All Tyler Nickel could do was take in the moment. 

After hearing his name called in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft as the newest Knick at a watch party in Harrisonburg, Va., Nickel received immediate hugs from his family along with raucous cheers from fans in the background. 

Nickel, the 47th pick out of Vanderbilt, was at O’Neil’s Grill when he was picked, and fans turned their cameras from the TV to him while he soaked in the moment. 

“Surreal…especially from this area, it just doesn’t happen”

— Virginia HS all-time leading scorer Tyler Nickel of Harrisonburg on potentially being drafted

Tyler Nickel when the Knicks drafted him tonight: pic.twitter.com/oHRiF5OMLL

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 25, 2026

Nickel’s family and friends went all out for this special moment with a framed Nickel jersey in the background, multiple TVs playing the draft and Vanderbilt shirts being worn.

The 22-year-old celebrated the joyous occasion with his girlfriend Zoli Khalil, who plays basketball for Towson. 

But it wasn’t Khalil’s turn Wednesday. It was Nickel’s. 

“I feel crazy right now, just working my whole life to be in this position and obviously ultimately being drafted, it’s a dream,” Nickel told reporters after being drafted. “I feel like I’m in a dream right now.”

Nickel was asked about about how it feels with someone from Rockingham County in Virginia going to play in New York City.

“It doesn’t even sound real. It doesn’t even sound like it would happen,” he said. “It’s been a minute since it happened to anybody even in the area.” 

Nickel built a storied legacy at East Rockingham High School, becoming the Virginia High School League’s all-time leading scorer with 2,909 points in four years.

Outside of Nickel, no other East Rockingham alum had eclipsed 1,600 career points as of 2022. 

After becoming the No. 3 prospect in Virginia, per 247Sports, Nickel started his career at North Carolina under then-head coach Hubert Davis and played just six minutes a game before transferring to Virginia Tech. 

Nickel continued to develop his shooting touch with the Hokies in his sophomore season, averaging 8.8 points per game while shooting 39.9% from 3. 

Still, Nickel started just seven games as a sophomore, and transferred to Vanderbilt to unlock his full potential as a junior. 

Nickel started 69-of-69 possible games in two years at Vanderbilt, blossoming into a lethal 3-point threat while helping guide the team to consecutive March Madness appearances. 

Nickel is likely a long shot to make the Knicks as a rookie, and could end up in the G League, but he will now get his shot.

And with Landry Shamet possibly leaving in free agency and the defending champion Knicks needing a shooter off the bench, who knows if Nickel has another dream moment coming.