The Atlanta Hawks created a surprise and obtained the first choice in the NBA draft, a first in the history of the franchise, during the lottery which took place on Sunday in Chicago. The Georgia franchise will be the first to choose the player it wishes to recruit from the pool of young basketball players who enter the draft next month.
The Hawks, who finished the regular season in tenth place in the Eastern Conference, had just a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery. The Washington Wizards, who finished second to last in the East, got the second pick. Two Texas franchises, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, got the third and fourth picks, respectively.
The Detroit Pistons, who this year broke the sad record for the most consecutive defeats in a season (28), only obtained the fifth choice. The Spurs won the lottery last year and recruited French prodigy Victor Wembanyama, voted rookie of the year after an impressive first season.
Unlike 2023, where Wembanyama was practically certain to be chosen in first position, the No.1 choice is not as obvious this year, but two French people are once again among the favorites: the hopeful Alex Sarr, whose season with the Perth Wildcats in Australia has just ended, and Zaccharie Risacher, who plays as a winger at JL Bourg-en-Bresse. The draft will take place on June 26 and 27.
