Javon Small was not the biggest name heading into the 2025 NBA draft. He was coming off a strong season with the West Virginia Mountaineers, but was not viewed as someone who would get much consideration in the first round. Instead, he was viewed as a player who would get drafted in the mid to late second round if he got drafted at all.
Javon Small played four seasons of college basketball before declaring for the NBA draft. He played two seasons at East Carolina before transferring to Oklahoma State for his junior year. Then, before his final college season, he transferred to West Virginia. He had a breakout final season, averaging 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Fortunately for Small, he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 48th pick in the draft. Many of those family members attended the draft with him, including his grandfather. When Javon Small was drafted, his grandfather had a huge celebration, which was caught on video and posted on X by the Hoops Central account.
Javon Small’s grandfather after Javon was drafted. 🙏🙏
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 27, 2025
Small was later shown the video in an interview and reacted.
“You know my family is just my world, man. Just seeing my papa over there with me.”
While most family members have big reactions when their loved ones are drafted, Small’s grandfather stood out as having one of the biggest reactions of the draft. He threw his arms in the air and shouted, “My boy!” several times.
Javon Small Was Drafted Where He Was Expected To Go
There were some surprises over the course of the two nights of the 2025 NBA draft. However, Javon Small’s draft position was not one of them. Often, after the first few picks, players can get selected in positions that vary wildly from where they were projected before the draft.
That was not the case for Javon Small. Instead, he was selected exactly where he was projected by ESPN. ESPN had him as the No. 48-ranked player in the draft, and he was selected with the 48th pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. While it was not surprising to see him picked there, that did not mean Small’s grandfather was any less excited. He was clearly one of the happiest people on draft night.
Small is now set to join a Grizzlies team with a promising future. However, as a second-round pick, Small is likely to spend most of his time in the G-League next season.
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