Georgetown Athletics
Sorber burst onto the scene this season, earning conference and national acclaim, including a unanimous selection to the Big East all-freshman team.
The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder selected forward Thomas Sorber, who dominated as a first-year on the Georgetown University men’s basketball team, with the 15th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Sorber is the first Georgetown player to be drafted since Otto Porter Jr. in 2013. He will join Jeff Green (CAS ’12) and Mac McClung as the only former Georgetown players in the NBA.
Sorber, a four-star recruit from Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia, made an immediate impression upon joining the Hoyas. Opening his college career with a 20-point double-double against Lehigh University, he immediately fit in as a dynamic low-block presence on both ends of the court.
He averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. He won Big East freshman of the week seven times.
However, Sorber’s season was cut short when he injured his foot in a Feb. 15 game against Butler University. Georgetown’s performance declined substantially after the loss of Sorber. Despite the injury, Big East coaches still voted Sorber onto the Big East’s all-freshman team and the third all-conference team.
Throughout and after this season, Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley was effusive in his praise of Sorber. Cooley was a guest of Sorber at the NBA Draft.
Cooley, in his final postgame conference of the season, said Sorber should have won the Big East freshman of the year award, which went to the University of Connecticut’s Liam McNeeley.
“Really disappointed that the right thing wasn’t done for a kid who more than earned it,” Cooley said. “Shame on our coaches for not recognizing it.”
Given his exceptional performance this season, Sorber shot up NBA draft boards and earned the opportunity to go one-and-done, but concerns about his health made it unclear if he would do so.
Sorber, in a statement released on social media March 27, announced he would declare for the draft but retain his eligibility and consider a return to the Hoyas, writing, “Everyone that knows me knows it has always been my dream to play in the NBA.”
At the time, he told The Hoya that he was truly undecided on whether to return but wanted to go to a team that would utilize him well.
“I want to be on the team that can fit me perfectly,” Sorber said. “And I wouldn’t say the number of the draft really matters.”
He added, “I love Georgetown. That’s why it’s a hard decision for me to fully just go.”
Sorber was not able to participate fully in the NBA Draft Combine while he continued to recover from surgery, but his wingspan — clocking in at 7 feet 6 inches — wowed scouts. The NCAA’s May 28 deadline to withdraw passed, and Sorber remained in the draft.
The Thunder, fresh off an NBA victory parade, add Sorber to a talent-laden roster built around reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, where he will instantly become one of the team’s leading defenders and pair with forwards Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
However, Sorber may struggle to immediately break into the rotation, as the Thunder will retain every player from this season’s championship roster. He may have to begin his career in the G League, the NBA’s minor league, but is set to replace Hartenstein, who is due for a large payday after his current contract expires in two seasons.
Sorber said he was excited for the chance to play for Oklahoma City.
“This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” Sorber said. “You grow up hoping for this moment and wanting it so bad, and to get picked by Oklahoma City after they were so great to me ahead of the draft is really cool. Everything from this past year has been amazing. This is truly the dream.”