After declaring for the NBA Draft following the conclusion of his sophomore season at South Carolina, Collin Murray-Boyles was ranked among the top players in this year’s NBA Draft class. At 6’7″ and 240+ pounds, the power forward has all of the physical tools to be a presence in the league, especially on the defensive side of the ball. So it came as little surprise when he was drafted with the 9th pick of the 1st round by the Toronto Raptors.
However, if one didn’t know better, one could totally be led to believe that Murray-Boyles wasn’t all too thrilled with his destination in the NBA Draft as cameras caught him mouthing a very particular word.
Collin Murray-Boyles Appeared To Be Disappointed With His New NBA Team
After the pick was locked in and it was announced that Collin Murray-Boyles would be going to the Toronto Raptors, the camera immediately focused on Murray-Boyles, who was in attendance. Capturing a young player being drafted is almost always an emotional moment and something networks will obviously want to milk for the audience. But things seemed a bit off with Murray-Boyles’ initial reaction.
Almost immediately after the pick was announced, the former South Carolina power forward could be seen standing up, adjusting his suit jacket, and mouthing one word. I can’t tell you exactly what was said, but it doesn’t take an expert lipreader to know.
Here’s the video.
Immediately, people started (jokingly) theorizing why Murray-Boyles would be disappointed with being picked by the Raptors. Some comments suggested the weather, others suggested the taxes, and others simply listed needing to live in Canada as a reason.
In all honesty, though, people react to life-changing moments differently. Some cry, others yell in excitement, and others simply don’t have the words to describe the moment and resort to one-word statements. Murray-Boyles himself clarified this to the press later. “Just disbelief,” Murray-Boyles said of the viral moment (via CBS Sports). “What I said was not a bad thing by any means. Thankful.”
And, to the team’s credit, the Raptors had fun with the whole situation, posting a picture later of a jubilated Murray-Boyles with a caption that read: “See guys, he’s happy!”
See guys, he’s happy!!
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 26, 2025pic.twitter.com/CDwAmxLZQr
Honestly, I’m not surprised that Murray-Boyles is happy. Because even if the Raptors have fallen on hard times in recent years and remain one of the Eastern Conference backmarkers, the rookie power forward is projected to sign a 4-year, $29 million rookie contract if Spotrac is to be believed. For a young man, that is certainly life-changing.
