Spurs take Wembanyama No. 1
Victor Wembanyama is the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, headed to San Antonio with enormous expectations to become basketball’s newest sensation.
The selection of the 19-yearold from France that had been a foregone conclusion for months was announced by commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, followed by chants of “Wemby! Wemby” from a group of Spurs fans waving signs from the first row of seats.
Wembanyama arrives with far more height and hype than most No. 1 picks. Listed at 7 feet 4 inches, he dominated his French league in his final season there, leading all players in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots.
Now he makes the move to the NBA, perhaps as the best prospect since LeBron James came out of high school in 2003. Wembanyama brings a package of skills that seems perfect for the modern NBA and too vast for one player, with the size of a center and the shooting and ballhandling ability of a guard.
Hornets nab Miller
There was plenty of debate in the weeks leading up to the draft over whether the Charlotte Hornets preferred Alabama’s Brandon Miller or the G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson with the No 2 pick.
In general manager Mitch Kupchak’s mind there was never a debate.
“Brandon was our favorite all along,” Kupchak said.
“There was a lot of spirited discussion in the last three days, which I welcome . . . But I think he’s the player that is the best player.”
Miller gives the Hornets an athletic 6-foot-9-inch wing with a smooth shooting stroke who can knock down shots from the perimeter. He averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season for the Crimson Tide, who entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed before making an early exit.
But the SEC’s player of the year as a freshman comes with some baggage.
Miller is tied to a case that led to former Tide player Darius Miles and another man being indicted on capital murder charges. A police investigator testified in February that Miles texted Miller to bring him his gun that night. Miller hasn’t been charged with wrongdoing, though the ongoing case brought intense scrutiny during the second half of the season for Miller and the Alabama program.
Kupchak said the Hornets conducted an extensive background check on Miller, including a trip to Alabama about two weeks ago.
Henderson was taken third by the Trail Blazers.
Paul to Warriors
Chris Paul’s pursuit of an NBA championship is taking him to the Golden State Warriors, after they agreed to the framework of a trade that will send Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
The trade includes a package of draft capital, said the person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized.
The Wizards agreed to acquire Paul from Phoenix last week, in the deal that sent Bradley Beal from Washington to the Suns.
Paul had two of his titlehope seasons thwarted by the Warriors. In 2018, Paul and the Houston Rockets had a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference finals before he got hurt, missed the final two games and Golden State prevailed — on the way to the NBA title.
And in 2019, the Warriors beat Paul and the Rockets again, that time in the West semifinals before ultimately falling to Toronto in the NBA Finals.