The basketball player is set to play for the Chicago Bulls following the 2026 NBA Draft
Credit: Joe Pinchin/NBAE/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Caleb Wilson was drafted No. 4 by the Chicago Bulls during the 2026 NBA Draft in June
- He told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview how baseball was his first love, before a growth spurt led him to pursue basketball instead
- Wilson is set to play for the Chicago Bulls
Before Caleb Wilson became a basketball superstar, his heart actually belonged to another sport — baseball.
Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft in New York City on June 23, the athlete, 19, said of basketball, "It actually wasn't my favorite sport at first. It was baseball."
"My dad inspired me to do it," he continued, referring to his father, Jerry Wilson. "I played a lot of sports when I was younger, but basketball is what I stuck with."
When asked why he made the choice to stick with dribbling balls over hitting them with a bat, Wilson candidly explained, "Well, I just got really tall. It was chosen for me."
The current 6-foot-9 athlete stood just two inches shorter when he was in the eighth grade.
Wilson, a former UNC forward, was drafted No. 4 overall in the recent NBA Draft. He now heads to Chicago to take his talents to the Bulls.
During a prior appearance on the Game Over podcast, Wilson explained that his dad’s work mentality ultimately sparked his own motivation, and what he thinks got him to be one of the top five draft picks in his all-star class.
Sharing a motto instilled in him by his father, Wilson said: “If you’re sleeping in, somebody’s working.”
“It's all worth it in the end, to have the lifestyle we have, and to have the ability to do the things and see the things were able to see," he further explained.
Credit: Jeff Haynes/NBAE/Getty
Despite choosing basketball, Wilson still gets a few opportunities to put on a baseball glove.
The newest Chicago Bulls player was asked to throw the first pitch at a Savannah Bananas game in April.
Wilson told PEOPLE that the first call he planned to make after the draft was to his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coach, Keith “Kiki” Esparza, because "he believed in me when I played with the [Valley Stars Basketball Academy].”
In ten years time, Wilson said winning is his ultimate priority. “I hope I've won some playoff games. That's really it," he said, adding: "I just hope I'm a great player, but I want to win. Winning is number one for sure.”
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