CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Hornets prioritized defense with its two second-round picks, drafting forward Sion James and center Ryan Kalkbrenner with back-to-back selections in the 2025 NBA Draft.
James was taken at No. 33 overall followed by Kalkbrenner one pick later.
James, 22, began his college career at Tulane (2020-24) before transferring to Duke for one season. There, he played a complementary role to Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, who the Hornets selected in the first round. With Duke, James made the ACC All-Defensive team and finished fourth on the team with 8.6 points per game.
Kalkbrenner, meanwhile, was a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. The 23-year-old center was a four-year starter at Creighton and averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game last season.
The Hornets selected Kalkbrenner one day after trading center Mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns. In return, Charlotte received two first-round picks, one of which was used to draft forward Liam McNeeley at No. 29 overall on Wednesday night.
Reports suggested that the Hornets intended on trading one of the two picks but they decided to stand pat and take James and Kalkbrenner.
