Duke guard Isaiah Evans arrived at the NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York, adorned in custom jewelry valued at $4 million, only to not hear his name called in the first round of the event. Evans, projected as a potential top-20 selection, was invited to the green room and sat in the front row.
His ensemble included a brooch valued at $3 million and a wallet chain costing an additional $1 million. The brooch featured a 45-carat pigeon blood ruby at its center, surrounded by white diamonds. The wallet chain was reported to contain over 170 carats of diamonds. These pieces were created in collaboration with celebrity jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills.
"There's never been a brooch that's made at this level for any NBA draft history," Jason told the New York Post. "And then on top of that, we went with a wallet chain that has over 170 carats of diamonds."
Evans stated that he had worked with the jeweler for nearly a year on the custom pieces, which he felt represented him well. The jeweler described the vision as bringing a "Met Gala to the NBA draft" with a "royal vibe."
Despite the elaborate display, Evans was not selected by any team in the first round, which concluded with the Dallas Mavericks picking Arizona forward Koa Peat with the 30th overall selection. He will have to wait until the second round of the NBA Draft, scheduled to begin Wednesday night, to potentially hear his name called.