Walter Clayton Jr. has always been a late bloomer — in basketball, at least. As Clayton has grown into an all-time March Madness hero during the 2025 NCAA tournament, a central part of his lore is that Florida offered him a football scholarship years before he signed with the school out of the transfer portal in basketball.

While his "clutch gene" has been critical to Florida's run, more relevant for NBA purposes is that his ability to shoot off the catch with deep range gives him extreme gravity, while his ability to shoot off the dribble prevents defenders from ever going under ball-screens and thus enhances his playmaking ability.

When Walter Clayton Jr. decided to withdraw from the NBA draft last year, he posted his announcement with a simple message on Instagram: "1 more." In 2023-24, his first season with the Florida Gators,

Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. drives hard to the paint and gets the hoop and the harm vs. Houston.

Clayton has spent March one-upping himself, making so many big shots his teammates (but not Carmelo Anthony) are at a loss for words.

And, thanks to a big finish from star Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators are national champions. Clayton helped lead Florida to a huge comeback to stun Houston and grab a 65-63 win in the national championship game in San Antonio,