MORGANTOWN — The green suit was a tribute of sorts, because Javon Small’s mother, Jovanna Wright, just loves the color.
Then there was the reaction from Small’s grandfather, affectionately known as “Pop Pop,” as he buried his face into his hands before looking up, pumping his fists in celebration and pointing at his grandson.
“My boy,” he cried out. “That’s my boy right there.”
The moment almost instantly went viral.
“My family is just my world, man,” Small told ESPN on Thursday night in Brooklyn, N.Y., after being drafted into the NBA by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round. “To see my Pop Pop over there with me, he took me to every single tournament since I was a little kid, rarely missed any games. That’s who I do it for.”
Small, the 6-foot-1 point guard who was a one-year wrecking crew at WVU, was the 48th overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, which was exactly where ESPN’s final mock draft had predicted he would be selected.
“Small had a standout season in the Big 12, showcasing the burst to score in bunches and set up others on a roster that relied on him to do both,” wrote ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony. “Successfully managing that responsibility while still providing energy defensively, he possesses appeal for teams seeking guard depth. His ability to take another step as a shooter, finisher and decision-maker is a point of interest, as he is not quite big enough to rely solely on his defense.”
In his lone season with the Mountaineers — he also spent two years at East Carolina and one at Oklahoma State — Small put up one of the best individual seasons in program history.
He averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. For the first half of the Big 12 season, Small was likely the favorite to win the league’s player of the year.
Small was also the unfortunate load-bearing wall in a season that began with surprise but ended in disappointment.
His running mate was supposed to be the sharp-shooting Tucker DeVries, but DeVries’ season was cut short after eight games after a shoulder injury.
For the final 24 games, Small was the Mountaineers’ best chance to be competitive and everyone else knew that, too.
By the end, maybe the exhaustion from carrying the team had set in. In a season-ending loss to Colorado in the Big 12 tournament, Small scored 23 points, but 13 of those came in the opening minutes. He went nearly 14 minutes of the second half without even attempting a shot, as Colorado stormed from behind for the win.
That no longer mattered Thursday. Small’s dream of having the opportunity to play in the NBA had just been realized.
“(The Grizzlies) are getting a competitor, a hard worker and somebody who is going to bring positive energy every single day. They are just going to get a dog,” Small said.
What’s next for Small is he will likely sign a two-way contract, which will serve as his entryway to a pro career.
That type of deal ties Small to the Grizzlies, who in turn pay half of the minimum rookie salary — projected to be nearly $600,000 next season — but have the flexibility of keeping Small on the NBA roster or moving him to their G League affiliate Memphis Hustle.
Small would earn a higher salary than most G League players, but he could not play in more than 50 NBA games as a rookie and would not be eligible for the 2026 playoffs.
At the end of next season, Memphis would have the option of signing Small to a standard contract or Small could become a free agent.
It’s a different avenue to the NBA than WVU’s Jevon Carter and Deuce McBride faced in their NBA journey’s.
Like Small, Carter and McBride were both chosen in the second round, but both were signed to standard rookie deals.
“Small is undersized for a guard, but offers some all-around ability as a capable shooter and playmaker, who also adds value on defense,” wrote ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo. “Coming off a strong season at West Virginia, he’s an interesting sleeper addition for the Grizzlies, who found Rookie of the Year finalist Jaylen Wells in the second round in 2024.”
Small’s first official pro experience begins at 7 p.m. on July 5, when the Grizzlies’ summer league team faces Oklahoma City in the Salt Lake City Summer League.
Memphis is also scheduled to play Utah on July 7 and Philadelphia on July 8.
