Danny Wolf was on the podium after getting selected 27th by the Brooklyn Nets at the 2025 NBA Draft. The 7-foot playmaker discussed his journey to this point, his night in the green room and his thoughts on the fit in Brooklyn.
Q. Did you text Ben (Saraf)?
DANNY WOLF: No, I don’t even have my phone on me right now. I think he’s probably sound asleep right now.
It’s an unbelievable opportunity and I could not be more excited to be in Brooklyn.
Q. I’m wondering just general perceptions on being in Brooklyn as a city first and then also what you know about the organization.
DANNY WOLF: Yeah, first impression is it’s a dream come true to be here. Brooklyn is an unbelievable place. It’s one of the best cities in the world. Great front office, great coaching staff. I really like the direction of where we’re going I can say now.
But yeah, I’m just super excited to get to work. It’s an unbelievable opportunity and just excited to be in Brooklyn and call this home.
Q. We saw a big display of emotion from you, your family. Is it a mixture of you get a green room invite but there’s the pressure of you don’t know when you’ll be drafted? Is it achieving the lifelong dream of finally making the NBA? Can you talk about the emotion that goes into draft night?
DANNY WOLF: It’s really hard to put into words. It’s such a unique, special opportunity, experience. In terms of being in the green room, I didn’t exactly know how long I would have been sitting there for. If you asked me before, I wouldn’t have said this long. But it’s what happened, and it’s out of my control. I ended up in an unbelievable place, and it’s an unbelievable opportunity. Just going to use that as a chip on my shoulder, as a motivating factor.
I don’t think where you’re drafted defines you. It’s just the start of getting into the league. It’s kind of been my basketball journey thus far, is just kind of having to go step by step. Was underrecruited out of high school, unranked, so to speak. Yale took a chance on me; didn’t play much. Was there for two years. Went to Michigan and I still don’t think people believed in me. Now I’m here and just have so much to prove and super excited to get to work. But just going to use that as a chip on my shoulder.
Q. Your mom slipped in there that this is what you wanted. As you were doing the interview, she was like, He wanted to go to New York. Was there anything specific about your interactions with the Nets and this franchise where it’s going that made you want to be a part of this?
DANNY WOLF: Yeah, I had a great visit here. Sean Marks, B.J. (Johnson), the front office is great. They really know what they want. Then Coach Jordi (Fernandez) is awesome, as well. I kind of got a glimpse of that. And I think there’s no better place to live, to play basketball, to work than New York and Brooklyn.
It’s really a dream come true to play basketball here. It’s surreal. Just can’t wait to finally get started.
Q. You said that Brooklyn knows what they want. Looking at their draft, it’s clear they drafted a lot of guys who move the ball. Can you talk about your conversations with them and how they see your kind of passing and basketball IQ translating into what they want to do going forward?
DANNY WOLF: Yeah, they took Egor, Nolan Traore Drake Powell, who I had been with in L.A., then Ben Saraf. I think it’s very high-IQ individuals who are super smart and savvy with the ball. Just know how to play the game the right way and high-character individuals. I’m excited to see how it all comes together. But I hope I speak for the collective group that we’re all excited to get to work and kind of grow our footing together. Five rookies, you don’t see it that often. It’s not that normal, so to speak, to have five first-round draft picks.
Just an unbelievable opportunity to be able to grow with those guys, to be able to learn with them, to experience with them. It’s an exciting time.
Q. Can you take us into your head a bit after that first season at Yale? Some people doubted you. You didn’t play much. What did it take for you to persevere through that?
DANNY WOLF: Obviously I didn’t play much my freshman year. Used that as an opportunity to grow and develop. Coach (James) Jones and his staff believed in me and used that for my sophomore year. Just put my head down and worked. That’s how I got to where I am now. That’s all I know, is to work hard.
Who I am now is nowhere near where I’m going to be at the end of my rookie season. I know that I’ll be able to say that after each season. I have high belief in myself and confidence. I know what I can become. I’m just going to work hard to do that and attain that and be the best I can be.
Q. You’re a very unique player in terms of skill set. What you can do at your size as a passer, ball handler, things like that? Are there any players, current or former, who you look at as similar or a model of how you could grow in the NBA?
DANNY WOLF: Yeah, I think you look at all the European bigs who I try to take bits and pieces from their games. Look at Jokic, Sengun, Sabonis, Lauri Markkanen, Franz Wagner, a Michigan guy. All these guys who are just so skilled, savvy. Try to take bits and pieces off all their games and what they do and try to just emulate some of those things.
Q. You brought up your time at Michigan and especially with the way the ball was in your hands and how you were deployed on the floor. In your conversations with Brooklyn, was there any talk about any specific role you’re supposed to play or was it just more like open minded, see how you perform and then they go from there?
DANNY WOLF: Yeah, I think it’s open minded. You have to earn whatever role you get, whether that’s ball dominant, whether that’s an off-ball guy. It’s up to you to determine what that is, just how you perform and practice. You have to earn the coaches’ trust and belief and confidence in you. I know that’s what I’m going to do from day one.
Yeah, just going to try to earn that as best I can because I know what I can do, whatever that might look like. I’m going to mold to the role, best of my ability. But within that, just kind of keep working until I get what I want.
Q. You brought up a couple players, Jokic and Sabonis. Jordi Fernandez coached both of those players in his stops in Denver and Sacramento. Was that something that came up in his conversations with you, about how he could potentially envision his skill set fitting in with you?
DANNY WOLF: Yeah, I think Coach Jordi is an unbelievable coach. I was sitting next to Coach May and my agents at our table and just going through iterations of what’s going to happen and how it’s going to play out. Brooklyn popped up and they all raved about him, as they did in the process. I watched a good amount of Brooklyn games this year, and he’s an exciting coach. He’s super smart. He’s coached two of the best bigs in the world right now.
I know that I’m just going to try to learn as much as I can from him and try and develop in his system.
Q. You talked about being excited to play in such a young team. How do you think you’re going to stand out with so many rookies on the team?
DANNY WOLF: I mean, it’s a blessing. You have four other guys you get to share a locker room with that are your class, and you get to learn with and develop with and grow with. Within that, it’s up to you to kind of just be yourself. Do what you do and let the main thing be the main thing. I know that’s been said.
But I know how I play. I know my strengths. I know my weaknesses. I know what I’m going to work at, and it’s up to me to do that. That’s why they selected me. That’s why they put their belief and trust in me and invested in me. It’s up to me to do with that as I want, and I want great things.
Q. Ben Saraf is obviously Israeli. You spent some time playing in Israel. Do you have any prior connection or know each other through that?
DANNY WOLF: Yeah, it’s crazy. It still hasn’t really hit me yet. But I was supposed to play on the U-20 team with him when I played in 2023, and then ultimately he decided to play on the U-18 team. But I really got to spend some time with him there.
We’ll communicate here and there over social media. From what I’ve heard, he’s an unbelievable kid. Just watching him, he makes the game look so easy, effortless. It’ll be really exciting and fun and a great opportunity to be with him and grow with him.
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