Alabama's Mark Sears, Grant Nelson land NBA contracts after 2025 draft
Neither Mark Sears or Grant Nelson were selected in the 2025 NBA draft, but the two former Alabama Crimson Tide starters are nevertheless headed to the pros.
After the draft concluded Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Sears agreed to a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. Nelson also agreed to a two-way contract -- with the Brooklyn Nets.
Two years earlier, Brooklyn added another former Crimson Tide forward just out of college: Noah Clowney, whom the organization selected 21st overall in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.
Sears led Alabama in scoring in each of the past two seasons, averaging 18.6 points and 5.1 assists per game in 32.3 minutes a night for the Crimson Tide in 2024-25. He started every game for Alabama over the past three seasons and finished his career second on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,950 career points.
Nelson came to Alabama ahead of the 2023-24 season from North Dakota and helped carry the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four appearance in program history that year. Alabama knocked off No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 and Clemson in the Elite Eight of the West Region of the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles.
Nelson was Alabama's leading rebounder last season (7.6 per game) and trailed only Sears in points per game (11.5).
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