Florida’s Alex Condon declares for 2025 NBA Draft, will retain NCAA eligibility

nba blue stand podium with microphone stand standing in the middle of basketball court in city park metro manila
nba blue stand podium with microphone stand standing in the middle of basketball court in city park metro manila

Florida Gators sophomore Alex Condon announced Wednesday on Instagram he is entering his name into the 2025 NBA Draft, but will maintain his collegiate eligibility.

Coming fresh off Florida’s national championship, Condon told ESPN on Wednesday:  “This season was unreal. Our team had so much depth, and everyone bought into playing unselfishly. Different guys stepped up when it mattered. That’s what made us champions.”

Condon logged 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals in the Gators’ comeback win over Houston in the national title game, sealing the 65-63 win by diving on a loose ball in the final seconds.  He recalled: “That play was chaos. Walt [Clayton Jr.] shut down [Emanuel] Sharp’s shot attempt, then it was just instincts. I saw a Houston player going for it, dove, and got the ball back to Walt. That was it.”

Hailing from Perth, Australia, the 6-foot-11 forward, who averaged 7.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a freshman, is not a projected first-round pick.  He averaged 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per game over the 37 appearances last season for the Gators. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in the 2025 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, helping the Gators win a national title.

Condon didn’t begin playing organized basketball seriously until age 16, previously focusing on sports like cricket, water polo, and especially Australian Rules Football.  He said:  “My parents signed me up for everything. Football built my toughness. I didn’t arrive at Florida with huge expectations—just wanted to work hard and prove myself. Coach [Todd] Golden gave me a shot as a freshman, which laid the foundation for this season.”

The NBA Draft Combine is set to take place in Chicago from May 11–18. Condon has until May 28 to decide whether he’ll stay in the draft or return to school. If he does withdraw, he’s made it clear he’ll be back in Gainesville. He shared: “I wouldn’t go anywhere else. If NBA teams give me a firm commitment that I’m going in the 15–30 range, I’ll think seriously about staying in. But it would have to be a really special opportunity—one my family and I feel we can’t pass up.”

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