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Walter Clayton Jr. Classily Consoled Houston Player After Final Moment of Title Game

Karl Rasmussen

Walter Clayton Jr. consoles Emmanuel Sharp after the national title game.
Walter Clayton Jr. consoles Emmanuel Sharp after the national title game. / Screenshot via Jeff Goodman on X
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The Florida Gators are national champions once again.

Walter Clayton Jr. was the guiding force for Florida all season long, and despite not having his best game in the national title game against Houston, he stepped up in the second half and hit some big shots.

After the Cougars final possession went awry, Clayton delayed celebrating with his teammates in order to walk over and console Houston's Emmanuel Sharp in what was a truly classy gesture from the star senior.

Sharp had attempted to take what would've been the game-winning shot, but with a hand in his face, he opted to put the ball on the floor after leaving his feet. As such, he wasn't able to touch the ball, resulting in a hectic and unfortunate final possession for Houston. Sharp was in despair after the final whistle sounded, and Clayton, rather than immediately go and celebrate with his teammates, walked over to offer some words of consolation to his opponent.

After a zero-point first half, Clayton ended the night with 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds, as well as a national championship.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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