Skip to main content
Florida

Alijah Martin selected in second round of 2025 NBA Draft

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi06/27/25ZachAbolverdi
Florida-Gators-Alijah-Martin
Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin (15) dunks the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Alamodome. (Scott Wachter-Imagn Images)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For just the fifth time in school history, the Florida Gators have produced multiple picks in an NBA Draft. Alijah Martin became the latest UF player to hear his name called on Thursday.

Martin was selected No. 39 overall by the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. He’s the second draft pick for the Gators and joins Walter Clayton Jr., who was taken in the first round Wednesday.

Martin became the first player in college basketball history to start in a Final Four for two different teams. He helped lead FAU to the 2023 Final Four before winning the 2025 national title with Florida.

Martin averaged 14.4 points and 4.5 rebounds at UF with 82 assists and 79 3-pointers in 38 appearances. He posted three games with 20-plus points and his 29 dunks ranked second on the team.

Martin had a pair of monster breakaway dunks late in the second half that helped the Gators seize momentum in their Final Four win vs. Auburn. He finished with 17 points and was 2-for-3 from deep.

“From the moment he got to campus in the summer, we knew that his experience and his mentality and the way he approached workouts and practice would really help this group,” Todd Golden said of Alijah Martin. “That was a really big part of why we targeted Alijah and why we wanted him to come into our program. … The thing that I always really enjoyed about Alijah was his experience, the fact that he played in a Final Four, had really good success, felt like he always had a chip on his shoulder and wanted to lead and be a part of something that was bigger than himself. Early on in the summer, he talked a lot about playing in the Final Four, just that experience. … I do think his experience helped us to this point.

“He’s an incredible competitor. His addition to our program this past offseason lifted us to another level. Not just for the program, but for individual players in the way they compete. He does a great job of kind of creating that expectation within our program on a day-to-day basis. I don’t know if there’s anything specific that I’m going to point to. Again, the mentality, just the approach, understanding every time he steps on the floor he’s going to compete at a really, really high level. The guys call him ‘Crash Out’ for a reason. He really gets after it, has a great sense of competition and mentality. I think it has definitely kind of bled to the rest of the crew.”

UF previously had multiple players drafted in 2000 (Mike Miller, Donnell Harvey), 2005 (David Lee, Orien Greene), 2007 (Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Chris Richard) and 2021 (Tre Mann, Scottie Lewis).

You may also like