will not stop doing what I love and will proudly wear the Russian flag. In any case.”
Demin, 19, has seen his basketball journey take him from Real Madrid to BYU until he got to the point where he will be playing professional basketball in New York City. He has spoken about his mindset regarding his draft profile and how he believes that he can be more in the league than just a player who has great positional size and excellent passing ability at the point guard spot.
When most NBA fans think of Russian players that stuck around, they will most likely be thinking about players like forward Andrei Kirilenko and center Timofey Mozgov. Kirilenko has already voiced his support for Demin, not just because the 6-foot-9, 200-pound guard is from the same country as him, but it’s also because Demin has given plenty of reasons for people in and out of Russia to believe in his future.