It’s the moment every young basketball player dreams of. You’re sitting at a table on the floor of the Barclays Center, surrounded by your family, waiting for your name to be called. And when it finally happens, when the commissioner walks to the podium and announces that you are officially an NBA player, the emotion is overwhelming. For South Carolina star Collin Murray-Boyles, that dream became a reality on Wednesday night. But his reaction wasn’t what anyone expected. It was raw, it was uncensored, and it sent the internet into an absolute frenzy.
With the No. 9 overall pick, the Toronto Raptors selected Murray-Boyles, a versatile, tough-nosed forward who was a key piece of South Carolina’s surprising run. But as his name was announced, the camera caught him dropping a clear, emphatic F-bomb. It was a shocking, instantly viral moment that had fans and analysts scrambling. Was he disappointed? Was he angry? Did he not want to go to Toronto? The speculation was running wild.
Collin Murray-Boyles REALLY didn’t want to get drafted by the Raptors LMFAO
“F*CK”
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) June 26, 2025
Amidst the chaos, his girlfriend, fellow basketball player Chloe Kitts, was by his side, a picture of pure, unwavering support. As he stood up, shell-shocked, she was the first one to embrace him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. A few moments later, she was proudly wearing his new Toronto Raptors draft hat, a simple gesture that said everything.
But the most powerful confirmation of his true feelings came from Chloe Kitts. Later that night, she posted a simple, emotional tribute on her Instagram story: a picture of Collin signing autographs for fans, with just four teary-eyed emojis as the caption. It was a quiet, perfect ending to a chaotic, emotional, and unforgettable night.
The viral clip of his reaction had already taken on a life of its own, but it wasn’t until his post-draft press conference that Murray-Boyles himself finally got to set the record straight. “What I said was not a bad thing by any means,” he explained, a look of relief on his face. “Just disbelief… thankful. That was a surreal moment.”
So, the F-bomb wasn’t a sign of disappointment; it was the unfiltered sound of a lifelong dream coming true. “WTF! For sure. WTF all the way till my name got called,” he confessed, laughing. “Man, it was crazy. But Jeez, I almost shed a tear. I tried to keep my composure, but it’s surreal. I dreamed of this when I was a kid.”
The Raptors, for their part, tried to quell the social media firestorm with a post of their own, sharing a picture of a smiling Murray-Boyles with the caption, “See guys, he’s happy!!” And as it turns out, that raw emotion is exactly what the Raptors were looking for.
Collin Murray-Boyles fits perfectly into the Raptors’ gritty new identity
After missing the playoffs for three straight years, the Raptors are in the middle of a hard reset, a shift away from a full rebuild and toward a new, tougher, win-now identity. The first sign of this new era came when they traded for Brandon Ingram at the deadline, signaling a clear commitment to building around their young star, Scottie Barnes.
And now, drafting a player like Murray-Boyles, a guy who prides himself on his grit and versatility, is the clearest indication yet of the kind of team Masai Ujiri is trying to build. And if you ask him, he knows exactly what his role will be. In a pre-draft interview, he laid out his vision for how he would fit with a team like the Raptors. “They have a lot of good scorers, they have Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, the list goes on,” he said. “I feel like I can be somebody that can come in and be a handyman, do that dirty work.”
Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
That “dirty work” mentality is his calling card. In his final season at South Carolina, he was a defensive force. He’s a guy who models his game after players like Draymond Green and Aaron Gordon, versatile defenders who can guard multiple positions and impact the game without needing the ball in their hands. As he explained after being drafted, “Just my physical presence. That’s something I feel like pushed me ahead of a lot of defenders. Just my willingness to defend. That’s my number one thing.”
He’s ready to embrace the city, too. When asked what his first move would be upon arriving in Toronto, his answer was pure 2025. “Oh yeah, my passport in my bookbag… Post on my Instagram story, put a Drake song in there, and Imma @ him.” It’s a perfect encapsulation of his personality: a little bit of new-school swag mixed with an old-school, blue-collar work ethic.
And that’s exactly why the Raptors were so drawn to him. They aren’t just getting a talented player; they’re getting a guy who fits their new culture perfectly. The initial shock and the viral F-bomb might be what everyone is talking about right now, but for the Raptors and their fans, the real story is what comes next.
It’s the story of a young player, forged in the competitive fire of the SEC, ready to do whatever it takes to help his new team win. “Being with this organization means so much,” he said. “They’re a winning organization. I just wanna make everybody better around me. So, that’s what I’m gonna do.” It’s a simple promise, but for a franchise looking to claw its way back to the top, it’s everything.
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