Former Perth Wildcats Next Star dynamo Alex Sarr has realised his NBA dream, picked by the Washington Wizards with the second overall selection in the 2024 draft.
Having been projected as a top-two pick, there was little surprise as Commissioner Adam Silver read out the selection inside the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn.
Sarr embraced his family as he made his way to the stage to collect his Wizards cap.
“Everywhere I’ve played has built me for this moment,” an emotional Sarr told ESPN directly after the selection.
“(My brother) shared a lot with me. Everything I’ve learnt is through him, and he gave me all of his knowledge, and it’s special to have someone like him in my corner.
“I know what it’s like to go undrafted (through Olivier), and to be a top pick now is really special.”
Sarr’s brother, Olivier, already plays in the NBA for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Atlanta Hawks made history with the first pick, selecting French talent at No.1 for the second season in a row with two-way wing Zaccharie Risacher, the first time it has ever happened after Victor Wembanyama went first last season.
It was the Hawk’s first top pick since 1975, with Risacher to join stars Trey Young and Dejounte Murray.
Houston took Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, who has been working out with champion point Chris Paul, with the third pick.
The announcer gave the Wildcats a shout-out as Sarr was given a star’s introduction before the selections got underway.
Sarr shared what being drafted meant to him ahead of the event.
“I have a great team around me, (agent) Bill Duffy and WME and they have already been through all of this, and I trust them. I’m not going to get into the specifics of where I worked out and where I didn’t, but I have been doing my best in my workouts, and that’s all I control,” Sarr said in New York on Thursday before the draft.
“I mean, of course, as a competitor, but for me, it is more important to be drafted.
“At the end of the day, that is what’s most important, and you have just got to be grateful for that.”
The seven foot centre played a sixth-man role for the Wildcats in their run to the NBL semifinals last season.
Wildcats general manager of basketball Danny Mills was in New York for a pre-draft event for Next Star players and reunited with Sarr and his family.
NBA DRAFT TOP 5
1. Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher, France, JL Bourg-en-Bresse (France)
2. Washington Wizards: Alexandre Sarr, France, Perth Wildcats (NBL Next Stars, Australia)
3. Houston Rockets: Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
4. San Antonio Spurs: Stephon Castle, Connecticut
5. Detroit Pistons: Ron Holland II, NBA G League Ignite