WATCH: Bobby Portis returns to Fayetteville with Larry O’Brien Trophy
As Arkansas takes on Tennessee in a top-25 SEC matchup, The Razorbacks celebrate those who have moved on to bigger and better things. Seven professional basketball players who spent their college days at Arkansas returned to Bud Walton Arena on Saturday and were honored at halfcourt.
Among those to return, none are more beloved by Arkansas fans than Bucks center Bobby Portis. The former SEC Player of the Year was drafted No. 22 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft and won the 2021 NBA Finals in 2021 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Reminding everyone of his success, Bobby Portis carried his Larry O’Brien trophy with him to midcourt as the PA announcer introduced each former Arkansas player’s return and their accomplishments. Waiting for his name to be called, he cradled the trophy and waited for the crowd to erupt.
Other NBA players who returned for Saturday’s game include Golden State Warriors rookie Moses Moody, the first Razorback to go one-and-done, and Washington Wizards center Daniel Gafford. Los Angeles Lakers guard Mason Jones and Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Joe both also returned for the day. Former Arkansas Razorback, Justin Smith, now plays for the Toronto Raptors G-League affiliate and Adrio Bailey plays with Sopron KC in Europe.
The group is able to attend Saturday’s game thanks to the NBA All-Star break which provides players a week-long gap between games in the regular season. As is tradition at Arkansas, the group also had to call the hogs alongside 20,000 fans.
Moses Moody was also honored on the baseball field Saturday when he threw out the first pitch for Arkansas’ second game of Opening Weekend.
Eric Musselman explains viral celebration
In an interview with College Sports on SiriusXM, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman explained the backstory behind the now-infamous shirtless celebration after knocking off Auburn in Bud Walton Arena.
“First of all, I had to get off the court right away,” Musselman said. “The shoulder surgeon, Doctor Cox, had told us before the game, ‘Hey, if we win, you’ve gotta get him off the floor as quick as possible.’ You know, I’m only three weeks into the surgery and the biggest fear is that you get jolted and the surgery fails. So, they got me to the back, I got to do the interview in the hallway.
“When I had gone up to see the student section during the day, I had gone up there three different times to see the students, thank them, pass out some snacks – they kept saying, ‘Hey, if we win, you’ve gotta take your shirt off.’ I was a little reluctant. Because of the shoulder thing, I’ve gained about seven pounds, so I was really reluctant to pull that shirt off.”