Cavaliers Choose Wiggins With First Pick

BROOKLYN: The Cleveland Cavaliers dipped into the Canadian talent pool for the second-straight year by making Andrew Wiggins the top pick in the National Basketball Association's entry draft on Thursday night.

Wiggins' selection comes one year after the Cavaliers took his Canadian compatriot Anthony Bennett with the first-overall pick. "It is a great thing for Canada," he said. "Now we have two back-to-back. It opens so many doors for all kids in Canada."

American forward Jabari Parker went to the Milwaukee Bucks with the number two pick, while the Philadelphia 76ers took Cameroon centre Joel Embiid, who wasn't at the Barclays Center arena, third overall.

Orlando took power forward Aaron Gordon at number four and Utah selected Australian shooting guard Dante Exum fifth. The Cavaliers picked number one again after winning last month's draft lottery as a longshot.

Wiggins, of Toronto, is the son of ex-NBA player Mitchell Wiggins and former Canadian Olympic sprinter Marita Payne. "I always wanted to be the number one pick, but I knew come draft night you never know what to expect," Wiggins said.

The Sacramento Kings also took Canadian guard Nik Stauskas eighth overall, with four of the top eight picks international players. Exum, who will turn 19 next month, is not as well known as some of the other prospects because he decided to skip going to a US college to enter the draft.

"I am just a kid from Melbourne," said Exum, who had the Australian flag sewn into the lining of his suit. "I just got drafted, so I guess I am not a mystery anymore."

Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart went sixth to Boston, forward Julius Randle was taken seventh by the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte took Indiana's Noah Vonleh ninth and Philadelphia rounded out the top 10 by selecting guard Elfrid Payton.

AFP