2025 NBA Draft: Jeremiah Fears selected No. 7 overall in Round 1
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Jeremiah Fears made the most of his 1 season at Oklahoma, and on Wednesday night at the NBA Draft the New Orleans Pelicans rewarded Fears by making him the No. 7 of the 1st round.
Fears made the SEC All-Freshman Team this past season, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals for the Sooners. The 6-4 guard helped Oklahoma make the NCAA Tournament in its 1st season in the SEC. The 9th-seeded Sooners lost to 2-time defending national champion UConn in the 1st round, but it was still a successful season for Oklahoma and a very successful campaign for Fears.
That success came to fruition on Wednesday night, when Fears became a 1st-round pick in the NBA Draft. He’ll begin his pro journey this fall just after turning 19 on Oct. 14.
Fears started his high school career in Joliet, Ill., before transferring to Arizona Compass Prep in Chandler, Ariz., for his junior year.
He was the youngest American-born prospect in this draft cycle behind only No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. Like Flagg, Fears reclassified to forego his senior year of high school to head to college instead. For Flagg, that college was Duke. For Fears, it was Oklahoma, and after 1 banner season in Norman he decided to take his talents to the NBA.
On Wednesday night, that NBA dream came true.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
