Collin Murray-Boyles became the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft when the Toronto Raptors selected him on Wednesday night, adding another defensive-minded forward to their roster. With cameras panning to the newly minted professional’s table in the green room, his reaction to the selection was captured live.
Some observers were surprised to see that Murray-Boyles did not appear to be overly jubilant, an emotion players in all sports usually express on draft night.
That shake of the head and “F-bomb” immediately went viral on social media with many wondering whether Murray-Boyles was less than thrilled to be moving to Canada.
Given all draft picks go through rounds of media after leaving the stage, fans did not need to wait long to learn the meaning of the South Carolina product’s reaction.
Murray-Boyles made clear that wasn’t an angry “F-bomb” but rather one of relief and disbelief that he had finally become an NBA player.
“Just disbelief,” Murray-Boyles said. “What I said was not a bad thing by any means. Thankful.”
The Raptors social media team helped the young man avoid any backlash from their fans, snapping a pic of Murray-Boyles with a big grin on his face at his podium.
There are certainly players who have issues with where they are selected in drafts. That’s the nature o the beast. This appeared to be a clear situation where the stress of the moment left Murray-Boyles as soon as he heard his name called.
In a draft where the middle of the first round was all over the place in terms of projections, that meant added stress for those players wondering whether they might fall. Once NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Murray-Boyles’ selection, the big man could finally exhale with joy soon overtaking relief as the dominant feeling.
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