Florida Gators in the NBA on Opening Night

The Florida Gators are well represented at the start of the upcoming NBA season

The NBA is back, and there are plenty of Florida Gators alum to check in on as the season gets underway / Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

With the NBA tipping off tonight, it’s time to remind everyone what former Florida Gators are on opening night NBA rosters to begin the 2024-25 season. 

There are four former Gators who made NBA opening night rosters. Those four are Tre Mann, Al Horford, Bradley Beal and Dorian Finney-Smith. 

In addition to the players, the Gators also have two former coaches in charge as well. Former Gators legend Billy Donovan is the head coach of the Chicago Bulls and former assistant coach Mark Daigneault is the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

good luck to our guys! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/e4L9Sr9QzU

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) October 22, 2024

Tre Mann

Mann is currently playing for the Charlotte Hornets. The former guard spent two and a half seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Hornets last season. 

In his time with the Hornets, Mann played in 28 games and averaged 11.9 points per game, 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 31.0 minutes per game. 

This 28 game sample is probably the best run of his career since his rookie season in the Association. In his rookie year with the Thunder, Mann played in 60 games and averaged 10.4 points per game, 1.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds. 

Al Horford

Horford, in his time with the Gators, was a multi-NCAA Tournament winner. And now he finally adds an ever-so coveted NBA title to that as well after the Boston Celtics won the 2023-24 NBA Finals. Horford will be going into his 18th year in the NBA. He will also be going into his seventh year with the Celtics. 

However, those seven have split over two different periods. 

The big man began his career in Atlanta with the Hawks. There he spent nine years before moving up north to play for the Celtics for the next three years. Following his first stint in Boston, he then decided to join the Philadelphia 76ers for a year. After the 76ers, he packed his bags and headed to the midwest to play one season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Following these two year-long stays, he opted to rejoin the Celtics, where he has been for the last three years. 

Bradley Beal

Unlike Horford, Beal has yet to win any silverware in his 12 years in the NBA, but maybe year number 13 will be different. The former two-guard for the Gators is going into his second year with the Phoenix Suns, who will be looking to make some noise out West. 

And while Beal doesn’t have the hardware, he does at least boast a list of impressive individual accolades. He is a one-time All-NBA, All-Rookie team selection, four-time NBA Player of the Week, two-time NBA Rookie of the Month and three-time NBA All-Star. 

Dorian Finney-Smith

The final Gator on a guaranteed contract is Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith will be entering his ninth year in the league, but only his third with the Brooklyn Nets. 

The former Gator began his career in Dallas. There, he spent six and a half seasons with the Mavericks before being traded to the Nets during the 2022-23 season. In his time in the NBA, he has been a high-level defensive wing for both the Mavs and Nets. 

During last season’s campaign for the Nets, Finney-Smith averaged 8.5 points per game and 4.7 rebounds while also shooting 34.8 percent from behind the arc. 

Billy Donovan

Arguably the greatest Gators men’s basketball head coach, Donovan has coached in the NBA since 2015. 

In 2015, he signed as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder and had instant success upon joining the organization. As the head coach of the Thunder, his regular season record was 243-157. Moreover, he led them to the playoffs for five years in a row. However, he never managed to win an NBA title during this time. 

Following the 2019-20 season, Donovan was let go and was then hired by the Chicago Bulls to be their new head coach, a position he has held since 2020. Unfortunately, he hasn’t hit the same heights as he did with the Thunder.  

Mark Daigneault

Maybe the least recognizable name of the bunch, Daigneault is at the helm of one of the most talented and well-coached NBA teams there are in the league.  The former Gators assistant will be entering his fifth season as the Oklahoma City Thunder head coach. 

After moving on from Donovan, the Thunder decided to make Daigneault the fourth head coach in their organization's history. 

However, he wasn’t all that new to the Thunder. Before joining as their head coach, he was the head coach of the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. As the Blue’s head man, he led them to three consecutive Division Championships. 

Now, he enters his fifth with high expectations as the Thunder are one of the top teams in the NBA and are one of the favorites to make the NBA Finals.