Starting 5 Daily Newsletter

Starting 5, June 27: 1 Draft. 2 nights. 59 dreams achieved.

Round 2 takeaways and top moments to wrap up the 2025 NBA Draft.

NBA.com Staff

June 27, 2025 1:51 PM

The next generation is here – and the one behind it is already cooking.

Kam Jones with cousin

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

June 27, 2025

Round 2 In 2 Minutes: 29 players had their names called to begin their NBA journey

All-Access: Matching with mom, Green Room hugs and “That’s my boy!”

Montverde Four: From a perfect season, to freshman standouts, to four first-rounders

Round 2 Portraits: Fresh fits, fresh faces and potential hidden gems

Chasing History: Relive the 2025 Playoffs with an all-access look at history

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The 2025 Draft is in the books…

2025 NBA Draft Results

What’s Next? The 59 newest NBA players will suit up for the first time in NBA 2K26 Summer League, which will run from July 10-20 in Las Vegas. Stay tuned for the full schedule, but the opening night doubleheader is set.

The summer hoops circuit tips off on July 10 with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and the Mavs facing the Lakers (8 ET), followed by No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and the Spurs taking on No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe and the Sixers (10 ET).

1. 29 MORE NBA DREAMS FULFILLED IN SECOND ROUND

David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

On Wednesday night, 30 players had their NBA dreams fulfilled when their names were called in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.

For 29 players, those dreams lasted just one more sleep.

On Thursday night, the 2025 Draft resumed from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with more prospects waiting in anticipation for their name to be called, ready to take the next step in their NBA journey. | Round 2 Takeaways | Full Draft Results

Rasheer Fleming of Saint Joseph’s was the first name to come off the board, selected by the Timberwolves at No. 31 overall and traded to the Suns from an agreement earlier in the day
Confidence Is Key: “Just so much effort. Regardless, if anything goes wrong, if I’m not making shots – which I doubt – you’re gonna get a lot of effort out of me.” – Fleming during his post-selection interview on what he’ll bring to the Suns
Veteran Surge: Fleming’s selection was the first of a number of upperclassmen taken in the second round. After 18 freshmen were taken in the first round, none were selected in the second – something that had not happened since 2015

Trades were also a common theme of the second round with 14 of the 29 players selected being traded on Draft night as teams were wheeling and dealing to land the prospects they targeted.

Magic Move Up: Orlando sent No. 46 (Amari Williams), No. 57 (Max Shulga) and two future second-round picks to Boston for the No. 32 pick, which they used to select French forward Noah Penda
Lakers Climb The Board: L.A. made a pair of trades to move from No. 55 to No. 45 and eventually up to No. 36 to select forward Adou Thiero of Arkansas – one of the most elite athletes in this class
Pacers Jump In: Indy acquired the No. 38 pick from San Antonio for a future second-round pick and cash. The Pacers didn’t look far for their pick, taking Kam Jones, who played at nearby Marquette, and delivered the handshake of the night

Kam Jones with cousin

Different Round, Same Emotions: Whether players are selected in the first or second round, the realization of a lifelong dream and the emotions that carries remain the same.

Penda: “I don’t even believe it right now. I think I’m going to need some hours of sleep to realize that I’m in the NBA.”
Thiero: “A lot of hours in the gym. A lot of just being in the dark waiting to shine in the light, but I think it’s that time now for sure.”
Koby Brea (41st pick, traded to Phoenix): “I just thought of myself as a little kid … Being 4 years old and not knowing where this game was going to take me. I just knew that I really loved that orange basketball. To know now that I’m here in the NBA, it’s crazy.”
Bogoljub Marković (47th pick, Milwaukee): “Since I was nine I’ve been playing basketball. In the first grade, when the teacher asked ‘What do you want to do in your life?’ and I just said ‘NBA’ without any thought.”

Jeff Haynes & David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

International Flavor: The 2024-25 season marked the fourth straight to feature at least 120 international players – tying the record with 125. With another 22 international players selected in this year’s Draft – 11 in each round – expect that trend to continue.

France: After three picks in the first round, France had three more in the second: Noah Penda (32nd, ORL), Maxime Raynaud (42nd, SAC) and Mohamed Diawara (51st, NYK)
Australia: Four Aussies were selected within an 11-pick span in the second round, including two by Chicago – Rocco Zikarsky (45th, CHI) and Lachlan Olbrich (55th, CHI) – which already features Australian Josh Giddey
15 total countries, spanning five continents – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and Australia – were represented in the 2025 Draft

2. ALL-ACCESS: ON THE GROUND FOR DRAFT NIGHT DREAMS

Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

“It’s been a dream ever since I started picking up a basketball,” said Johni Broome on being drafted. “Now, it’s more like a dream come true.”

As teams hunted for gems and missing pieces, more dreams were realized Thursday night, from Broome – the SEC Player of the Year – to proud grandparents.

The Moment: Join Broome inside the Green Room as the former Auburn star hears his name called with the 35th overall pick – making him a Sixer
The Call: One pick later, Adou Thiero’s phone rang with the Lakers on the other end – before sharing a long embrace with his mom and dad

Draft dreams aren’t just about the players – they’re also about family. Perhaps no prospect embodied that more than Javon Small, who turned his walk across the stage into a celebration of the people who helped get him there.

Matching Mom: Small, a senior out of West Virginia, rocked a vibrant green suit while his mom wore a matching jacket: “Green is my mom’s favorite color – lucky color, I guess.”
Proud Papa: But it was Small’s grandfather who stole the show when Memphis took him with the 48th pick, overcome with emotion as he stood up and let the Barclays Center know, “That’s my boy!”
“My family is my world,” said Small after being selected. “Seeing my papa over there with me. He would take me to every single tournament since I was a little kid. Rarely misses any games. That’s who I do it for.”

Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

Bigger Than Basketball: Small’s family moment was just one highlight in a two-night Draft filled with joy, pride and raw emotion.

Round 1 Scenes: Witness all the feels from a tearful first night, from Danny Wolf’s proud brother to Khaman Maluach’s “delusional dream”
Grateful: For Philly’s third overall pick VJ Edgecombe, the journey was as much about his mom’s sacrifice as his own talent: “Seeing what she had to go through – to feed us. Man, it’s crazy.”
Cloud 9: Utah’s fifth overall pick, Ace Bailey, was mic’d up for his special night – which felt too good to be true: “Man, I’m in the NBA … [it] don’t even sound real.”
Maine Made: Cooper Flagg also reflected on his road, looking back at old photos and recalling the doubts he faced as a child
So many told him, “Being from Maine, it’s impossible – it will never happen,” Flagg said. “But it did.”

3. THE MONTVERDE FOUR: FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL

Derik Queen, Liam McNeeley, Cooper Flagg, Asa Newell

Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

The last time Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen, Asa Newell and Liam McNeeley suited up together, they were closing out a 33-0 season with Montverde Academy to win the 2024 high school national championship.

Fast forward to Wednesday night, and they were suited up again – this time at the NBA Draft, each hearing their names called in the first round.

“Those are my brothers,” said an emotional McNeeley after being picked 29th to round up the group. “I’m so proud of them – it’s a dream come true.”

Located outside of Orlando, Montverde Academy isn’t your average high school – it’s a prep powerhouse with a long history of producing NBA talent.

In 2021, it also produced four first-rounders (Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Moses Moody, Day’Ron Sharpe), a feat only matched by three college programs since 2010 – Kentucky (3x), UNC and Duke.

That legacy – and the level of competition behind it – is part of what drew Flagg, Queen, Newell and McNeeley to Montverde in the first place.

“We competed every single day in practice,” said Flagg. “Having a lot of high Division 1 players on the same team – you don’t see that in high school very often…”
“It was a really talented, skilled group. And we were all just so close off the court.”

Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen, Liam, McNeeley, Asa Newell

NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images

With great talent came great sacrifice. Not one of the four stars averaged 15+ ppg in their last two years at Montverde – but they completed their perfect senior season with a 30+ ppg average victory margin.

That development and selflessness helped them thrive on stacked college rosters – and propelled them to first-round selections.

Flagg (Duke ➡️ 1. Mavs): The top pick showed his two-way dominance at Duke, winning National Player of the Year while powering a Final Four run
Queen (Maryland ➡️ 13. Pelicans): A paint maestro, Queen was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and delivered in big-time moments, including a buzzer-beater to send the Terps to the Sweet 16
Newell (Georgia ➡️ 23. Hawks): A skilled finisher with a strong motor, the 6-9 forward earned SEC All-Freshman honors at UGA and will now stay home in Atlanta
McNeeley (UConn ➡️ 29. Hornets): McNeeley was a knockdown shooter for the Huskies, leading the team with 14.5 ppg to win Big East Freshman of the Year

“We all made sacrifices going to Montverde Academy,” said Newell earlier this week. “The sacrifices are paying off.”

“They taught me how to play with great players,” added McNeeley on his fellow high school stars. “And it made the game easy playing with them.”

Now, the four high school teammates will begin their NBA journeys on different teams – but their bond remains unbreakable.

“We have a little group chat, so we’re going to try to have that competitive nature and bragging rights,” said Newell. “It’s going to be super special.”

4. DREAM FRAMES: ROUND 2 PORTRAITS

Night 2 of the NBA Draft brought more fresh talent, new stories and a slew of potential steals.

Check out a few of our favorite portraits from some Round 2 standouts