Eric Dixon Falls Out of Draft, Signs With Lakers

Villanova alumnus Eric Dixon led the nation in scoring during the 2024-25 season with an average of 23.3 points per game, but that wasn’t enough for the 6-foot-7 forward and Wildcats’ all-time scoring leader to hear his name called in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Instead, Dixon signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers moments after the draft ended. Two-way contracts indicate that a player will receive one salary despite being able to suit up for both an NBA team and their G-League affiliate: they pay half the value of the rookie minimum salary for a given season: during the 2024-25 season, two-way contracts paid $578,576.

Roster spots are at a premium in the NBA, so Dixon might need to prove his mettle with the Lakers’ G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, in order to make his professional dreams come to fruition. He possesses excellent shooting ability for a player of his size, making 40.7 percent of the 253 three-point shots he attempted last season, but concerns about his defensive ability and athleticism likely contributed to his slide in the draft.

Even so, NBA Draft pundits expected Dixon to come off the board somewhere between the No. 40 and No. 59 picks, so his falling out of the draft entirely comes as a surprise. Should he make the Lakers’ roster, Eric Dixon will have the chance to suit up alongside basketball legend LeBron James, providing a source of experience and wisdom like few others in league history.