The Atlanta Hawks selected forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
Risacher comes out of France, where he most recently played for JL Bourg-en-Bresse of LNB Elite, the country’s premier division of professional basketball.
“So exciting. There’s a lot of feelings and emotions right now. I don’t know what to say, but I’m so blessed,” Risacher said.
In 32 games last season, Risacher averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists for JL Bourg. The 19-year-old is 6-foot-9 and weighed in at 195 pounds at the draft combine back in May.
Atlanta does not own another pick in this year’s draft, which has been split into two days. Wednesday’s first round is being held at Barclays Center in New York. ESPN’s Seaport District Studios -- also in New York -- will host the second round.
The Washington Wizards then took fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr off the board with the second overall pick.
Sarr, 19, spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 27 games.
It marked the third time in NBA draft history where the top two picks have not had college experience. Sarr has leaned on his brother, Oklahoma City Thunder center Olivier Sarr, for guidance as he prepares to play the next level.
“He’s shared a lot with me,” Alexandre Sarr said. “Everything I’ve learned is through him and he gave me all his knowledge, and to this day it’s really special to have someone like him in my corner.”
Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard went to the Houston Rockets at No. 3, while UConn’s Stephon Castle landed with the San Antonio Spurs at No. 4. Ron Holland II of G League Ignite, who will be joining the Detroit Pistons, rounded out the top five.
In his lone season with the Wildcats, Sheppard posted averages of 12.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.1 boards across 33 games.
Castle also spent just one season at the collegiate level, helping the Huskies secure their second straight national title by recording 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
“This guy when you look at fit right there, the Spurs value winning, they value workers, they value championships, and this is just the perfect player for them to draft,” UConn coach Dan Hurley told ESPN. “This guy is just scratching the surface.”
Holland appeared in 14 games this past season. He averaged 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.5 steals.
After another Frenchman, Tidjane Salaun, was taken by the Charlotte Hornets at No. 6, the Portland Trail Blazers grabbed big man Donovan Clingan. Clingan was a two-time champion with the Huskies in his only two seasons of college basketball.
San Antonio then had the eighth overall pick, and it opted to go with guard Rob Dillingham out of Kentucky. Dillingham is reportedly being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Purdue center Zach Edey, a two-time National Player of the Year, landed with the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 9. Edey averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks last season.
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