76ers take Fultz, Lakers grab Ball to start NBA draft

The No. 1 overall pick in this National Basketball Association draft has become an instant fan favorite before signing his rookie contract.

The former Washington Huskies star was the consensus No. 1 pick heading into tonight, and was projected to land with the Boston Celtics before the 76ers and Celtics swapped picks and Boston received an extra pick in next year’s draft.

The Los Angeles Lakers followed by taking Lonzo Ball as the draft started with a pair of freshmen point guards. Nothing materialized, though coach Stan Van Gundy said he told the entire team: “I’ll never, ever say to anyone, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll never trade you'”. “I don’t think they play as hard as I do, period”. Known for his outstanding passing ability, Simmons can also score the ball whenever he wants because of his size and ability to get to the basket easily.

It seemed that a Fultz/Boston Celtics marriage was likely in the lead-up to the draft. “I did”, he said.

“The thing that I realized is that there was no other player that I saw that was a better fit for (Embiid and Simmons) than Markelle, for a variety of reasons”, Brown said. “That’s what we talked about”. “Last night I was just sitting down thinking about hearing my name called and it was unreal really, once I heard my name called, it was like God calling me so I’m just happy”.

Long the league laughingstock, it’s the Sixers’ turn to clap back, with Embiid and Ben Simmons poking fun on Twitter at Lonzo Ball and his father, LaVar. “And for those of us who’ve been able to have a hand in both of [their development], they’re two, not just great athletes and teammates, but two great individuals”, Fultz said.

“We don’t need that attention”, Kentucky guard Malik Monk said. There’s going to be bumps in the road, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got to change your goal.

“The future first-round pick that Boston will receive will be the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, provided that such pick is No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, or No. 5 in the 2018 NBA Draft”.

The incongruity of the school’s first-ever No. 1 pick playing for one of the worst teams in program history is surely not lost on UW supporters.

Fultz became the 14th UW Huskies standout taken in the first round of the National Basketball Association draft. The fans at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn were packed with a whole lot of Sixers and Celtics fans. But instead of replacing the placeholders with his new team, he left them for the world to see and chuckle at.