There was never any doubt in the mind of Asa Newell what his path would be when he signed with Georgia over a year ago. He would play one season with the Bulldogs before moving onto the NBA.

Wednesday night, that dream was realized and be’ll stay in-state as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

Newell was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft and then traded to the Hawks.

Atlanta and New Orleans swapped the rights to Newell and Derik Queen, who was selected No. 13 by the Hawks.

Newell becomes the ninth former Bulldog taken in the first round, the first since Anthony Edwards went No. 1 overall to Minnesota in 2020.

His lone year with the Bulldogs was a good one.

Newell earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team after leading the Bulldogs in scoring with 15.4 points per game and in rebounds with 6.9.

He started all 33 of the games he played.

During an interview with USA Today, Newell credited his time at Georgia for helping him mature in different ways.

“Coming into Georgia, you know, I wanted to find my voice a little bit. You know, Silas Demery was, you know, our leader throughout Georgia and, you know, he's just a strong presence and he's been in, you know, college and being able to experience, you know, the coaching staff of Mike White in Georgia,” Newell said. “You know, him coming in and my brother being up there, you know, those are two of some of the guys that, you know, when I'm on the court, you know, Silas is always, you know, holding me accountable and practice and, you know, so overall, you know, at Georgia was just, you know, being a guy who can, you know, hold people accountable and, you know, raising the intensity in every single practice.”

Ironically, one of the Hawks’ greatest players ever also was a Georgia standout traded to Atlanta after the Draft. In 1982, Wilkins was taken with the No. 3 pick by the Utah Jazz but later traded to the Hawks before his rookie season.

Newell said that won’t change now that he’s in the NBA.

“I know I play with a lot of energy, like I'm a match waiting, you know, for some gasoline and causing a whole fire. So, I just play with a lot of energy,” he said. “And that is very contagious. When you have someone who plays really hard, motor, you know, doesn't really take, you know, plays off that is contagious. And you see all the top teams doing that.”

Newell was one of 24 players invited to New York City for the draft.

Although his stay in Athens was a short one, the Athens native said his season at Georgia will be one he will never forget

“I’d just say the college experience was amazing,” Newell told reporters after Georgia’s loss to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament. “Wearing the G on my chest, it’s something I’ll never take for granted. I’m just so blessed to have teammates and a wonderful coach, Coach White, helping me through the process.”