NBA draft: Riverside native Carter Bryant selected by Spurs, 14th overall
Carter Bryant’s journey always led here.
From crawling onto the court at Martin Luther King High as a toddler, while his dad trained some of the Southern California region’s brightest stars – names like Kawhi Leonard and Tony Snell – to working so hard his parents would take his shoes, only for him to keep going barefoot, he was always meant for this stage in Brooklyn, clad in a royal maroon suit.
A life of work led to this moment. On Wednesday night, the San Antonio Spurs selected the 19-year-old Riverside native with the 14th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Arizona.
Bryant now gets to realize the same NBA dreams he saw so many before him build. The lesson was instilled early: nothing worth having comes easy. It was taught by the future professionals he saw up close. Now, he’s set to bring that same edge to the Alamo City.
“I see myself being a guy that can bring energy, toughness, and physicality,” Bryant said after the draft. “Somebody that’s going to show up on a consistent basis and just work his ass off. That’s what I bring.”
Bryant had certainly caught the attention of the Spurs’ front office. Spurs general manager Brian Wright said he had him high on his draft board and that he was ready and willing to move up to take the wing out of Tucson if needed.
“I tried to make some moves to potentially (move up) and get him,” Wright said after the draft. “To get him at 14 was a pleasant surprise for us.”
Bryant’s basketball roots run deep in the region and beyond. His grandfather on his mother’s side, Mike “Doc” Torres, is a USA Deaf Basketball Hall of Famer. His father, D’Cean, a Long Beach State alum, played his AAU ball with and against names like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. D’Cean’s brother, Travon, was a 2000 McDonald’s All-American before heading to Missouri and later playing professionally in Europe. When Travon returned home, he started a coaching career, personally training players such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
That lineage fueled Carter’s rise. He spent the first three years of high school playing under his father at Fountain Valley and Sage Hill. His recruiting stock and national profile skyrocketed after his junior season at Sage Hill, where he averaged 22.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.9 blocked shots and 1.6 steals per game.
His stock continued to rise after transferring to powerhouse Corona Centennial for his senior season, where he was named a 2024 McDonald’s All-American. In 2024, Jared McCain became the first player in Centennial history selected in the first round of the NBA draft when the Philadelphia 76ers took him No. 16 overall out of Duke.
Now, after one college season at Arizona, where Bryant averaged 6.5 points per game off the bench for a Wildcats team that made the Big 12 Tournament championship game and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, Bryant is the second Centennial standout to hear his name called.
Listed at 6-foot-6½ without shoes and 214 pounds with a near 7-foot wingspan, Bryant projects – at least initially – as a prototypical “3-and-D” wing in the NBA. His size allows for defensive versatility and switching, and he shot 37% from 3-point range in college, which the Spurs hope translates to the NBA.
“(Bryant) is super versatile,” Wright said. “He’s a big wing that we think can guard four positions, he spaces the floor well, and he’s a really good athlete. We were excited that he was there, again a little surprised, but he adds a new dimension to this team going forward.”
Neither Bryant nor the Spurs are strangers to this blueprint, betting on a young forward who is considered a strong, versatile defender with raw offensive potential. In fact, Bryant patterned his game after one specific Spurs legend built in this mold, a player he got the rare opportunity to study up close during his formative years at Riverside King.
“Immediately, the first guy I think of (to model his game after) was Kawhi,” Bryant said. “Just his defensive versatility, being able to guard multiple positions early in his career, and as you saw his progression, he became one of the best players in the world.”
San Antonio is going through a transition. The franchise is heading into a new era with Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich stepping down after 29 years and five championships. Now, Mitch Johnson takes the reins of the storied franchise as its new head coach. At his disposal are the past two NBA Rookies of the Year Victor Wembanyama (2023-24), Stephon Castle (2024-25), former All-NBA guard De’Aaron Fox – acquired at midseason from Sacramento – and the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, Dylan Harper out of Rutgers.
Bryant is part of a new era for one of the league’s most successful franchises.
“There’s so much room for growth for this team,” Bryant said. “You’re going to look up (in a few years), and we can definitely be one of those dynasties that you look back on and be like, ‘Man, this was a hell of a team.’”
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