Thomas Sorber, whose story of faith through tragedy, dogged persistence, humility, and genuineness has touched thousands, is now chasing his vocation on the basketball court with the team that was just crowned the best in the world.
Sorber’s coaches, mentors, and friends from Archbishop Ryan High School and the Northeast Philadelphia community could not be prouder.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced worldwide on Wednesday night from a stage in Brooklyn, New York that Sorber was chosen by the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder with the 15th selection in the 2025 NBA draft.
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While at Ryan, Sorber earned multiple all-state and all-Catholic honors.
Following his 2024 graduation, the 6-9 Sorber played center and forward his freshman year at Georgetown University before entering the draft.
A crowd of about 60 Archbishop Ryan classmates, teammates, friends, faculty and staff, and supporters who gathered at Curran’s Bensalem restaurant and pub, heard the word “Thomas” from the commissioner, and their pride in him erupted in cheers with the knowledge that the door to his lifelong dream was bursting wide open.
“You’re just waiting for the name to come out and when it comes out, you’re just a little kid all over again. I can’t imagine what Thomas and his family are feeling. I still have butterflies in my stomach,” said a beaming Archbishop Ryan President Joseph Sanginiti a few minutes after the announcement.
“Somewhat speechless, but I’m just happy for Thomas, happy for his mom, his brother and the family. They deserve it.”
An Archbishop Ryan pin, worn proudly by Thomas Sorber at the 2025 NBA Draft, offered a nod to his roots as he made school history with a first-round selection by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I can’t really believe it. Honestly it’s insane, shocking in my eyes. I did not believe this was going to happen,” said Greg Weiss, who played with Sorber at Archbishop Ryan.
“It’s shocking,” added Frank Monaco, another teammate. “I knew he could do it, we all believed in him, and the fact he’s gotten here so soon, it’s a surreal feeling as a former teammate.”
Surreal turned emotional just a few minutes after Silver’s announcement, during an interview where both Sorber and his mother Tenneh experienced poignant tears.
They revealed the kind of pain that stems from Thomas losing his father at age 8, the determination that his mother fostered in him to overcome their obstacles, and the gratitude he feels toward her.
“There’s a genuineness to him and to his mom, who’s an absolutely amazing woman who I think definitely works to keep him level-headed,” said Archbishop Ryan Principal Joseph McFadden.
Sorber credits Tenneh as being one of the building blocks God put in his life to help him rise to this level. Archbishop Ryan, and the experiences it offered Sorber from the basketball court to the retreat house, became another critical building block.
“A big part of the Kairos retreat experience (offered to students of archdiocesan high schools including Archbishop Ryan) is not always just looking for God in the bigger moments, but in all the other people who he’s put in your life,” said McFadden.
“For Thomas, for his mom, for his brothers, for his sister, for his family, losing his dad at such a young age but seeing all these other people who have stepped up, his teachers, all the people he worked with in offices, his fellow students, his coaches. He’s just the kind of kid that makes you want to be around him and be with him, and he’s so easy to cheer for.”
Archbishop Ryan basketball coach Joseph Zeglinski stands with former player Thomas Sorber at the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25, where Sorber was selected 15th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder—becoming the school’s first-ever first-round pick.
Archbishop Ryan basketball coach Joseph Zeglinski stepped up for Sorber and helped instill a constant process of personal improvement. Sorber cited that “always get 1% better every day” commitment when he spoke with 100 young people at Archbishop Ryan’s boys basketball camp before heading to New York on Monday for the NBA draft.
Zeglinski told the campers “how hard Thomas has worked every offseason — he gets better, he lifts up his teammates every practice, and he’s an energy giver. He stays in the moment,” he said.
“Every day, consistent, a great person lifting his teammates up, giving great energy. He’s always team first.”
“The first time I started playing with him was in ninth grade at AAU,” said Jaden Murray, one of those teammates lifted by Sorber’s presence. “I saw the potential in him. He just had to get it through, keep working on his game, get that playing time in high school, and then get to work.”
It’s that level of powerful, consistent work through adversity, that sense of God’s building blocks, that led to his rise from a leader of the Raiders’ basketball team to the 15th pick in the first round of the NBA draft in just 15 months.
“The young man is way beyond his age here. He’s just an excellent young man, and I hope that this is just the beginning of a lot of great things for him and his family,” said Sanginiti.
“I’m thrilled for Joe Zeglinski, a young coach who really molded Tom. I’m just grateful that Archbishop Ryan had a part in helping him get where he wanted to be.”
As Sorber’s teammate Murray said, “Congrats my boy. Just keep working, and go be great.”
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