PHOENIX (May 29, 2025) – Position Sports, in partnership with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, announced today that tickets for the 2025 Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas will go on sale this Friday, May 30, at 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET) at HOFSERIES.COM. The doubleheader is set for Monday, November 3, at T-Mobile Arena, bringing elite college basketball back to Las Vegas for the third consecutive year on the Opening Night of the season.

This year’s Las Vegas event features a marquee lineup headlined by defending men’s national champion Florida, who will take on Arizona in a blockbuster Opening Night showdown. The event’s second matchup will see BYU, led by consensus No. 1 incoming recruit A.J. Dybantsa and local favorite Xavion Staton, face off against Villanova. The Wildcats will return to T-Mobile Arena, where they wrapped up the 2024-25 season with a semifinal loss to UCF in the Crown.

Each ticket provides access to both games of the doubleheader. 

For more information on the Hall of Fame Series and to purchase tickets, visit HOFSERIES.COM.

About Position Sports

Position Sports, established in 2005, is a premium event production and brand marketing firm that specializes in event operations, activation development, media relations, and digital engagement. Over the years, Position Sports has worked with many of the world’s leading brands, including Nike, Jordan Brand, Red Bull, the Basketball Hall of Fame, ESPN Events, USA Basketball, Upper Deck, MLB, and T-Mobile in nearly every major U.S. city and on a global scale. Position Sports provides clients with the expanded strategic direction needed to succeed in the sports marketing arena, also known as Positioning. To learn more, visit positionsports.com or follow @positionsports on Twitter and Instagram.

About Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallU.

About T-Mobile Arena

T-Mobile Arena, the 20,000-seat venue located on the Las Vegas Strip between Park MGM and New York-New York, opened April 6, 2016. The arena hosts more than 100 events annually, including major headline entertainment, awards shows, UFC, boxing, basketball and other sporting events, family shows, and special events. T-Mobile Arena is also the home of the Vegas Golden Knights, a National Hockey League expansion team and the city’s first professional sports team, as well as UFC’s exclusive Las Vegas arena destination. The venue, named the No. 1 venue on Billboard Magazine‘s 2018 Arena Power List as well as the “Best New Major Concert Venue” by Pollstar Magazine in 2016, features 50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest experience second to none. Toshiba Plaza, an adjacent two-acre outdoor entertainment space, features performance stages, a variety of video screens, and other interactive content and display areas. Designed and built to prioritize environmental sustainability, T-Mobile Arena was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2016. T-Mobile Arena is a privately funded joint venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). For more information, visit T-MobileArena.com or follow on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Image Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

As the NBA Draft Withdrawal deadline ended on Wednesday, May 28, 11:59 pm, many of the 106 early entries pulled out to return to school. Several top prospects, who had a chance to be picked in the 20-45 range, took a U-turn on their decision to turn pro. Names including Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Milos Uzan from Houston, and Florida’s Alex Condon withdrew from the 2025 NBA Drafts. 

Apart from them, names including the likes of Tahaad Pettiford, Labaron Philon, Miles Byrd, PJ Haggerty, Karter Knox, Otega Oweh, Mackenzie Mgbako, and Nate Bittle pulled out from the drafts. A few days ago, Boogie Fland and Darrion Williams also did the same. Notably, as announced by the league, only 106 players entered the NBA 2025 Drafts as early entries. This is the worst record of early entrants since 2015, with the number dropping from the peak, 353, in 2021. 

The prime reason behind a constant rise in the players withdrawing from the draft to return to college is the skyrocketing NIL markets across college basketball. While collegiate stars entered the drafts as chasing an NBA two-way contract would allow them earn more money than going back to college.

However, after 2021, when the NCAA allowed athletes to earn from their NIL (name, image, and likeliness), the number of players returning has increased in huge numbers. It is because these deals allow them to earn as much as $3 to $4 million per year.

Impact of Players’ Withdrawal From NBA 2025 Draft

Teams such as the Florida Gators will have a positive impact as all four players who were a part of the rotation during last NCAA tournament return. While star forward Thomas Haugh decided to not enter for the draft, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu also ended up withdrawing from the draft in the last week. 

Not only this, but Micah Handlogten will also return for another season. Similarly, Houston Cougars will have Mios Uzan returning for his senior year, and would aim for a better season with the side. However, teams such as North Carolina lost Drake Powell, their most important potential returner, as he ended up staying in the drafts.

Moreover, teams such as Kansas Jayhawks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Georgetown Hoyas, Duke Blue Devils, and others would be negatively affected. These teams have their star players sticking to the decision of turning pro. Without those players, these teams would rely on youngsters, making it harder to win big games.

Florida landed one of the top available transfers this spring in Princeton guard Xaivian Lee. He is now cashing in on NIL and roster value deals.

Industry sources tell On3 that the combined total of his contract with Florida and his new brand partnership with Serious Player Only amounts to more than $6 million. Sources said the new, multi-year sneaker deal with Serious Player Only is the more lucrative of the two, and he will have the opportunity to launch a shoe when he goes to the NBA.

A two-time First Team All-Ivy League selection, Lee joins the reigning national champions after averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season for Princeton. The Serious Player Only deal makes Lee the first NCAA NIL athlete to sign a shoe deal with an international brand.

“Looking for a brand to partner with, I thought Serious Player Only has a really good vision on where they want to be,” Lee said in a SPO statement obtained by On3 about his sneaker deal. “A lot of their values align with mine. I’m really excited to see where the brand can go in the future and how I can be a part of that and help bolster it even more. I love seeing how Serious Player Only is growing across regions and building something unique globally as a young and upcoming brand, and I’m really excited to be part of that.”

Lee fills a major need for Florida in the backcourt with the departure of Walter Clayton Jr. The Princeton transfer has averaged 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in his collegiate career. Lee picked the Gators over Kansas and St. John’s.

The agreement includes a future signature shoe, immediate signature colorway releases, full creative freedom in collaborative product design, and a long-term strategy to amplify Xaivian’s influence across Asia and North America. Attorney Darren Heitner provided legal counsel on the deal.

“In the world of innovation, true partnership is where vision meets craftsmanship,” said Lee’s agent, George Langberg of GSL Sports Group, in a SPO press release. “Together, Xaivian Lee and SPO aren’t just creating sneakers; they’re defining the future of performance, style, and culture—one step at a time.”