The Washington Wizards have selected Will Riley with the No. 21 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Riley was named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2025. He set the Illinois freshman record for points in a debut with 31 against Eastern Illinois and later broke the program’s freshman NCAA tournament scoring mark with 22 in a Round 1 win over Xavier.

The Jazz used their pick on Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, a prospect the Wizards liked and were frequently tied to in the pre-draft process, yanking him off the board right just before Washington went on the clock.

On a night when most projections saw Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis solidly in the lottery and teammate Will Riley as a late first-rounder with the potential to fall, it was Jakucionis who slipped and Riley who basically held form,