The 2023 NBA draft came to an end Thursday night. The highlights included No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, one of the tallest players in league history, his teammate in France, along with twin brothers selected with consecutive picks and two guys named Kobe.
In the end, 58 players were selected by NBA teams. Most of the selected players were born in the United States, but there were players who were born in countries such as France, Serbia, Canada and Nigeria. Four players came from the NBA’s G League and two others from a fledgling NBA preparatory league.
The draft started with the expected, the San Antonio Spurs selecting Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 or 7-foot-5 French phenom. Wembanyama, the most heralded and hyped player since LeBron James, is poised to alter the trajectory of the Spurs in a similar way as Tim Duncan did when he was the No. 1 pick in the 1997 NBA draft. Duncan led the Spurs to four NBA titles during his career.
Depending on his actual height, at 7-foot-5 Wembanyama would be the tallest player currently in the NBA. If he measures at 7-4, he would tie Boban Marjanovic as the tallest current player.
Wembanyama wasn’t the only player from France to be selected. Bilal Coulibaly, Wembanyama’s teammate on the Metropolitan 92s team in France, was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the No. 7 pick. Coulibaly was traded to the Washington Wizards for Jarace Walker, who the Wizards selected with the No. 8 pick.
Two other French players were selected. Rayan Rupert was selected by the Trail Blazers in the second round (No. 43) and Sidy Sissoko was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the following pick.
Other players from different countries included James Nnaji of Nigeria, who was selected by the Pistons in the second round (No. 31). Tristan Vukcevic of Serbia, who was selected by the Washington Wizards in the second round (No. 42). Tarik Biberovic of Turkey was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the final pick of the second round (No. 58).
Twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson became the first twins selected in the top-10 of the same draft in league history. The Houston Rockets used the No. 4 overall pick to select Amen, a point guard. The Detroit Pistons used the No. 5 pick to select Ausar, a wing player. Both players skipped their senior year in high school, rebuffed college scholarship offers and signed a deal to play in the Overtime Elite league during the past two seasons. The league started in 2021 and consists of players age 16 to 20.
Speaking of twins, the Blazers used the No. 23 pick to select forward Kris Murray out of Iowa. Murray is the twin brother of Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray.
Kobe Bufkin’s mother insists her son was not named after the late legend Kobe Bryant. However, Bufkin says he was named after him and now he’ll get a chance to play in the NBA after the Atlanta Hawks used the No. 15 pick to select him. Bufkin played at Michigan.
Bufkin was selected five slots ahead of Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, who was selected by the Rockets with the No. 20 pick. Whitmore was initially expected to be a lottery pick, if not a top-five pick. However, there were reports that Whitmore’s weak individual workouts and medical issues caused him to fall.
Kobe Brown from Missouri was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 30th and final pick of the first round. This Kobe was named after the late legend after Brown’s father was impressed following a meeting with Joe Bryant, Kobe’s father.
