NBA draft: Zion Williamson is selected first by the New Orleans Pelicans
- Published
An emotional Zion Williamson is selected as number one draft pick and joins the Pelicans
Zion Williamson has been selected as the number one pick at the NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Williamson, 18, who is 6ft 7in and 129kg, was named college player of the year after his only season for Duke in which he averaged 22.6 points.
The draft sees teams select the best young college players and eligible international talent.
"My mom sacrificed a lot for me. I wouldn't be here without her," said an emotional Williamson.
Speaking at the draft at the Barclays Center in New York, he added: "She put her dreams aside for mine. She always looked out for the family first before herself."
The Pelicans had won the NBA draft lottery, despite only having a 6% chance of getting the number one spot - the seventh best odds before the draft.
The Memphis Grizzlies used their second pick to select Ja Morant from Murray State, while the New York Knicks had the third pick and chose Duke shooting guard RJ Barrett.
De'Andre Hunter is expected to join the Atlanta Hawks as the fourth pick.
The Lakers originally owned the pick, but traded it to the Pelicans as part of the deal that took Anthony Davis to Los Angeles, and they then traded it to Atlanta.
The Cleveland Cavaliers rounded off the five picks by selecting Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland.
Bol Bol, son of former NBA player Manute Bol, was expected to be a first-round selection.
But the 19-year-old 7ft 2in centre was eventually selected in the second round as the Miami Heat acquired the 44th pick and then traded him to the Denver Nuggets.