Zion Williamson was the star of the show during Wednesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery, with teams around the league anxiously waiting to see who would come away with the No. 1 pick and opportunity to draft the Duke basketball standout.
Entering the night, most of the focus was on the New York Knicks, who along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns had a 14 percent chance to land the top pick, but things did not go as planned.
When it was all said and done, Cleveland and Phoenix fell out of the draft lottery and the Knicks fell to No. 3. It was the New Orleans Pelicans who came away with the top pick, while the Memphis Grizzlies followed at No. 2.
Leading up to the draft, Williamson remained political and said he would be excited to play for whatever team drafted him, but new reports show he was hoping it would be the Knicks.
“Zion Williamson was QUICKLY whisked out of the room after Pelicans were announced the winner of the draft lottery,” Marc Stein of ESPN wrote on Twitter. “Source said the former Duke star was rooting to go to New York, but now is going to New Orleans.”
Zion Williamson was QUICKLY whisked out of the room after Pelicans were announced the winner of the draft lottery. Source said the former Duke star was rooting to go to New York, but now is going to New Orleans.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 15, 2019
It’s easy to understand why a rare player like Williamson would prefer being in one of the country’s biggest media markets, but he will always have the opportunity to make a move following his rookie deal. For now, he will have to suit up in New Orleans unless there are some unexpected moves.
A full look at this year’s lottery results can be seen below.
2019 NBA Draft Lottery Results
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxcdfJhAafs/
1. New Orleans Pelicans
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. New York Knicks
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Chicago Bulls
8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Washington Wizards
10. Atlanta Hawks via Dallas Mavericks
11. Minnesota Timberwolves
12. Charlotte Hornets
13. Miami Heat
14. Boston Celtics via Sancramento Kings
The Draft selections for the remainder of the first round (No. 15-30) and the entire second round (No. 30-60), are determined by reverse order of regular season record. Each NBA team gets one selection in the first round and one selection in the second round.
The 2019 NBA Draft takes place Thursday, June 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The draft will be broadcast live on ESPN.
