Some of the best watch spotting these days comes courtesy of the NBA, where sinking threes seems only marginally more important than strapping on the sickest possible timepiece in the tunnel before the game. From GMT-Masters to Royal Oaks to all sorts of Richard Milles, professional basketball is awash in horological wonders on the wrists of both players and courtside fans alike.
That held true at last night’s 2024 NBA Draft, with a handful of top prospects showing out in Rolex sports watches, skeletonized Richard Milles, and black-on-black Hublot chronographs. There were also, however, plenty of sleeper hits in the mix—like a very fun, sub-$1,000 Tissot Powermatic PRX and an under-the-radar Ingenieur from IWC.
To help you enjoy the wide variety of timepieces on display (before all of these guys are making enough money to buy gaudy rainbow-bezel chronographs), we’ve assembled all the best watches from the 2024 NBA Draft.
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Alex Sarr’s IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40
Wizards pick Alex Sarr’s watch game appears to be as big as his seven-foot frame: At the draft, the Frenchman rocked a white-dial IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40, a time-and-date watch with Genta heritage and a big following among sports watch collectors.
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Reed Sheppard’s Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
20-year-old Reed Sheppard might be only 6’1”, but he led the NCAA last season in three-point shooting and is considered “the most lethal three-point shooting prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft ” by CBS Sports. Some genius Getty photographer nabbed a close-up of his Daytona this week, which features a beautiful meteorite dial.
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Donovan Clingan’s Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi”
Another great Rolex! UConn sophomore Donovan Clingan is headed to Portland with a GMT-Master II ref. 126710BLRO on his wrist. (He’s already a natural at pulling off the red-carpet watch pose.) A two-time NCAA national champion, the seven-foot-one defensive powerhouse picked a sure thing of a watch—and we approve.
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Rob Dillingam’s Richard Mille RM 67-01
Minnesota traded for 8th pick and ultra-creative shooter Rob Dillingham, who, at just 19 years old, must have a serious mentor in the watch game: He rocked a Richard Mille RM 67-01—and took the fit pic of the evening in it to boot. The RM 67-01, housed in a rose gold case, features an extra-flat, skeletonized movement and will set you back a cool quarter-million big ones.
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Matas Buzelis’s Tissot Powermatic PRX
Hinsdale, Illinois native Matas Buzelis—who’s set to join the Bulls—may have picked the night’s biggest sleeper watch in the form of the Tissot Powermatic PRX with a blue dial. At just $725, this vintage-inspired piece is an excellent entry point to the world of mechanical horology.
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Cody Williams’ Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Black Magic
Versatile small forward (and ranking secret handshake practitioner) Cody Williams cemented his ascension to the Jazz with a trusty Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Black Magic. Available in both large 42mm and positively gargantuan 45mm cases, it was actually difficult to tell which version Williams was wearing given his six-foot-eight frame.
