The Atlanta Hawks selected forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
Risacher comes out of France, where he most recently played for JL Bourg-en-Bresse of LNB Elite, the country’s premier division of professional basketball.
In 32 games last season, Risacher averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists for JL Bourg. The 19-year-old is 6-foot-9 and weighed in at 195 pounds at the draft combine back in May.
Atlanta does not own another pick in this year’s draft, which has been split into two days. Wednesday’s first round is being held at Barclays Center in New York. ESPN’s Seaport District Studios — also in New York — will host the second round.
The Washington Wizards then took fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr off the board with the second overall pick.
Sarr, 19, spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 27 games.
It marked the third time in NBA draft history where the top two picks have not had college experience. Sarr has leaned on his brother, Oklahoma City Thunder center Olivier Sarr, for guidance as he prepares to play the next level.
“He’s shared a lot with me,” Alexandre Sarr told ESPN. “Everything I’ve learned is through him and he gave me all his knowledge, and to this day it’s really special to have someone like him in my corner.”
Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard went to the Houston Rockets at No. 3, while UConn’s Stephon Castle landed with the San Antonio Spurs at No. 4. Ron Holland II of G League Ignite, who will be joining the Detroit Pistons, rounded out the top five.