Drake Powell is league-bound.

The former Tar Heel standout, who spent his lone college season with UNC, was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 22 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft Wednesday night. However, due to a three-team trade between the Hawks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, Powell will be headed to Brooklyn.

“The Carolina Basketball family is so happy and thrilled for Drake and his family,” said head coach Hubert Davis. “Drake was a dream to coach, and this is just the start of a long and successful NBA career. The Brooklyn Nets are getting an elite player, who makes winning plays consistently on both ends of the floor, in addition to being a wonderful young man.”

Powell, a former five-star recruit from Pittsboro’s Northwood High School, elected to stay home and play for UNC – his parents’ alma mater – in college. Though the 2024-25 season as a whole for the Tar Heels was up and down, Powell provided a boost with his defensive capabilities and outstanding athleticism. The six-foot-six wing also showed flashes of his offensive game as the season progressed, finishing as the team’s second-best three-point shooter. His 37.9 three-point percentage ranked second on the team, behind only Ian Jackson.

This marks the second straight summer in which a Tar Heel has been selected in the draft, after Harrison Ingram was selected in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs in 2024. Powell is the 121st Tar Heel to be selected, which ranks UNC third among all schools for all-time NBA Draft picks. Only Kentucky and UCLA have more.

Powell is also the 55th first-round pick to come from UNC. Only Kentucky and Duke account for more.

With Brooklyn, Powell will potentially join two other former Tar Heels. Cameron Johnson is currently with the team, while Day’Ron Sharpe is entering restricted free agency after spending the first four years of his career with the Nets.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC's Caleb Wilson Selected by Chicago Bulls with No. 4 Overall Pick in 2026 NBA Draft
Caleb Wilson is headed to the Windy City. The Chicago Bulls selected the star UNC freshman forward with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round of Tuesday’s NBA Draft. Wilson is the highest-picked Tar Heel in the NBA Draft since Marvin Williams went No. 2 overall to the Atlanta Hawks in 2005. Carolina […]
Matt Able Withdraws From NBA Draft, Will Play for UNC Men's Basketball Next Season
Matt Able, who committed to UNC out of the transfer portal in April after playing his freshman season at NC State but also went through the NBA Draft Combine process, withdrew his name from the draft Monday. Able has already signed with the Tar Heels, meaning he is locked in to playing for the program […]
UNC's Caleb Wilson Declares for 2026 NBA Draft
UNC star freshman Caleb Wilson will forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2026 NBA Draft, he announced on social media Friday night. Wilson’s announcement comes less than a week after the university dismissed Hubert Davis as the head coach of the men’s basketball program. View this post on Instagram Wilson finished his freshman […]
Chansky's Notebook: Tweener No More
When Harrison Ingram transferred to UNC, it was almost a sure bet he would stay two seasons in Chapel Hill.
Brady Manek Signs With Charlotte Hornets
Brady Manek is league-bound, and he won’t have to travel very far. The UNC men’s basketball star and fan favorite signed with the Charlotte Hornets Friday afternoon, and will play with the team in the NBA’s annual Summer League. @BradyManek is heading to Charlotte for this year's Summer League 🔥 Congratulations to Brady Manek and […]
Former Tar Heel Garrison Brooks Signs Contract With New York Knicks
Garrison Brooks is headed to the Big Apple. The former Tar Heel big man, who spent last year playing at Mississippi State, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the New York Knicks Friday. BREAKING NEWS: Former UNC basketball standout Garrison Brooks has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the New York Knicks.https://t.co/jPIhfFNcuF — Keeping It […]
Holding Court: Building A Champion in the 21st Century
How Many Future NBA Players Does It Take To Build An NCAA Champion In Modern Era? By David Glenn   (Part Five of a Six-Part NCAA/NBA Draft Series leading up to the June 23 NBA Draft, following Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four) When one or two Kansas players (senior guard Ochai […]
Chansky's Notebook: Deadline Dilemma
Is Hubert Davis willing to play the waiting game? One week remains before the deadline for players who have declared for the NBA Draft to pull themselves out and return to college. And some of them are also in the transfer portal and can pick a second school to play for next season. It’s pretty […]
Here's the Summer Timeline for Potential NBA Draft Eligibility
This summer will see plenty of roster turnover across the college basketball landscape, as players choose to either stay in school, enter the transfer portal or enter their name into the annual NBA Draft. Only one UNC starter, graduate forward Brady Manek, has completely exhausted his collegiate eligibility. Leaky Black, Armando Bacot, Caleb Love and […]
UNC Men's Basketball to Host Arkansas, Women to Host LSU in 2026 ACC-SEC Challenge
The matchups have been set for both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball programs in the upcoming ACC-SEC Challenge: the men will host Arkansas on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the Smith Center, while the women will host LSU on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Carmichael Arena. ACC/SEC challenge is set 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/AWzBSN1Cbv — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]
›