The Washington Wizards selected Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura with the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA draft Thursday night.
Hachimura, 21, is the first Japanese-born player to be drafted in the first round.
A 6-foot-9 power forward with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Hachimura played three seasons for Gonzaga, a mid-major power, and averaged 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a junior. The Bulldogs were one of the few teams to beat Zion Williamson and Duke in 2018-19.
Hachimura grew up in Japan, the son of a Japanese mother and a father from the African country of Benin.
On the ESPN broadcast of the draft, Hachimura thanked his junior high school coach for believing in his pro potential.
“He literally pointed at me the first time I went to practice. He said I’m going to the NBA,” Hachimura said. “And I believed in him and I trusted in him.”
The Wizards also had Duke forward Cam Reddish and French forward Sekou Doumbouya still on the board, among others.
Acting general manager Tommy Sheppard, the senior vice president of basketball operations, called the pick in to league officials. Sheppard is serving in the GM role because the Wizards have yet to replace Ernie Grunfeld after firing him in April.
Sheppard called Hachimura a “fantastic person” and a “late bloomer.”
“We knew it was going to be him (at No. 9),” Sheppard said. “It was very close with a couple players, but I think the fact of where he’s at in his potential and his trajectory, we feel great about him. He’s ready to play next year — I don’t think there’s gonna be remedial teaching that has to happen for him. I think he can hit the court.”
The Wizards didn’t seriously consider trading back from No. 9, Sheppard said, because they felt other teams were “in hot pursuit” of Hachimura.
“When we got the call, we kind of knew who they might be calling about. Just say ’Thank you’ and hang up, and we took our guy,” Sheppard said.
Wizards coach Scott Brooks said he spoke to Gonzaga coach Mark Few on the phone Thursday morning.
“He told me a few things that were very important to me as a coach that you want in a player,” Brooks said. “(Hachimura) works, he works every day. He said you’re never going to ever worry about him in that area.”
Brooks also addressed the flux the Wizards’ front office is in without a full-time general manager.
“I would be worried if Tommy wasn’t here and if it was just me,” Brooks said. “I’d be worried. I’d let you guys know you should be worried as well. But the last couple of months, I’ve seen Tommy and his staff in place and working hard every day and preparing for this pick.
“I trust Ted’s (Leonsis) decision, but I like what Tommy has done. I think he’s done an excellent job and we definitely worked well together during this process.”
Hachimura joins a bare-bones Wizards roster with only five players (including the injured John Wall) under guaranteed contracts for 2019-20, plus a team option on forward Jabari Parker to consider.
The New Orleans Pelicans made Duke star Zion Williamson the No. 1 overall pick in a long-presumed move. Williamson shed tears as he thanked his mother for sacrificing for him so he could chase his basketball dreams. Asked what he had to say to the fans in New Orleans, Williamson quipped, “Let’s dance.”
Murray State point guard Ja Morant, a breakout star last season at a mid-major college, went second to the Memphis Grizzlies. Duke forward R.J. Barrett was chosen third overall by the New York Knicks.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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