Ben Shelton reacts to to fellow Florida Gators alum Will Richard signing blockbuster multi-year contract with Warriors

Ben Shelton recently reacted to his friend and Florida alum Will Richard's latest blockbuster signing with the NBA's Golden State Warriors. Richard, who played college basketball at Florida (after transferring from Belmont), was selected 56th overall in the 2025 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, but his rights were traded to Golden State.

The Warriors traded up (giving up the rights to Justinian Jessup, among others) to acquire the rights to draft Richard. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Warriors have finalized a four-year contract with Richard. Two years in that contract are guaranteed. Such a type of contract is rare in the NBA for a second round pick. But the signing indicates that the Warriors are excited about his future in the Bay Area.

Shelton reposted the news on his Instagram story with a GIF of an alligator to indicate their common college grounds.

Shelton's Instagram story

Ben Shelton and Will Richard both went to Florida for their college. The American tennis star studied finance there while playing from 2020 to 2022 in college tennis for the Florida Gators. Meanwhile, Richard played there in college basketball from 2022 to 2025. It seems both of them might have connected in Shelton's final year.

Ben Shelton arrives in Shanghai to resume his season

Ben Shelton was forced to retire at the 2025 U.S. Open in the third round against Adrian Mannarino due to a left‐shoulder injury. This was the first retirement of his professional career.

The injury has seen him missing the Laver Cup and the Davis Cup tie against Czechia. On Friday, it was reported that the World No. 6 has opted to skip the Japan Open due to a shoulder issue. However, a promising update has come by in regards to his availability at the Shanghai Masters.

According to Tennis World USA, Shelton has arrived in Shanghai to resume his season during the Asian swing. He hopes to have a good run in possibly his first post‐injury tournaments.

This season, before the injury at the US Open, Ben Shelton was riding high in confidence after winning the 2025 National Bank Open (Toronto / Canadian Open), securing his first ATP Masters 1000 title. He defeated Karen Khachanov in the final in a tight three‐set match (6-7, 6-4, 7-6).

It remains to be seen if he goes deep in the final tournament of the Asian Swing.