By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – The French revolution in the NBA continued on Wednesday when Zaccharie Risacher was selected first overall by the Atlanta Hawks and fellow Frenchman Alex Sarr was picked second by the Washington Wizards.
It marked the second consecutive year that a player from France was taken first after the San Antonio Spurs chose Victor Wembanyama, who went on to win rookie of the year honors, last year.
Another Frenchman, Tidjane Salaun, was taken sixth by the Charlotte Hornets this year.
Risacher, 19, was named the French league’s best young player as a member of JL Bourg-en-Bresse last season and is an excellent three point shooter and elite defender with room to grow his game.
“It’s a blessing, it’s so exciting,” Risacher said.
“There are a lot of feelings and emotions right now. I don’t know what to say.”
Risacher joins a Hawks team that missed the playoffs after finishing 36-46 last season.
Sarr, 19, joins the Wizards from the Perth Wildcats in the Australian league and he has also played in the U.S. and Europe.
A versatile big man who can protect the rim and shoot three pointers, Sarr will look to provide a spark for a rebuilding Wizards team following a woeful 15-67 campaign.
“Everywhere I played built me for this moment,” Sarr said.
Reed Sheppard was chosen third by the Houston Rockets, Stephon Castle was taken fourth by the Spurs and Ron Holland was taken by the Detroit Pistons to round out the top five selections.
France has produced more NBA players than any other country outside of North America, including four-time champion Tony Parker, four-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert, Joakim Noah, Nicolas Batum, and Boris Diaw.
The big night for France at the draft comes with a month to go before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris.
The U.S. beat France to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Games three years ago and France, led my Wembanyama, will be out for revenge on home soil this summer.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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