It sure was a g'day for Andrew Bogut. And not a bad night for the NCAA champions from North Carolina.
Bogut, a 2.13m center from Australia, was chosen No. 1 Tuesday night in the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the first player in five years with US college experience to be drafted No. 1 overall.
Four players from North Carolina were chosen among the first 14 picks on a night when the usual avalanche of trades was only a trickle by the time the first round ended.
PHOTO: AP
The 20-year-old Bogut, who played two seasons at Utah and was the college player of the year, straightened his tie, adjusted his suit jacket and took a deep breath in the moments before commissioner David Stern summoned him to the podium onstage at Madison Square Garden. When his name was called, Bogut raised a clenched right fist.
The NBA champion San Antonio Spurs selected French forward Ian Mahinmi at No. 28. He was one of seven international players to be chosen in the first round. Players from Slovenia, Serbia-Montenegro, Turkey, Belgium, France and Croatia were a large contingent of foreign players chosen in the second round.
"Basketball is a global game, just like soccer is a global game," Bogut said. "You see the Manu Ginobilis and Yao Mings of the world. We can play the game in every country."
PHOTO: EPA
The Atlanta Hawks chose Williams second, and the 19-year-old player flashed a bright smile at Stern while shaking the commissioner's hand. The 2.06m small forward was a sixth man for the Tar Heels.
Illinois junior point guard Deron Williams went third to the Jazz, who sent three first-round picks -- Nos. 6 and 27 in this year's draft, plus a 2006 first-round pick -- to the Trail Blazers earlier Tuesday.
New Orleans selected fourth and also chose a playmaker, picking Wake Forest sophomore guard Chris Paul, and the Charlotte Bobcats took North Carolina junior point guard Raymond Felton at No. 5. It marked the first time since 1999 that three point guards were picked among the top 10.
High school senior Martell Webster of Seattle Prep went No. 6 to Portland, making him the first prep player taken in a draft notable for its historical significance. It likely marked the final time high school players would be eligible to jump directly to the pros -- the route chosen by Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Jermaine O'Neal and others.
Under terms of the new six-year collective bargaining agreement to take effect in July, high school players will have to wait one year after their class graduates to become draft eligible.
The new agreement also reduces the length of guaranteed contracts for first-round picks from three years to two, with teams holding options for additional years. Even with the reduced length of his first deal, Bogut will become a millionaire the moment he signs with the Bucks.
"It's one of the best days of my life, and my family's," Bogut said. "I am going to be a workhorse."
Connecticut sophomore forward Charlie Villanueva was chosen seventh by the Toronto Raptors, and the Knicks addressed their need for a big man by taking Arizona center Channing Frye -- the first college senior selected -- with the No. 8 pick.
Arizona State junior Ike Diogu went ninth to Golden State, and 7-foot high school senior Andrew Bynum of St. Joseph's High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, went 10th to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Orlando selected center Fran Vasquez of the Spanish club Unicaja Malaga at No. 11, and the Los Angeles Clippers chose 18-year-old forward Yaroslav Korolev of the Russian club CSKA Moscow at No. 12.
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