NBA Draft: First Picks

Once again with the first pick in the NBA draft, the 76ers selected guard Markelle Fultz on Thursday. Shortly after, the Los Angeles Lakers took Lonzo Ball.

The league's recruiting started with a pair of freshman guards from universities in the Pac-12 Conference on the West Coast.

The rookie-focused night was shaken up by the announcement of a major trade. The Chicago Bulls decided to part ways with their star Jimmy Butler (three-time All-Star) and their 16th draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the 7th pick in the draft, according to two sources with knowledge of the negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the draft started with the same order as the top four picks last year: Philadelphia, the Lakers, Boston, and Phoenix.

Fultz averaged 23.2 points last season at Washington, leading all freshmen, and added 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. He was the only player from a top division university in the United States to achieve those statistics. When his name was called by commissioner Adam Silver, Fultz went up to the stage wearing red sneakers made with basketball material.

The 76ers had the first pick for the second consecutive year, after reaching an agreement with the Boston Celtics on Monday. They add Fultz to a young core that also includes Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, finalists for Rookie of the Year last season. They also have Ben Simmons, last year's first pick, who missed the entire season due to a foot injury.

Fultz, who only played 25 games in college, said he always dreamed of being the first pick and wasn't bothered that Boston didn't want him.

"In high school, I told my coach Keith (Williams) that I wanted to be number one in the country and number one in the draft, so that was the goal I set for myself, and that's what I fought for," said Fultz.

Ball and his father, LaVar, made their wish come true: to stay in Los Angeles, where he shone last season with UCLA. LaVar Ball had been emphatic about his son only wanting to play for the Lakers.

"This was going to be a great night. And it definitely has been, and now I'm going to focus on playing," said Lonzo Ball. "I just want to be on the court."

As Lonzo walked towards the stage to meet Silver, he put on a purple Lakers cap and LaVar wore a gold cap with the "Big Baller" brand that he just launched.

The Celtics selected Jayson Tatum from Duke with the third pick, receiving a loud ovation from a large contingent of Boston fans at the Barclays Center. The streak of freshman players continued when the Phoenix Suns picked small forward Josh Jackson (Kansas), the Sacramento Kings picked shooting guard De'Aaron Fox (Kentucky), and the Orlando Magic selected small forward Jonathan Isaac (Florida State).

Silver has said he would like to change the minimum age for entering the NBA so that players spend more time in college. The current rule states that players born in the United States must be 19 years old and have at least one season in college.

But teams seem to be happy with the current system. The streak of freshman players surpassed the 2014 record when four freshmen were taken at the start of the draft. It slowed down when the New York Knicks took French shooting guard Frank Ntilikina with the eighth pick.

The rest of the top ten was completed with two more freshman players: Dennis Smith Jr. (North Carolina State) at number 9 to the Dallas Mavericks, and Zach Collins (Gonzaga) at number 10 to the Sacramento Kings.