Duke star Kyle Filipowski needed a moment after finding out he went undrafted in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, while his stunning fiancée comforted him backstage.
The 7-foot-1 forward was disappointed after not hearing his name read aloud on the first night of the draft, considering he had shown up at the Barclay Center expecting to be among the top 30 picks this year.
But luckily, his partner, Caitlin Hutchinson, was there to comfort him with a warm hug, wrapping both arms around the 20-year-old as he held her tightly against his chest.
Filipowski, who can also play center, didn’t need to wait too long to be selected as he was selected with the 32nd pick the next day by the Jazz.
He and Hutchinson will move to Utah just two months after getting engaged.
Duke star Kyle Filipowski needed a hug from his fiancée after his first-round draft snub.
The second-team All-American forward was projected to be a late first-round draft pick.
“Four months since the happiest yes I’ll ever say,” she wrote as a caption highlighting her engagement to the basketball prodigy on Instagram in April.
“Forever,” Filipowski shared in a similar post.
The All-American forward, originally from upstate New York, averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Blue Devils last season.
He became a solid defender over the last 12 months, averaging 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
LeBron James’ eldest son and 6-foot-2 guard Bronny, who played for USC last season, also was not selected in the first round.
Filipowski and Hutchinson will move to Utah after he was selected in the second round on Thursday.
The couple shared that they got engaged just two months before the 2024 NBA Draft in April.
“Four months since the happiest yes I will ever say,” Hutchinson wrote in her engagement post on Instagram.
He is anticipated to be chosen in the second round on Thursday, like Filipowski, as his father’s team, the LA Lakers, has the rights to the 26th overall pick.
Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes last season for the Trojans after missing the team’s first two games because of a congenital heart defect that was detected only after he went into cardiac arrest.
The second round of the 2024 NBA Draft will take place at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET and will air on the network.