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Rutgers freshmen picked No. 2 and No. 5 in first round of 2025 NBA Draft

Freshman Dylan Harper was picked No. 2 by the San Antonio Spurs and freshman Ace Baily was picked No. 5 by the Utah Jazz.

Matt Trapani

Jun 26, 2025, 1:19 AM

Updated 10 hr ago

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History repeated itself at Rutgers University on Wednesday evening.
In all its basketball history, Rutgers had a player go in the Top 10 of the NBA draft only once before. James Bailey was drafted sixth overall in 1979.
And now, more than 45 years later, it has happened again - twice.
Freshman Dylan Harper was picked No. 2 by the San Antonio Spurs and freshman Ace Baily was picked No. 5 by the Utah Jazz.
Harper is a Franklin Lakes native who played high school ball at Don Bosco Prep.
Dylan Harper poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected second by the San Antonio Spurs In the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
No. 2 is the highest a Rutgers player has ever been drafted.
According to the Associated Press’s scouting report, Harper is a lefty who thrived as a scorer and lead ballhandler with two-way potential. He notably scored 36 points against Notre Dame, then 37 a day later against then-No. 9 Alabama in November.
He is the son of former NBA guard Ron Harper. He turned 19 this past March.
Ace Bailey poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected fifth by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Ace Bailey is a Tennessee native who attended high school in Powder Springs, Georgia.
According to the Associated Press scouting report, Bailey is a versatile, athletic shotmaker, with midrange and stepback skills. The 18-year-old turns 19 in August.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.