Recapping the TBL Combine and Introducing Our Draft Pick!

Happy Monday! The NBA as we know it exploded over the weekend, but at least you can find some consistency in the good old TBL!

The Firebirds had a super impactful weekend too, although not due to trades: The Basketball League combine took place over the last few days, and is concluding today. Below, I’ll go into detail about the weekend, and what it means for the Firebirds.

TBL Combine and Draft

The TBL combine and draft took place over the past three days, as every TBL team converged on Indianapolis to prepare for the 2025 season. In Indy, 118 players showed out on Saturday and 125 on Sunday to compete for the chance to be drafted by a TBL team. There was a lot of talent on display, and the draft featured 34 first-round picks and 34 second-round picks (two for each team). “The atmosphere is incredible,” said Firebirds team market owner Wade Harris. “There are a lot of kids out there putting it all on the line to be seen.”

The weekend featured a meet and greet on Friday, lots of team meetings, teams meeting with players, and evaluating talent. The first round of the TBL draft took place on Sunday, and the second round commences today.

The TBL determines the teams' drafting order by spinning an electronic wheel with everyone’s name. While teams are free to make trades and deal as they please afterward, the Firebirds again struck gold. The team landed the 3rd overall pick in the draft, meaning they had their choice of just about anyone at the combine. They selected…

Introducing our 3rd Overall Pick: Mario Williams!

With the 3rd overall pick of the 2025 TBL Draft, the Firebirds selected Mario Williams! Williams is a 6’7” combo guard, and a player that Firebirds management was quite familiar with. He played for Tallahassee’s TBL team a few years ago, but the franchise went under, and he had moved on. He came to the combine this year, and our GM Chris Lightner recognized him immediately. Without hesitation, the Firebirds drafted him with the 3rd overall pick.

Williams is a great defender and scores the ball at all three levels. He’s extremely versatile, and with his height, he can play several positions. While it’s likely he’ll slide into the small forward slot alongside Dreko Palmer and Daequon Antoine, he can also run the point when needed as well.

We’re super excited to see how Williams will impact the Firebirds this season!

Who We Brought to the Combine

In most cases, franchises are scouting talent at the TBL Combine to draft and bring home to their city. However, while the Firebirds are bringing home talent, they also share the wealth with other TBL teams.

The Firebirds took two players to the combine, Nebie Tesfa and Jacarrius Perry. Both of these players trained with Wade, as while they weren’t the right fit for the Firebirds’ roster, they most definitely are talented enough to play in the TBL. They spent a month training with Firebirds players, competed at the combine, and both of them were drafted in the first round. Perry got drafted to the Jacksonville 95ers (a divisional rival!), while Tefsa got scooped up by the Frederick Flying Cows. It’ll be great to watch both of them play in the TBL this season!

We’re drafting our second-round pick later today, so I’ll fill you in on that during Wednesday’s edition! Hopefully, you found this interesting, and are so excited for the Firebirds 2025 season that you’re ready to go purchase tickets right now.

Until Wednesday,

-Tex