“These boys gon live in my memories forever”: Florida fans react as Gators celebrate first 3-member NBA draft class in 18 years

The Florida Gators are celebrating a major milestone after three of their players were selected in the 2025 NBA draft. It was the first time it happened since their iconic 2007 class.

Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin all heard their names called on Thursday, and Gators fans expressed their pride at this feat.

Clayton was the first off the board, going at No. 18 to the Utah Jazz, who traded up to get him. Richard followed in the second round to the Toronto Raptors, while Martin landed with the Golden State Warriors.

The program's Instagram account posted about the achievement on Friday, and the comments section was filled with reactions.

“We love this for you. 🧡💙 Stay hot in the NBA too,” one fan wrote.

“Well deserved! These boys gon live in my memories forever,” another fan wrote.

“So very proud of you guys 🔥,” a fan commented.

Image Credit: IG/@gatorsmbk and floridagators

Here are more fan reactions.

“I love this group of young men. Go be great with your new teams!” one fan said.

“3/3! All 3 Gators drafted into the NBA. Gator Boys Stay Hot! Go Gators! 🐊🏀🟠🔵🏆 ," a fan commented.

“I’m gonna miss this team sm,” another fan said.

The guards played a huge role in Florida’s 2024-25 season, as it became national champions for the first time since 2007. The Gators went 36-4 (14-4 Southeastern Conference), defeating Houston 65-63 in the NCAA championship game.

Clayton was the team’s top scorer and was named the Most Outstanding player. Richard added consistent two-way play, leading the team in steals, while Martin was the second-best scorer.

Florida Gators finish 7th in 2024-25 Directors’ Cup

The Florida Gators continue to set the standard for all-around excellence, finishing seventh in the final 2024-25 Learfield Directors’ Cup standings.

In a press release celebrating the achievement, the school highlighted a remarkable streak.

“Florida is the only program to finish among the nation’s top 10 in each of the last 41 national all-sports standings,” the Gators said on Thursday.

The statement also noted that the program has won at least one national championship in each of the last 16 seasons.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

Know More

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez