Carter Bryant, whose NBA draft stock rose throughout his freshman season in 2024-25, reached the No. 14 pick overall (the last lottery selection) by the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Bryant, a 6-foot-7 wing player who can also play power forward, is the 27th player in Arizona history to be selected in the first round (this is not including Leon Wood, who started his career at Arizona before transferring to Cal State Fullerton and became a first-round pick in 1984).
Bryant, 19, answered “definitely” to ESPN Radio after his selection when asked if he was looking at the Spurs as a possible suitor during the draft process. He will become a teammate of 7-foot-3 center Victor Wembanyama, a budding star at only 21.
Wildcat to Spur – love to see it. Welcome to SA @carterdbryant! #beardown #gospursgo
— Sean Elliott (@seanelliott_32) June 26, 2025
“I think they’ve proven year and year again that they’re one of the best places, if not the best place, in the NBA to develop their skills and become a winner,” he said. “I think that was the most attractive thing to me.”
Bryant was joined at the NBA draft by assistant coach Jack Murphy because Tommy Lloyd is in Switzerland preparing to coach USA’s U19 team (that includes recruit Koa Peat) in the FIBA U19 World Cup that starts Saturday.
Bryant was hugged by Arizona great Andre Iguodala before walking to the stage at the Barclays Center at Brooklyn after his pick. Iguodala was there as the Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).
Bryant is the third pick of the Lloyd era at Arizona, starting in 2021-22, to be selected in the first round. The others: Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth pick overall in the 2022 draft by the Indiana Pacers, and Dalen Terry, 18th pick that year by the Chicago Bulls.
THE PICK IS IN pic.twitter.com/GfkUfvi28M
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) June 26, 2025
Bryant is also the fifth pick coached by Lloyd at Arizona to be drafted. Pelle Larsson was chosen in the second round last year by the Miami Heat and Christian Koloko was also taken in the second round in 2022 by the Toronto Raptors.
Bryant rode his positive pre-draft workouts to become a first-round pick. He developed a reputation on defense with his athleticism and wingspan of 6 feet and 11 3/4 inches.
San Antonio has five NBA titles, but has gone without one since 2014. Gregg Popovich is no longer the head coach. Mitch Johnson, a former rival of Arizona’s with Stanford from 2005 to 2009, is the Spurs’ new coach.
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— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) June 26, 2025
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— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) June 26, 2025
“I just want to win, and that’s something (the Spurs) have done for a long time,” Bryant said. “I’m looking to bring that back at a high level.”
Bryant figures to develop his offensive skills further being such a young talent. He must improve his ability to create his own shot, set up and pass to his teammates and shoot consistently well from deep range. He has the ability to defend both guard and forward positions.
“I just see myself kind of progressing day by day … that’s my only focus to get better every day,” Bryant said in a pre-draft press conference Tuesday in New York City.
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas commented in a recent press conference that Bryant is a “prototypical 3 and D guy.”
“I like Carter Bryant a lot,” Bilas said. “He did really, really well at the combine with his vertical leap..the sprint, and his standing vertical was actually really good.
“When he’s got time in a catch-and-shoot situation, he makes them at a good percentage. He wasn’t a high-volume scorer last year at Arizona. That wasn’t his role, but really good defender that can guard multiple positions. He can get steals, deflections, he can block shots. When he had an open shot, he hit those shots at right around 38 percent. His long-term potential is really good and all the measurables that people like to talk about. Players that fit the mold he fits have done very well in the league.”
ARIZONA WILDCATS DRAFTED IN FIRST ROUND
List of Arizona players selected in the first round of the NBA Drafta-Draft rights traded to Bulls
b-Draft rights traded to Blazers
c-Draft rights traded to Nets
d-Draft rights traded to Nets
e-Draft rights traded to Nuggets
| Player | Year | Team | Rd | Ovr | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | Suns | 1 | 1 | 2019 | --- |
| Mike Bibby | 1998 | Grizzlies | 1 | 2 | 1999 | 2012 |
| Derrick Williams | 2011 | T'wolves | 1 | 2 | 2012 | 2018 |
| Sean Elliott | 1989 | Spurs | 1 | 3 | 1990 | 2001 |
| Aaron Gordon | 2014 | Magic | 1 | 4 | 2015 | --- |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 2022 | Pacers | 1 | 6 | 2023 | --- |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1995 | Raptors | 1 | 7 | 1996 | 2008 |
| Lauri Markkanen | 2017 | T'wolves-a | 1 | 7 | 2018 | --- |
| Channing Frye | 2005 | Knicks | 1 | 8 | 2006 | 2019 |
| Jordan Hill | 2009 | Knicks | 1 | 8 | 2010 | 2017 |
| Stanley Johnson | 2015 | Pistons | 1 | 8 | 2016 | 2023 |
| Larry Demic | 1979 | Knicks | 1 | 9 | 1980 | 1982 |
| Andre Iguodala | 2004 | Sixers | 1 | 9 | 2005 | 2023 |
| Brian Williams | 1991 | Magic | 1 | 10 | 1992 | 1999 |
| Jason Terry | 1999 | Hawks | 1 | 10 | 2000 | 2018 |
| Jerryd Bayless | 2008 | Pacers-b | 1 | 11 | 2009 | 2019 |
| Khalid Reeves | 1994 | Heat | 1 | 12 | 1995 | 2000 |
| Richard Jefferson | 2001 | Rockets-c | 1 | 13 | 2002 | 2018 |
| Michael Dickerson | 1998 | Rockets | 1 | 14 | 1999 | 2003 |
| Carter Bryant | 2025 | Spurs | 1 | 14 | 2025 | --- |
| Josh Green | 2020 | Mavericks | 1 | 18 | 2021 | --- |
| Dalen Terry | 2022 | Bulls | 1 | 18 | 2023 | --- |
| Chris Mills | 1993 | Cavaliers | 1 | 22 | 1994 | 2003 |
| Zeke Nnaji | 2020 | Nuggets | 1 | 22 | 2021 | --- |
| Solomon Hill | 2013 | Pacers | 1 | 23 | 2014 | 2022 |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 2015 | Blazers-d | 1 | 23 | 2016 | 2021 |
| Anthony Cook | 1989 | Suns-e | 1 | 24 | 1991 | 1996 |
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