France scores big in NBA Draft

NEW YORK – A French Revolution is unfolding in the NBA. 

For the second straight year, a Frenchman emerged as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft with the Atlanta Hawks selecting JL Bourg’s 6-foot-9 forward Zaccharie Risacher Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

Back2back No. 1 pick comes from France. pic.twitter.com/E7C1fR1M1v

— alder almo (@alderalmo) June 27, 2024

And for the first time in the NBA Draft history, three Frenchmen were selected in the top six. 

Perth Wildcats’ 7-foot center Alex Sarr went No. 2 to the Washington Wizards while another 6-foot-9 French forward Tidjane Saulun of Cholet Basket was taken No. 6 by the Charlotte Hornets.

Pacome Dadiet, a 6-foot-8 French forward who played in Germany over the last two years, was picked by the New York Knicks at No. 25. 

In the second round, 6-foot-8 French forward Melvin Ajinca was selected 51st overall by the Knicks but was rerouted to the Dallas Mavericks. 

Risacher became the second French teenager to become the top overall pick after the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama last year. 

Wembanyama celebrated the historic moment for his countrymen on X, formerly Twitter: “It’s France brother.”

C’est la France frère ????????????????????????

— Wemby (@wemby) June 27, 2024

Wembanyama, Risacher and Sarr are the torchbearers of the next generation of France’s basketball, which is at an inflection point. 

“That's amazing,” Risacher said. “We are trying to represent our country, and I'm so glad to be a part of it. There are more players coming in. I'm really proud of being a part of the success of my country. Trying to understand what Victor, Rudy [Gobert] or other French players really helped me to develop myself as a player, first of all, in France, and hopefully now in the NBA.”

Sarr, whom scouts view as the best prospect of this draft class with the highest ceiling, did not mind taking a backseat to Risacher. 

“It just shows the amount of talent that we have in France. I'm really excited for Zacc. I think our national team is really going to be good,” Sarr said. 

France, led by their old mainstays Evan Fournier, Gobert and Nicolas Batum, failed to medal in the FIBA World Cup in Manila last year. 

It was a disappointing moment for the Les Bleus, who were silver medalist in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. 

But France basketball’s future is bright with the recent surge of their young prospects in the NBA. 

France will host the Olympics this year in Paris with Les Bleus hoping to challenge a formidable Team USA led by NBA superstar LeBron James and Stephen Curry for the gold. 

“I think the basketball in France has improved, and that's why we are here in this draft. Three French players in the top 10, it's not nothing,” the 18-year-old Salaun said. 

Last season, there were 12 active French players in the NBA, an all-time high. In this year’s draft, 20 international players were selected led by a record-tying five French players. 

“Yeah, it's kind of crazy,” Dadiet said. “I played with everybody. It's nice seeing your country being one of the most represented in the NBA. I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of everybody. The French people that went to the NBA, it's big. It's coming from a different continent. We have to really work to get there. Yeah, I'm really proud of everybody.”

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.