By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
A total of 9 European players were selected in the first round of the NBA draft, or if you prefer the NBA distiction, seven international players from Europe and two European playing in the NCAA.
With Croatian forward Dragan Bender being picked 4th and getting into an elite club and Georgos Papagiannis stunning everyone on the 13th pick, once more the NBA draft had more than just a European flavour.
Dragan Bender became the 6th European player selected in the Top 4 after Kristaps Porzingis, Andrea Bargnani, Darko Milicic, Pau Gasol and Enes Kanter. He was followed by Austrian center Jakob Poeltl at no9 by the Raptors and Lithuanian big man Domantas Sabonis at no11. Both of them were not considered international players, because they played in the NCAA.
Sabonis, who had his father, legend Arvydas Sabonis, near him in the Green Room, after being drafted by Orlando he learned that he was send to Oklahoma City together with Ersan Ilyasova and Victor Oladipo in exchange for Spaniard Serge Ibaka.
Still the biggest sensation of the draft was Greek center Giorgos Papagiannis who was picked at no13, the highest pick ever for a Greek player, by the Sacramento Kings. Papagiannis who said that he wants to continue his career in the NBA and leave Panathinaikos had an amazing run during the last 20 days that put his name in the map of the draft after his workouts in the States. Juancho Hernangomez was picked at no15 by the Denver Nuggets. Boston selected French power forward Guerschon Yabusele with the no16 pick and Croatian center Ante Zizic at no23. The Sixers also got Frenchman Timothe Luwawu with the 24th pick and Turk swingman Furkan Korkmaz at number 26.
Also on draft night, the rights of Bogdan Bogdanovic has been traded from Phoenix with no13 pick – with ended up being Papagiannis – to Sacramento for the no8 pick, while Sacramento traded Marco Belinelli to Charlotte for the 22 pick.
In the second round Croatian Ivica Zubac was picked by the Lakers (32), Serb Rade Zagorac by the Celtics (35), French guard David Michineau by New Orleans (39), French guard Isiaia Cordinier (44) and French forward Petr Cornelie by Atlanta (45) and German forward Paul Zipser by Chicago (48) and also Ukrainian Joel Bolomboy from Weber State by Utah (52) for a total of 16 European players in the draft.