French players make history at NBA Draft
France's Zaccharie Risacher was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the first overall pick in Wednesday's opening round of the NBA Draft. The 19-year-old forward, who stands 6-foot-9 (2.06m), was the second Frenchman in a row to be chosen number one after Victor Wembanyama was taken by the San Antonio Spurs with the top pick last year. "It's a blessing, you know," Risacher said. "So exciting. There are a lot of feelings and emotions right now. I don't know what to say but it's definitely special." French players were chosen with three of the top six picks overall, setting an NBA record for the most international players taken in the top 10. Risacher helped spark JL Bourg to this year's EuroCup final, which was won by Paris Basketball. He became the second-youngest player to be named the EuroCup Rising Star and last month was named the French league's 2023-24 Best Young Player after averaging 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 22 minutes a game for JL Bourg. French 19-year-old centre Alexandre Sarr was selected second overall by the Washington Wizards. Sarr played last season for the Perth Wildcats of Australia's National Basketball League. After two seasons with Real Madrid's youth team and two US youth seasons, he spent the 2023-24 campaign with Perth. "Everywhere I played it just built me for this moment," Sarr said. "It's so special." It marks only the third time in NBA history that the top two picks in the draft have not had US college experience. The sky is the limit for talented French rookies after Wembanyama went on to be named the NBA Rookie of the Year and led the league in blocked shots last season. (AP)