The former New Zealand Breakers player RJ Hampton has been picked at number 24 in the NBA basketball draft.
The former New Zealand Breakers player RJ Hampton has been picked at number 24 in the NBA basketball draft.
The 19-year-old American point guard was intitally picked by the Milwaukee Bucks but has been been traded to the Denver Nuggets who finished third in this year's shortened NBA competition.
Hampton had hoped to be among the first 15 drafts but he had an inconsistent ANBL season for the Auckland based club averaging 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 15 games.
A hip injury ended his time with the Breakers early and he returned to the United States in February.
"We knew that Denver really liked him pre-draft ... I know that he would have liked to have been a top ten pick but now his journey begins and we (the Breakers) are proud to have played a small part in that and I think he is going to move on to be a very good NBA player," said Breaker owner Matt Walsh.
RJ Hampton Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected 19-year-old guard Anthony Edwards with the first overall pick.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound 104 kilogramme Georgia product will join point guard D'Angelo Russell and center Karl-Anthony Towns on a Timberwolves team that finished second to last in the Western Conference.
The selection of Edwards first in the draft registered as a mild surprise as many experts predicted guard LaMelo Ball's name would be called first.
Edwards joins a roster that also includes 2015 No. 1 overall pick Towns and is the eighth top-10 selection for the Timberwolves since the 2010 draft.
Centre James Wiseman was the second pick and went to the Golden State Warriors.
The draft is typically held eight weeks after the NBA regular season ends on the final Wednesday in June but .
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the draft was rescheduled for October but then delayed a second time and was held on line.
Recent No. 1 overall draft picks:
2000 -- New Jersey Nets: Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati
2001 -- Washington Wizards: Kwame Brown, Glynn Academy HS
2002 -- Houston Rockets: Yao Ming, China
2003 -- Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James, St. Vincent--St. Mary HS
2004 -- Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard, SACA (Atlanta)
2005 -- Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut, Australia
2006 -- Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani, Italy
2007 -- Portland Trail Blazers: Greg Oden, Ohio State
2008 -- Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, Memphis
2009 -- Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
2010 -- Washington Wizards: John Wall, Kentucky
2011 -- Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, Duke
2012 -- New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis, Kentucky
2013 -- Cleveland Cavaliers: Anthony Bennett, UNLV
2014 -- Cleveland Cavaliers: Andrew Wiggins, Kansas
2015 -- Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky
2016 -- Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons, LSU
2017 -- Philadelphia 76ers: Markelle Fultz, Washington
2018 -- Phoenix Suns: Deandre Ayton, Arizona
2019 -- New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson, Duke
-Reuters/RNZ