French basketball players are doing it right.
The Atlanta Hawks selected 6-8 forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft, making Risacher the 15th international player to go No. 1.
Risacher and 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama are the first two French players drafted No. 1 in consecutive years.
The Hawks need this pick – their first No. 1 pick since 1975 – to work out. They won the lottery with just 3% odds to get the pick, and Risacher, 19, gives Atlanta a two-way wing. He has spent his early professional career playing in France’s top pro league, and in 2023-24, he averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds and shot 43.9% from the field and 35.2% on 3-pointers this season for JL Bourg.
He was named French League Best Young Player and EuroCup Rising Star in 2023-24. Risachaer was on Wembanyama’s team with Asvel in 2021-22.
Alex Sarr, also of France, was selected No. 2 by the Washington Wizards, marking the first time French players have swept the top twospots.
Tidjane Salaun, selected sixth by the Charlotte Hornets, and Pacôme Dadiet, taken at No. 25 by the New York Knicks, had joined their French counterparts by the evening’s end.
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Read on for USA TODAY Sports’ analysis for all 30 picks from the first round of the 2024 NBA draft, news, trades and highlights:
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