The NBA draft has turned into a two-night affair because there's just too much emotion to be contained in a single night. Anyone who watched the first round on Wednesday night is spent emotionally after watching athlete after athlete break down and give us the waterworks after their selection. And make no mistake about it, it's stuff like this that makes sports great. Seeing someone realize a lifelong dream against impossible odds is incredibly moving and if you can't cry on draft night then what's the point?
Even still, this year's parade of picks was even more emotional than usual with a lot of future NBA stars, role players and two-way options breaking out the tears.
"This was the most crying I've ever seen at the draft," Bilas told Scott Van Pelt on a late-night SportsCenter hit.
Jay Bilas: "This was the most crying I've ever seen at the draft" pic.twitter.com/XErxzilNNZ
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 26, 2025
Bilas also picked up on the trend the night.
"I don't say this a joke," he observed. "I don't remember a draft being this emotional. This is has been the most emotional first round. This is my 23rd draft, there's never been this many tears. Except when I needed to use the restroom midway through the second round."
Jay Bilas: "I don't remember a draft being this emotional. This has been the most emotional first round... this is my 23rd draft... there's never been this many tears. Except when I needed to use the restroom midway through the second round." #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/it2zUM0dMu
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 26, 2025
Again, there's more of this to come on Thursday night. Just because a player goes in the second round doesn't make it any less personally moving.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jay Bilas Confirms There Was a Lot of Crying On the NBA Draft's First Night.
