Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Jeremiah Fears celebrates with family after being selected as the seventh pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Trae Young Sends Heartfelt Message to Jeremiah Fears After 2025 NBA Draft

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Liam Willerup | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 12:44 PM ET

The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft has concluded, with plenty of surprises and trades happening during the first night of the draft. As expected, the Dallas Mavericks kicked it off by landing Cooper Flagg first overall, followed by Dylan Harper landing with the San Antonio Spurs. As for the New Orleans Pelicans, they landed two lottery talents as they look to retool their roster.

With the seventh overall pick, the Pelicans landed Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, and traded up to 13th overall to land Maryland big Derik Queen. Fears was mocked as high as fifth overall, but the Pelicans were able to land him and hope he's their franchise point guard. As the celebration went on for Fears, a fellow Oklahoma point guard sent him a heartfelt message.

Trae Young via Instagram

"More than happy for this kid man!!" Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young shared in a post to his Instagram story. "At the end of the day...ALWAYS BET ON YOURSELF!" Young also added about their connection with Oklahoma, sharing, "@ou_mbball gonna stick together! This the future!"

While Fears was exceptional for the Sooners this past season, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, it wasn't quite at the level Young was during his one season in Norman. Young led the nation in both points and assists per game, one of the best seasons by a true freshman in recent history.

Jeremiah Fears is the 4th Oklahoma player to be selected in the top 10 in the last 20 years @OU_MBBall pic.twitter.com/arnENROyI1
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) June 26, 2025

Since then, Young has established himself as one of the premier playmakers in the NBA, and the Pelicans will be hoping that Fears can resemble that as he develops. Additionally, Fears is also the first Oklahoma player to be drafted since Young in 2018, a big moment for the program that produced three Top 10 picks from 2009 to 2018.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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