Collin Murray-Boyles' draft process comes full circle in selection by Toronto Raptors

On Wednesday night, former South Carolina star forward Collin Murray-Boyles found himself in a situation no Gamecock had ever been in before.

Murray-Boyles sat in Barclays Center surrounded by his family and girlfriend Chloe Kitts, waiting to hear his name called during the 2025 NBA Draft. Sitting on the floor with other top prospects, Murray-Boyles sat patiently.

It only took one hour from the start of Wednesday’s broadcast for him to hear his name.

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The Toronto Raptors selected Murray-Boyles No. 9 overall. His selection made him the third-highest drafted Gamecock and ninth first-round draft pick in program history. The pick also made him the first South Carolina player selected in the top 14 lottery in the modern draft era.

“WTF all the way until my name got called,” Murray-Boyles said to NBA TV’s Taylor Rooks after his selection. “But geez. I almost shed a tear, but I tried to keep my composure … I dreamed of this when I was a kid. You never know you’re gonna be there until you’re there.”

Bobby Webster, General Manager of the Toronto Raptors, said the franchise identified Murray-Boyles as someone on their radar after his freshman season.

However, shortly after NBA commissioner Adam Silver called out “Collin Murray-Boyles from the University of South Carolina,” the ESPN cameras caught him in an emotional moment. Many took to social media to point out that he shook his head before swearing as he was getting up to cross the stage.

“What I said was not a bad thing, by any means,” Murray-Boyles said. “Just very thankful for it. That was like a surreal moment to hear my name called by this organization that has a good history and really good players as of right now.”

The selection brought the draft process full circle for Murray-Boyles. The 6-foot-7-inch forward said the first team he worked out with was Toronto.

“They just had a really good energy to them,” Murray-Boyles said on the workout. “Showcased a lot of my skill, a lot of my ability.”

Those abilities, Webster said, give Murray-Boyles the potential to be an excellent defender in the NBA. South Carolina was 12 points-per-100-possessions better defensively when Murray-Boyles was on the floor during the 2024-25 season.

“I mean for those of you who watched him, very obvious elite defense. Really versatile, great hands, a lot of stocks,” Webster said. “So I think for us it was the defensive versatility.”

While defense is the main talk of his game, Murray-Boyles also discussed his potential offensive impact.

“Something that’s attributed to me is just my high IQ and my adaptability,” Murray-Boyles said. “I feel like that’s something I’ve had my whole career … Obviously, everybody talks about the shot, but that’s been something I’ve been fine-tuning for these past couple of months. I’m really just trying to get to that point where it’s consistent.”

Murray-Boyles shot a career 23.1% from three in his time at South Carolina. During his sophomore season, he made only nine of his 34 attempts.

His experience in many different roles helps the young forward as he starts his career, Murray-Boyles said.

“Something with me, I’ve been a role player, I’ve been a guy that comes off the bench, I’ve been ‘the guy,'” Murray-Boyles said. “I’ve done it all … Just whatever the coach needs me to do, just trying to find my role as quick as possible to help the team win.”

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Collin Murray-Boyles now travels almost 850 miles from Columbia to Canada to begin his NBA career.

The first thing he said he’s going to do when he gets there doesn’t involve the court.

“First thing I got to do when I get to Toronto is post on my Instagram story, put a Drake song in there, and I’m going to at him,” Murray-Boyles said while laughing.

Murray-Boyles joins a unique franchise as the NBA’s only Canada-based team. The uniqueness of his new home has the rookie excited.

“I’m super excited,” Murray-Boyles said. “I know how passionate the fans are, how diverse the city of Toronto is, and to see that and to be around that environment on a daily basis is something that’s going to only make me a better player overall.”

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