WATCH: Walker Kessler shares emotional memory following NBA Draft selection

On Thursday, former Auburn star Walker Kessler completed a lifelong dream of joining the NBA when he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies, who then traded his rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 22 overall selection in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. After he was drafted, the NBA had him share some emotional memories in a video on Twitter.

"Good job, me!" 😁👍@WalkerKessler13 reflects on his journey to becoming the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 #NBADraft! pic.twitter.com/c0TbBFtbqk

— NBA (@NBA) June 25, 2022

Kessler mentioned in the video how he was thankful for the lessons of adversity that he’s dealt with over the years.

“Everything happens for a reason. Through all the adversity and difficult times, those are valuable in their own way. And, you grow through those times. You become a better person, and because of that, you’re where you are today,” Kessler said. The former Auburn star also wore a special tribute to the Tigers inside of his suit jacket that he showed off before the draft.

The 7-foot-1, 245-pounder made a huge jump in improvement from his freshman year with the North Carolina Tar Heels to his sophomore year with the Tigers. He averaged 11.4 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game, and 4.6 blocks per game. The gifted shot blocker won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year after he shattered Auburn’s single-season blocks record with 144 total blocks on the season. Following the season, Kessler announced that he would be turning pro and entering the 2022 NBA Draft.

In becoming the first Auburn player to ever bring home the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, Kessler beat out some incredibly talented players in college basketball. He beat out Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, and Duke’s Mark Williams for the annual award.

Kessler was highly thought of as a high school prospect and he showed exactly why last year

Coming out of high school, Kessler was rated as the No. 4 center prospect in America, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings and was rated as the No. 21 overall prospect in America for the 2020 recruiting class. It’s refreshing to see a player live up to their vast potential and the gifted big man showed last season exactly why he was so highly thought of coming out of Woodward Academy (Fairburn, Georgia). It’ll be exciting to watch his career continue to progress in the NBA.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.