Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr will be the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the NBA draft

The selections, which began arguably the most open draft of the past decade, followed the San Antonio Spurs’ selection of French center Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick last year. Wembanyama and Risacher are the first players from the same country outside North America to be selected first in back-to-back drafts. Sarr stood to give Risacher a congratulatory handshake and a hug as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the first pick.

“It just shows how much talent we have in France,” Sarr said. “I’m excited for Zach. I was really happy for him. (Being picked second) is very special. Every choice you make, the team is taking a chance on me. I am blessed for that. I won’t take it for granted. I play with effort and impact and win.”

The Hawks were selected first for the first time since 1975. Risacher, a 6-foot-4 forward who was honored last season as the French league’s best young player, averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 35.2 percent on 3-pointers for JL Bourg, which posted a 25-9 record.

“I’ve known Tidjane and Alex for a long time,” Risacher said. “We grew up playing against each other. That’s great for our country. That’s great for us, first of all. Just to be able to realize our dream together is special. “I feel like French players are going to get some inspiration and that will keep getting better for us.”

Atlanta finished 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 36-46 record but lost in the play-in tournament, sparking trade rumors for star guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Risacher described himself as a “versatile player” who would “easily fit” into a Hawks roster that could be in transition.

“I can’t wait to find out what my role or my goals are going to be,” Risacher said. “I don’t know yet, but I know I can do a lot of things: defend multiple positions, grab some rebounds, finish strong, be aggressive and of course shoot threes.”

The Wizards made Sarr their highest draft pick since selecting John Wall at No. 1 overall in 2010. Sarr, a versatile 7-foot-1 defenseman, averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for Perth, which had the NBL’s second-best record.

As Sarr was navigated through various media obligations, dressed in a cream-colored suit with a matching wizard hat, he met with team owner Ted Leonsis for a brief meet-and-greet in a curtained hallway.

Sarr, whose basketball journey around the world took him from Spain and the Overtime Elite development program in Atlanta before ending up in Australia, said he watched many of the Wizards’ games last season and enjoyed their style of play despite their record 15 -67. .

“I’m really excited to be part of the Wizards,” Sarr said. “I really like the roster. We can be a good team next year. They played really fast. They’re one of the fastest teams. There’s a lot of versatile guys on the roster, like Bilal (Coulibaly), who can switch everybody, or a lot of guys who can get the rebound and push. That’s the kind of basketball I like.”

While Sarr made headlines by refusing to work out for the Hawks, he said Wednesday that his recent workout with the Wizards went well and that he enjoyed his first visit to Washington, which lasted three days. Wizards GM Will Dawkins took Sarr on a tour of the city’s landmarks, including the Washington Monument, the Capitol and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

“My training went well,” Sarr said. “It was tough. They put you through it because they want to see how you’ll react to everything. I did a great job. I shot the ball well, and now I’m here.”

The Houston Rockets selected Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard at No. 3, the San Antonio Spurs took Connecticut guard Stephon Castle at No. 4, and the Detroit Pistons rounded out the top five by adding G League Ignite forward Ron Holland.

The rest of the lottery went as follows: Salaün vs. the Charlotte Hornets at No. 6; Connecticut center Donovan Clingan to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7; Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham with the San Antonio Spurs at No. 8; Purdue center Zach Edey to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 9; Colorado moves Cody Williams to the Utah Jazz at No. 10; G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis to the Chicago Bulls at No. 11; Serbian guard Nikola Topic for the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 12; Providence guard Devin Carter with the Sacramento Kings at No. 13; and Pittsburgh guard Bub Carrington with the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 14.

The Spurs will reportedly trade Dillingham to the Minnesota Timberwolves for future picks. The Wizards will acquire Carrington and protect Malcolm Brogdon from the Blazers for forward Deni Avdija.

Without a generational headliner like Wembanyama to inspire the buzz, this year’s draft was a subdued affair. A few dozen reporters interviewed projected lottery picks at a downtown Manhattan hotel on Tuesday, and there were plenty of empty seats in the arena for Wednesday’s first round. On the eve of the draft, the Brooklyn Nets’ agreement to trade Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks overshadowed the annual festivities.

For the first time, the NBA has opted to spread its two-round draft over two days, with the made-for-television second round taking place Thursday afternoon at an ESPN facility near the Brooklyn Bridge. To avoid a conflict with the scheduled debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, the second round draft broadcast was moved to 4 p.m.

Silver opened Wednesday’s meeting by greeting Hall of Famers Jerry West and Bill Walton, both of whom passed away in the past month, and recognizing the Boston Celtics for winning their first championship since 2008. The crowd cheered loudly as the Celtics were mentioned and cheered when Bronny James, the draft-eligible son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, was shown on the big screen. The younger James was not selected in the opening round.