NEW YORK CITY, NY (WCJB) – Welcome to the NBA, Walter Clayton, Jr.<\/p>\n
The Washington Wizards select the Lake Wales native, but they trade the No. 18 pick to the Utah Jazz. (they made him wear the wrong team hat). <\/p>\n
The Gator star point guard averaged an eye-popping 22 points a game during the NCAA Championship and outdueled the likes of UConn, Auburn and knocked off Houston in the NCAA Championship game. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I gained a lot, just being around those guys, my teammates [at Florida],\u201d Clayton said on ESPN following his selection. \u201cI don\u2019t think people understand just the chemistry we had on and off the court and time that we spent together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts with his character \u2013 he\u2019s just an amazing young man,\u201d head coach Todd Golden told NBA TV at Barclays Center ahead of the draft. \u201cIncredibly coachable, a guy that wants to be a leader and a great work ethic, and obviously over the last year I\u2019d argue he was the best player in college basketball. He led us to 36 wins and a national championship, best player on the floor in the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, a guy that just has a great competitive nature about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clayton averaged 18.3 points and led the Gators to the 2025 national championship, earning consensus first-team All-American, Final Four and NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player, SEC Tournament MVP and first-team All-SEC honors this season. <\/p>\n
Clayton holds two of the six highest-scoring seasons in program history, including a UF-record 713 in 2024-25. He graduated from UF in Spring 2025 with a degree in Educational Sciences.<\/p>\n
Clayton joins Rutgers\u2019 Ace Bailey, who went No. 5 to Utah. <\/p>\n