2 former Florida Gators make ESPN's top 100 NBA players
With the NBA regular season set to begin this week, ESPN released its list of the top 100 players for the 2024-25 season and two Gators made the cut — Bradley Beal and Al Holford. Here’s what ESPN said about each:
70. Bradley Beal, G, Phoenix Suns
It was quite the precipitous fall for Beal as he had 51/43/81 shooting splits in his first season with the Suns, but he missed 29 games, prohibiting Phoenix from really finding an identity. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Beal has now missed 130 games because of injury — which is more than Anthony Davis (120) and in the neighborhood of Kawhi Leonard (161) — without taking the hit to his reputation the way those two did. This plummet in the rankings is directly tied to his recent unreliability. If he can stay on the court and help the Suns realize their potential, he, too, will rise again. — Dave McMenamin
96. Al Holford, C, Boston Celtics
That Horford, a beloved figure in Boston’s locker room, got back on this list in his age-38 season is a testament to his relentless work ethic as well as the continuing versatility that he brings to the champs. Expect the Celtics to continue to heavily manage and monitor his minutes. But, especially with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined to begin the season, Horford will once again be a critical part of the Celtics’ title hopes, even at this advanced stage of his career. — Tim Bontemps
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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was No. 1 on the list.
Both Beal and Horford are league veterans.
Beal, 31, played for the Gators just one season, in 2011-12, and was the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft after averaging 14.8 points a game for Florida. He’s a three-time All-Star with a career scoring average of 21.9 points.
Horford, 38, is an all-time Gators legend after leading Florida to back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. He was the No. 3 pick in the draft and is a five-time NBA All-Star. Horford won his first NBA championship last season.
