Javon Small’s lifelong dream was fulfilled on Thursday night when the Memphis Grizzlies selected him with the 48th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. During Small’s interview after being drafted, the focus briefly shifted to his table, and his grandfather’s emotional reaction went viral.
Javon Small was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, and his grandfather was very emotional. #NBA #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/c8wfPJIbSE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 27, 2025
Small’s grandfather struggled to hold back tears as he celebrated the selection. It was a wonderful moment.
“My family is just my world, man,” Small said. “To see my pop pop over there with me, he took me to every single tournament since I was a little kid, rarely misses any games. That’s who I do it for.”
Small, a 6’2″ guard, had quite the rollercoaster of a college career, as he transferred twice. He first spent two seasons at East Carolina and then headed over to Oklahoma State. Small would spend a year there before moving to West Virginia.
As a senior, Small averaged 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Mountaineers. The 22-year-old made First-team All-Big 12, and it will be interesting to see how big of an impact he makes for a Grizzlies team that just traded away Desmond Bane.
While the Grizzlies haven’t had the kind of postseason success they’d have liked in recent years, they have done well when it comes to the draft. Both Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells made the All-Rookie First Team in 2025.
Wells, like Small, was only drafted in the second round, with the Grizzlies selecting him with the 39th pick. A year earlier, GG Jackson, the 45th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, had made the All-Rookie Second Team.
So, Small is certainly going to a team that has an eye for talent and knows how to develop young players. Joining him as rookies on the Grizzlies will be Cedric Coward and Jahmai Mashack. Coward was the 11th pick while Mashack was the last pick of the draft at 59.
