University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Getty Images
Trio Of Bulldogs Ranked Among NBA’s Top 100 Players
October 04, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Only four schools have more on list than UGA
ATHENS, Ga. — Three former Georgia Bulldogs were featured among CBS Sports' list of the top 100 players in the NBA entering the 2024-25 season. On the ledger compiled by 10 CBS basketball analysts, Anthony Edwards was ranked No. 10, Nicolas Claxton was tabbed No. 91 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was listed at No. 95.
Only four schools had more players featured in the top 100 than Georgia – Kentucky, Duke, Gonzaga and Villanova.
Edwards is entering his fifth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Atlanta native earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors after being the nation's top-scoring freshman in his one season in Athens. Edwards helped lead the Western Conference finals last season and then played a pivotal role for the U.S. National Team that captured a Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Claxton's offseason included signing a four-year, $100 million contract extension with the Brooklyn Nets. After enjoying a breakout sophomore season at Georgia in 2018-19, Claxton was the No. 31 overall pick with the first selection of the second round by the Nets later that spring. Claxton moved into Brooklyn's starting lineup during his third season and has emerged as one of the league's most efficient players on both ends of the floor. During the 2022-23 season, he led the NBA in field goal percentage (.705) and ranked No. 2 in blocks (2.5 bpg).
Caldwell-Pope, the 2013 SEC Player of the Year at Georgia as a sophomore before declaring for the Draft, is entering his 12th season in the NBA and his first with the Orlando Magic. In 2023, he became just the 33rd players in league history to win NBA Championships with multiple franchises. He helped lead the Lakers to the 2020 title before capturing a second trophy with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. Caldwell-Pope begins the 2024-25 season with 9,499 points, 2,539 rebounds, 1,516 assists, 958 steals and 231 blocked shots in 835 regular-season outings.
In addition, there are at least 17 former Bulldogs gearing up for professional seasons in Europe, Australia and Asia as outlined below.
Player – Country (team)
Braelen Bridges – Australia (Ringwood Hawks)
Aaron Cook – Holland (ZZ Leiden)
Tyree Crump – Qatar (Al Khor)
Nemanja Djurisic – Russia (BC Pari Nizhny Novgorod)
Mike Edwards – North Macedonia (KK Pelister Sport Bitola)
J.J. Frazier – Turkey (Bordo)
Rayshaun Hammonds – South Korea (Suwon KT Sonicboom)
Jordan Harris – Italy (Itelyum Varese)
Jailyn Ingram – Japan (Tachikawa Dice)
Travis Leslie – Mexico (Astros de Jalisco)
Yante Maten – Japan (San-En Neophoeniz)
Derek Ogbeide – Slovenia (Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana)
Terry Roberts – Cyprus (Apoel Nicosia)
Gerald Robinson – Italy (Rivierabanca Basket Rimini)
Noah Thomasson – Turkey (Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi Basket Denizli)
Trey Thompkins – Spain (Leyma Basquet Coruna)
Terrance Woodbury – Japan (Shinshu Brave Warriors Nagano)
Only four schools had more players featured in the top 100 than Georgia – Kentucky, Duke, Gonzaga and Villanova.
Edwards is entering his fifth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Atlanta native earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors after being the nation's top-scoring freshman in his one season in Athens. Edwards helped lead the Western Conference finals last season and then played a pivotal role for the U.S. National Team that captured a Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Claxton's offseason included signing a four-year, $100 million contract extension with the Brooklyn Nets. After enjoying a breakout sophomore season at Georgia in 2018-19, Claxton was the No. 31 overall pick with the first selection of the second round by the Nets later that spring. Claxton moved into Brooklyn's starting lineup during his third season and has emerged as one of the league's most efficient players on both ends of the floor. During the 2022-23 season, he led the NBA in field goal percentage (.705) and ranked No. 2 in blocks (2.5 bpg).
Caldwell-Pope, the 2013 SEC Player of the Year at Georgia as a sophomore before declaring for the Draft, is entering his 12th season in the NBA and his first with the Orlando Magic. In 2023, he became just the 33rd players in league history to win NBA Championships with multiple franchises. He helped lead the Lakers to the 2020 title before capturing a second trophy with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. Caldwell-Pope begins the 2024-25 season with 9,499 points, 2,539 rebounds, 1,516 assists, 958 steals and 231 blocked shots in 835 regular-season outings.
In addition, there are at least 17 former Bulldogs gearing up for professional seasons in Europe, Australia and Asia as outlined below.
Player – Country (team)
Braelen Bridges – Australia (Ringwood Hawks)
Aaron Cook – Holland (ZZ Leiden)
Tyree Crump – Qatar (Al Khor)
Nemanja Djurisic – Russia (BC Pari Nizhny Novgorod)
Mike Edwards – North Macedonia (KK Pelister Sport Bitola)
J.J. Frazier – Turkey (Bordo)
Rayshaun Hammonds – South Korea (Suwon KT Sonicboom)
Jordan Harris – Italy (Itelyum Varese)
Jailyn Ingram – Japan (Tachikawa Dice)
Travis Leslie – Mexico (Astros de Jalisco)
Yante Maten – Japan (San-En Neophoeniz)
Derek Ogbeide – Slovenia (Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana)
Terry Roberts – Cyprus (Apoel Nicosia)
Gerald Robinson – Italy (Rivierabanca Basket Rimini)
Noah Thomasson – Turkey (Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi Basket Denizli)
Trey Thompkins – Spain (Leyma Basquet Coruna)
Terrance Woodbury – Japan (Shinshu Brave Warriors Nagano)
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballGeorgia Men's Basketball Media Availability - Kanon Catchings
Monday, September 29
Georgia Men's Basketball Media Availability - Somtochukwu "Somto" Cyril
Monday, September 29
Georgia Men's Basketball Media Availability - Marcus "Smurf" Millender
Monday, September 22
Georgia Men's Basketball Media Availability - Jeremiah Wilkinson
Monday, September 22