Koby Brea wouldn’t mind if the 2025 NBA Draft brought him back home to Washington Heights. But the sharpshooter who spent four years at Dayton before transferring to Kentucky isn’t focused on zip codes — he’s focused on fit.
And he’s earned that right. A 6-foot-7 sniper with textbook form and elite efficiency, Brea shot a blistering 49.8% from three and 51% from the field in his final season at Dayton before showcasing his skills on a bigger stage in Lexington. In a stacked draft class headlined by names like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and Ace Bailey, Brea has quietly carved out a lane as a late first- to mid second-round sleeper — the kind of prospect NBA teams covet for his plug-and-play shooting and positional size.
With the Brooklyn Nets holding six picks (Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26, 27 and 36) and the Knicks selecting at No. 50, there’s a real shot Brea returns to his old stomping grounds — this time in black and white or orange and blue.
But the 22-year-old isn’t getting ahead of himself. He’s embracing the uncertainty of the pre-draft process, soaking it in one day at a time.
“That’s like the fun part about it. You just don’t know what’s gonna happen. But my range is around 25 to maybe 50. That’s a big range. So it’s kinda like I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I’m just taking it in, enjoying the moment and just praying the right situation comes,” Brea told The Daily News. “It would be great [to come home], man, just because I grew up here — but for me, I’m somebody where I just want to go into the right situation. So the place doesn’t really matter to me as much. I’m more about the play style, the people I have around me, people that value me. But I mean … I couldn’t be mad at [the Knicks or Nets taking me] at all.”
The road to the NBA is rarely a straight shot. There’s almost always adversity. For Koby Brea, it came early — and often.
As a freshman at Dayton, a hard fall in practice fractured both wrists and cost him half the season. Then came the bigger hurdle: Stress fractures in both tibias forced Brea to play through significant pain in his final two years with the Flyers. In April 2023, he underwent surgery to insert metal rods into both legs — and spent two months in a wheelchair during the recovery process.
“Having to go through my surgery, being injured for 6 months, being on a wheelchair for two months, not being able to walk or move my legs,” he told The News. “But it’s a lot of beauty in the process once you go through it and you’re able to overcome such a thing. … I had a different level of appreciation for basketball when I came back. When it’s taken away from you for so long and you don’t know if you’ll ever be able to play it again, and then you get back to it? It’s like giving candy to a little kid.
“So definitely for me every time I step on the court, I thank God, because it’s unbelievable what he’s done for my life.”
The injuries didn’t derail Brea’s trajectory. They deepened it.
He returned to play 33 games for Dayton in the 2023–24 season, averaging 11.1 points while shooting 51.2% from the field, 49.8% from beyond the arc, and 87.5% from the free-throw line. After the season, Brea entered the transfer portal and committed to Kentucky — a dream school since childhood, and a decision he didn’t take lightly.
“It’s not. My heart was attached to that place, you know what I’m saying? But Kentucky, I wanted to go there. That was my dream school since I was little. A big opportunity for me, and on top of that, I just wanted to challenge myself, play against better competition, and get my best chance for where I am today,” he told The News. “It was great. Competition was a whole ‘nother level. The SEC was insane this year. So I think [Kentucky] did more than what it needed to do [for me]. I think it was the best preparation possible, going against the best teams, best athletes, day in and day out. That’s what the NBA is. So I think it was definitely perfect preparation.”
If Brea is one thing, it’s prepared. It’s what’s required of three-point shooters, particularly three-point shooters who come off the bench, which is the role Washington Heights’ newest NBA prospect is slated to fill if he makes a roster. But what does that preparation look like? Five-hundred shots? One thousand?
Brea cracks a laugh — because he’s lost count. The number is less important than the purpose.
“I know it’s a lot [of shots] though ‘cause I spend a lot of time. I do a lot of different sessions, I like doing two-to-three sessions a day,” he said. “But it’s just about figuring out what shots you’re getting in games and being able to apply that to your workout, so I do a lot of movement shooting off of different actions in the morning, and then in the afternoon, night, it’ll be more spot-up to make sure the muscle memory is there so that once you’re in games, that stuff kicks in.”
Brea has done his fair share of research. At 6-foot-7 with a reliable three-point shot, his comparisons are modern-day wing players. He’s watched J.J. Redick, Kyle Korver — “just the way that they sprint off those screens and get off their shots super quick,” he notes. Brea has also watched a ton of Klay Thompson, the second Splash Brother alongside Stephen Curry and a four-time champion on the Golden State Warriors.
Watching Thompson film prompted Brea to make an adjustment to his jump shot.
“I love Klay Thompson, just because the way he gets himself open with that height, obviously high release point, so it’s hard to block. That’s something I’ve also had to change throughout my career, just having a high release point,” he said. “[Miami Heat sharpshooter] Duncan Robinson, super efficient guy, really good shooter.
“And there’s guys that I really feel like my game has similar aspects, like Devin Booker, so that’s someone I watch a lot, just him being able to create for himself and then at times creating for others as well.”
At the end of the day, Brea knows he has to carve his own path. Many prospects come in with comparisons. Few live up to them. Brea’s jump shot is his bread and butter. Now it’s time for him to grab a seat at the table.
“It’s proper preparation, man, that’s the most important thing. Just making sure that you’re ready for the moment, you’re ready to come off the bench after being on there for 10 minutes and you’ve gotta come in and hit a big shot,” he said. “You’ve just gotta be really mentally prepared and on top of that it’s no secret, you’ve gotta put the work in. So for me that’s the biggest game-changer — the amount of work that I’ve put into that craft and there’s still so much more work to be done so I’m excited for that, too.”
Brea isn’t taking this journey alone. He’s Dominican — and if he’s fortunate enough to carve out a lasting NBA career, he’ll be joining rarefied company.
Boston’s Al Horford and Knicks All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns are currently the league’s only Dominican-born players. Both reached out during the pre-draft process, offering encouragement — in Spanish — as Brea navigated the biggest stretch of his life.
“They both sent me messages for this process, so just grateful that they’re able to see my journey and see that another guy like them is coming into the league,” Brea said.
Towns and Horford headline a short list of Dominican players to make it to the NBA. Former Bucks and Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva is another. Brea is hoping to become the fourth.
“It’s awesome to have guys to look up to and say they come from the same nationality. Honestly, there’s not a lot of us, so to be able to see them is inspiration for me that I can do it, too, and hopefully the next generation and the more to come, they’re able to see that with me.”
He knows the odds. But second-round success stories are more common than ever. The Mavericks drafted Jalen Brunson 33rd overall in 2018 — then watched him become a two-time All-Star and franchise cornerstone in New York. Denver took Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick in 2014; he’s since become a three-time MVP and one of the best players in league history. Draymond Green went 34th. Khris Middleton, 39th. Manu Ginobili fell all the way to 57th.
All carved successful NBA careers. Now it’s Brea’s turn.
He’s met with almost every team. He knows what he brings to the table. He’s got two Dominican All-Stars in his corner. And he’s ready to step into the league and make an impact — as soon as he gets the call.
