Some things should be family only—and for Florida men's basketball star Walter Clayton Jr., that included his family picture after the Gators rallied to defeat the Houston Cougars 65–63 in the NCAA title game.
In a clip shown on air, Clayton is shown taking a photo with his girlfriend, Tatiyana Burney, as well as the pair's one-year-old daughter and team mascot Albert the Gator.
But once the unlikely quartet snagged their pic, Clayton appeared to (understandably) ask Albert to exit stage left. And the Gator did listen for a moment ... before shortly after attempting to crash the photoshoot again. Clayton then (calmly, to his credit) looks to tell the mascot to hold off for a second time, as evidenced by Albert moving in to join the photo before quickly pulling away.
Watch that hilarious moment below::
Hilarious watching Walter Clayton Jr tell the Florida Gators mascot to get out of his family picture…hilarious. #NationalChampionship #NCAATournament #NCAA #NationalChampions #Florida #Gators #Houston #Cougars pic.twitter.com/qFLtz1ItOO
— Artie Schweitzer (@ArtieSchweitzer) April 8, 2025
Though Clayton was the talk of the town heading into Monday night's game—he had scored a combined 64 points in his previous two contests—he had a slow start in the championship, to the credit of Houston's top-rated defense. The 22-year-old guard didn't score his first point until the start of the second half, but nonetheless rallied for an 11-point, five rebound, and seven assist finish. His most notable contribution was perhaps when he hit a game-tying triple with around three minutes left.
When all was said and done, the Gator was also honored with the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player award.
So surely Albert must understand—Clayton deserved his moment.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Walter Clayton Jr. Hilariously Ordered Florida's Mascot Out of Post-Win Family Pic .
