French forward Lizachet goes to Atlanta with NBA Draft

French forward Lizachet goes to Atlanta with NBA Draft No. 1 pick

French forward Zachary Lijachet (19) was selected first overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft.

The Atlanta Hawks, who received the first pick this year, selected Lijachet in the 2024 NBA draft held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, USA on the 27th (Korean time).

Atlanta finished the 2023-2024 season in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, giving them only a 3% chance of winning the first pick, but they overcame that and won the first pick for the first time in 49 years since 1975 and the fourth time in the team's history. 안전놀이터

Lijache, who was Atlanta's first choice, is considered a versatile forward with a 203cm tall shooting ability.

He played for JL Bourg in France last season, averaging 11.1 points and 4 rebounds in the Eurocup and French league.

He is also a 'second-generation basketball player'.

Lizache's father, Stephane Lizache, played on the European stage including France, and won a silver medal as a member of the French national team in the men's basketball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

In the NBA draft, a French player was honored with the first overall pick for the second consecutive year, following Victor Wembanyama, who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs last year.

Li Jia Xie is the fourth non-American player to be selected first overall in the NBA Draft, following Yao Ming of China (Houston) in 2002, Andrea Bargnani (Toronto) from Italy in 2006, and Wem Banyama last year.

This year's second pick was also from France.

Alex Sarr, who was considered a strong candidate for the first pick ahead of this draft, was selected second overall by the Washington Wizards.

Born in 2005, Sarr, who is 216cm tall, played for the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) before entering the NBA.

The Houston Rockets, who had the third pick, selected American guard Reed Shepherd from the University of Kentucky.

San Antonio selected guard Stefon Castle from the University of Connecticut with the fourth overall pick, and forward Ron Holland Jr., who had played in the G League, went to the Detroit Pistons with the fifth pick.

This rookie draft was held over two days for the first time, with only the first round of picks taking place on that day, and the second round will be held on the 28th at the ESPN Seaport District Studios in New York.