The NBA might have to rethink the timing of its annual draft. Not the month, but a tweak to the hour the picks start coming off the board.
Paris is six hours ahead of New York, so French basketball fans eager to see history had to stay up into the wee hours of yesterday morning to see France join the US as the only countries with three players drafted in the top 10 picks of an NBA draft.
As the first round was a coming to an end, four Frenchmen had been drafted: Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Tidjane Salaun and Pacome Dadiet.
Photo: AFP
The question going into Wednesday night’s draft was whether Risacher or Sarr would hear their name called as the No. 1 pick overall by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and become the second straight Frenchman to take first overall on the heels of last season’s eventual Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.
Atlanta made Risacher that player.
Washington took Sarr at No. 2, making a second straight draft the Wizards selected a player from France. Then the NBA draft really took on a decidedly French flavor with Charlotte helping France make history by selecting Salaun at No. 6 overall.
France made it a quartet when the New York Knicks drafted Dadiet as the 25th pick overall. Dadiet is a versatile defender who has been honing his game in Germany.
Risacher said it means a lot for all of France and the country’s booming basketball pipeline to the NBA.
“I know that a lot of France stayed up all night to watch this,” Risacher said. “That’s amazing for French basketball, and I’m so happy to be a part of something special for my country. I think it’s going to be more players who will be able to get to the NBA and do something great. I’m really proud to be a part of it.”
This is the second straight year Washington went for a player from France. The Wizards traded up a spot a year ago, swapping lottery picks with Indiana to land Bilal Coulibaly.
The timing could not be better for France, which is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.
France are a true gold medal threat thanks in part to Minnesota center Rudy Gobert, this season’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Charlotte Hornets general manager Jeff Peterson said France truly loves basketball and the NBA now is reaping a generation influenced by players like Tony Parker, Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum.
“It’s a very, very strong country when it comes to basketball,” Peterson said. “So I just think that this younger generation, they’ve grown up and they’ve seen it and they’ve loved it. And those guys have been great role models for them.”
Salaun said French players have improved with their impact now being felt in the world.
“It’s just the beginning,” Salaun said.
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with
SEMI-FINAL SWEEP: Taiwanese are to take up all four berths in the men’s doubles semi-finals, while three Taiwanese women’s doubles pairings secured spots Taiwan’s badminton ace Chou Tien-chen stayed hot as he secured a semi-final berth in the men’s singles at the US Open at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday. Chou entered the Super 300 tournament as the top seed and breezed past Victor Lai of Canada 21-19, 21-8 in 37 minutes, advancing to the semi-finals for the second straight tournament. Earlier this month, the 35-year-old veteran finished runner-up at the Indonesia Open, becoming the oldest male shuttler to reach a Super 1000-level final. He was set to face Ayush Shetty of India last night after press time for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Taiwanese
PROMISING TALENT: Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso was pleased with youngster Gonzalo’s performance and compared him to former ‘Los Blancos’ great Raul Spanish giants Real Madrid on Tuesday beat Juventus 1-0 to set up a FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund, who edged Mexican side Monterrey. Serhou Guirassy struck twice for the German outfit as they scraped past Sergio Ramos’ side 2-1 in a tight last-16 clash in Atlanta, Georgia, and denied the former Real Madrid skipper a matchup against his former team. Youngster Gonzalo Garcia headed home his third goal of the tournament to help Madrid edge Italian side Juventus at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami earlier. It was an impressive display from Xabi Alonso’s Madrid side,
RSS