2025 NBA Draft Reactions (Part 1)
The NBA draft has come and gone, but the outfits can be remembered forever. In truth though, most of these outfits probably won't be remembered forever. I hope to forget most of them by next week.
Preamble
The NBA draft consists of two sessions this year: one on June 25th and one on June 26th. You may be unsurprised to learn that the first round will be on the first day and the second round is on the second day. (The 2024 draft was like this too.)
While I hope that this leads to twice as many green room attendees, and thus at least a 50% increase in draft day outfits; in actuality the NBA nearly doubled the day 1 green room (24 attendees, usually around 12–15), and had an additional 8 attendees on day 2. Once again, I have an unavoidable conflict during day 1 of the draft (Valkyries home game against the New York Liberty), but I will do my best.
Here are my uninformed pre-draft ‘fit predictions:
I am still waiting for someone to bring back draft shorts!!
From Ben Pfeifer: “queen’s [outfit] will be big, ace’s i think will be memorable too”
Outfit power rankings
Here’s a group photo showing all 24 invitees. I added links to pictures until I got tired and decided to put this all in the CMS and call it a night. This is the second year in a row without an S-tier outfit, but it was an overall strong showing.
S tier - Wow!
Nobody this year!
A tier - Great!
Collin Murray-Boyles’ pinstripes
Khaman Maluach’s cream satin shirt
VJ Edgecombe’s Bahamas flag accented outfit (pictures)
Hansen Yang’s all-white suit
B tier - Okay, nice
Tre Johnson’s draft culottes
Dylan Harper’s all-black ensemble (pictures)
Ace Bailey’s red-and-black ensemble (pictures)
Asa Newell’s lilac suit (video)
Thomas Sorber’s sparkly black jacket (pictures)
Will Riley’s reddish suit
Johni Broome’s forest green suit (pictures)
Alijah Martin’s white bedazzled jacket
C tier - There was a vision
Carter Bryant’s brown collarless, shirtless jacket (pictures)
Jeremiah Fears’ crimson Gucci suit (pictures)
Nique Clifford’s purple ombre jacket
Joan Beringer’s pink jacket
Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Noah Penda’s dense pinstripes
Kam Jones’ leather pants
Micah Peavy
Koby Brea
Bogoljub Marković
D tier - Tasteful but boring all-black ensembles
Cedric Coward
Walter Clayton Jr
Nolan Traore
Rasheer Fleming
Adou Thiero
Saliou Niang
F tier - Thank you for pitching me on your timeshare options
Kon Knueppel (video)
Cooper Flagg (video)
Danny Wolf
Egor Demin (video)
Derik Queen (pictures)
Kasparas Jakučionis
Liam McNeeley
Lottery (1–14)
Draft order is per the NBA.
Teams without a first round pick: Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks
1 - DAL - Cooper Flagg
Still can’t believe Dallas has the #1 overall pick.
Cooper Flagg appears to be wearing a completely normal grey-navy suit with a white shirt and black tie that would be reasonable at any summer wedding. He said his mom liked the outfit. He appears to be trying something new with facial hair, which I do not think is working for him.
In the close-up camera shots I can see that his suit jacket has a little bit of texture, which is nice.
2 - SAS - Dylan Harper
Dylan Harper is also doing a black-on-black suit look with a red lining. In that regard, he and Ace Bailey are matching. The jacket has a sort of curlicue floral pattern.
Asian-American legend in the making! Seeing him hug his grandparents is making me tear up. Dylan Harper and his brother Ron Harper Jr. look exactly the same but they’re six years apart!
The “Spurs” hat actually looks kind of nice. I wish the script font was a little bit thicker but it looks nice.
3 - PHI - VJ Edgecombe
VJ Edgecombe is wearing an all-black suit and tie ensemble designed by his brother which has detailing in the colors of the Bahamanian flag. The jacket lining has pictures of his family. The jacket has a checkerboard pattern.
I enjoyed his interview with the ESPN desk earlier. Seeing his extended family in the crowd with the Bahamian flag was very cute.
It sounded like Buddy Hield might be there to support him, it would be cute if Jonquel Jones is there too! (Unless she’s with the Liberty, who are playing in San Francisco today.)
Update: Buddy Hield made an appearance!
Update 2: Jonquel Jones was indeed in SF with the Liberty, and thus wasn’t available for the NBA draft.
4 - CHA - Kon Knueppel
Well, he was already living in North Carolina so I suppose this is convenient?
Navy suit, navy shirt, navy tie, black lapels.
He and his brothers are doing an interview together and the way they’re lined up, they look like a bar chart or like cell phone reception bars. It’s also kind of funny that most of them are wearing jewel tones? Also, their names are Kash, Kager, Kon, Kinston, and Kidman (in no particular order).
5 - UTA - Ace Bailey
Ace Bailey is wearing a red shirt with a black jacket, because red is his favorite color. The black jacket has red accents (buttonhole, pocket lining) and is detailed with black rhinestones, which apparently match his shoes. He’s also wearing a chain with his initials (AB) and he says he’s very good at yo-yo.
Dylan Harper later described this as “Ace Bailey in a suit.”
It looks like his family is wearing red and black outfits to match his, which is very sweet. They're apparently all wearing black Louboutin shoes (with red soles, of course) which is also on theme.
I hope this is what he wanted!!
Jonathan Givony says that this is not what he wanted, and that he wanted Washington, New Orleans, or Brooklyn? Sure, I guess.
I think this does fulfill Ben’s prediction that he’d wear a loud outfit. Great work, Ben!
6 - WAS - Tre Johnson
Navy double-breasted suit with SHORTS??? DRAFT SHORTS ARE BACK!!! It actually might be more of a wide pants situation but I love it.
Navy blue, sparkly, white shirt, black tie. It looks completely unremarkable from the waist up, but then you get…draft culottes!
I know I said shorts earlier, but I think these are a little longer and wider.
He’s also wearing baggy white socks and what I believe were black loafers.
I really respect the vision and I think I will ultimately remember this outfit fondly, but I also think that a more pleated pant might have matched the tailored double-breasted jacket a little better.
7 - NOP - Jeremiah Fears
Jeremiah Fears is wearing a crimson Gucci suit with black Gucci sneakers and no socks. I believe that people should wear taller socks. His tie matches his jacket. He’s also got two big pendants: “FEARS” and either 0 or O. He wears 0, which means his jersey says “FEARS 0” which is very cool. He’s also wearing sunglasses that I would describe as “comically large.”
He did take off the sunglasses for the draft itself.
I can’t wait to see his first NBA jersey if he gets to wear 0; “FEARS 0” is so cool.
He also has an older brother at Michigan State, who wears the number 1.
In an interview earlier, he was asked to name the three recently drafted players from Oklahoma. He succeeded in naming all those players, then got hung up on trying to remember a fourth person, who I think may have been Austin Reaves?
8 - BKN - Egor Demin
Denim is wearing a brownish-greyish double-breasted suit with a white shirt and a gold chain with a cross on it. He’s wearing very wide pants. He’s already pretty tall (6’8”) and lanky, so the overall effect is a little “2003 NBA draft.”
9 - TOR - Collin Murray-Boyles
Bonus outfit: Chloe Kitts is wearing a gorgeous bright red dress.
I like the subtle pinstripes, and the necklace and brooch keep the outfit from being too business-y.
10 - HOU → PHX - Khaman Maluach
Khaman Maluach is wearing a black suit jacket with a cream-colored satin shirt and two gorgeous gold-and-diamond chains. The suit jacket does appear to have a lining, though I can’t see enough to tell what’s depicted.
Real tears!! So happy for him! I’m so moved by how emotional his family is.
I think this is one of the most excellent simple outfits of this year’s draft: The satin texture of the shirt and the gold-and-diamond chains really elevate the glamor.
11 - POR → MEM - Cedric Coward
From Willamette to Eastern Washington to Washington State to the NBA!
Another black-on-black outfit with a big chain with a “CC” pendant. I may need to make a new category for all-black outfits and rate those against each other. It’s a safe option for sure!
12 - CHI - Noa Essengue
I am intrigued by these pearl-and-bead details on his sleeves. It’s unique! Otherwise, it’s another black-suit-and-shirt ensemble.
Also, someone at his table is wearing red sunglasses and a matching red bowtie, which is also very striking.
13 - ATL → NOP - Derik Queen
Alas, another networking outfit. It is a double-breasted jacket though, which does make it a bit less business-y, I suppose.
Not a memorable outfit. Ben was off the mark with this one, sorry Ben!
14 - SAS - Carter Bryant
Oh…..brown collar-less suit jacket, no shirt underneath. I do not think I like this outfit very much, but he really tried something!
This is an ambitious outfit. I don’t know about the execution, but it is ambitious. It’s a really nice brownish-red color. The gold embroidery on the cuffs and back of the neck is a little unique too. The color is nice at least! It grew on me, I’ll say that.
Rest of the first round (15–30)
Draft order is per the NBA.
15 - OKC - Thomas Sorber
Very sparkly jacket!
His family is very emotional, which I love.
16 - MEM → POR - Hansen Yang
WHAT??????
He was in the crowd, though not in the green room itself. He’s wearing a white double-breasted suit with a white undershirt, and he seems tremendously confused by how to actually button the jacket. He also seems befuddled by the draft hat. I like his jade necklace.
Walter Clayton Jr.’s table seems to be right next to the stairs that the draftees walk up, and he seems to have been making a point of dapping up every draftee on their way up, which I think is nice.
17 - MIN - Joan Beringer (yo-ahn)
Light pink double-breasted jacket.
I don’t think anyone should necessarily dress with this in mind, but the in-arena lighting is not particularly flattering to anyone; it really washes out colors. That being said, I think his jacket is a nice shade of pink.
18 - WAS → UTA - Walter Clayton Jr.
Black on black, sparkly loafers, boring.
He appears to have been on the phone when his name was called, not sure with who.
His baby girl and her little baby Louboutins are so cute.
He seems so emotional! I’m so happy for him!
19 - BKN - Nolan Traore
Traore is wearing what’s either a black or navy jacket with blue detailing, a black shirt, and a black bowtie.
More so than in other years, it seems like we’re seeing more players take the time to greet their fellow draftees on their way up to the stage. I think this is cute and good.
20 - MIA - Kasparas Jakučionis
Brown double-breasted suit with an ugly tie and some lapel pins.
While not to the same extent as Cooper Flagg, Mr. Jakučionis does look like he’s ready for a business meeting of some kind. I suppose one could consider the NBA draft a business meeting. It does seem to be a well-fitted suit at least.
21 - UTA → WAS - Will Riley
Dark red suit with red lining, unbuttoned for the walk-in.
He has buttoned his jacket since he walked in. There’s nothing about this outfit that’s especially innovative or anything, but it occupies a nice zone of “special, but still has a little bit of re-wear value.” I guess if you’re an NBA first-round pick you don’t really need to worry about the re-wear value of your outfits.
22 - ATL → BKN - Drake Powell
He does not appear to be at the draft, but he does at least have a highlight package.
23 - NOP → ATL - Asa Newell
This is a good outfit, honestly. The NBA draft is in the summer, do more pastels! I have noticed that double-breasted suits are popular for NBA draftees, and I’m curious why that’s the case.
24 - OKC → SAC - Nique Clifford
“Ohhhhh noooooo” was my first reaction. Purple-to-white gradient jacket over black shirt and pants. Whew, this is a color choice. And it’s definitely the first gradient that I can remember! The jacket itself is not bad, but I think the rest of the outfit needed a little more support to bring it all together. Navy pants instead of black? Purple pants? More ombre???
This is perhaps the boldest color choice we’ve seen at the draft since Jonathan Kuminga’s orange suit in 2021.
Update: Not to mention Javon Small’s bright green suit on the second day of the draft.
It’s very funny that one of the people wearing purple was drafted by the Sacramento Kings, a notably purple team.
25 - ORL - Jase Richardson
Not at the draft.
26 - BKN - Ben Saraf
Not at the draft, playing in the German League playoffs
27 - BKN - Danny Wolf
Ready to hear a pitch on an investment plan.
28 - BOS - Hugo Gonzalez
Not at the draft, playing in Europe.
29 - PHX → CHA - Liam McNeeley
I think that this is a slightly more exciting shade of blue than navy, it’s a little lighter. I think I appreciate that he has a pocket square. However the overall ensemble does not really move me. He could get great re-wear value out of it though!
30 - LAC - Yanic Konan Niederhauser
He is in the stands!
His outfit is fairly similar to Nolan Traore’s outfit actually, this is a navy blue jacket with black floral detailing, black shirt, and black bowtie. I believe Niederhauser has a matching jacket and pants.
Day 1 bonus fits:
Why is Danny Green here? I didn’t realize he was doing analysis now. Danny Green also says that he can’t do big chains anymore because he has children. I don’t have children, so I can’t say I really understand the sentiment.
Chiney looks great, her outfit reminds me of Paige’s first draft look from this year.
Malika’s green suit jacket looks so goooood! The diamond necklace! Ugh, she’s always so perfect.
Joe Tsai appears to be in the Brooklyn draft room wearing a grey polo shirt tucked into jeans. Asian uncles are gonna Asian uncle.
A huge shoutout to all the people out there, paid and unpaid, who do NBA draft analysis. I am quite tired of writing about the NBA draft and I only looked at the outfits. I hope all of you have a nice nap and a weekend ahead of you.
I’ll be back soon with reviews of the second round! While the day 2 greenroom is much smaller than the day 1 green room, there were a couple outfits worth commenting on.