Apr 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) defends Indiana Pacers center Tony Bradley (13) in the third quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images David Richard-Imagn Images

Former Utah Jazz First Round Pick Will Have Chance to Win NBA Finals

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jun 1, 2025 11:21 AM ET

A former first-round pick of the Utah Jazz will have a shot to win this year's NBA Finals.

With the Indiana Pacers' Game 6 victory over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals to advance to the Finals on Saturday, Tony Bradley will be the one and only former member of the Jazz to have an opportunity at this year's title.

Bradley was the 28th-overall pick for the Jazz in the 2017 NBA Draft out of North Carolina, spending three years in Utah. Through his 70 games, he averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds on 63.4% shooting before eventually being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2020 offseason.

Then, Bradley bounced around a bit before landing in Indiana this season following a season of grinding in the G League ranks, and now, he's found his way to the top of the NBA mountain reaching this year's title game, even carving out a solid rotational role for the Pacers as a depth big behind Myles Turner, averaging nearly 10 minutes a night during their most recent series against Indiana.

Now, he and the rest of the Pacers' squad find themselves just four games away from capturing the Larry O'Brien trophy.

That'll certainly be much easier said than done, though, as the Pacers will have a major test ahead of them against the freight train that is the Oklahoma City Thunder, coming off of a dominant gentleman's sweep vs. Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Time will tell if Indiana can defy the odds, and with it, win a former Jazzman his first career championship in the process.

Game One of the NBA Finals will take place on June 5th in Oklahoma City, where the Pacers will try and catch fire on the road early once again.