USA TODAY
The NBA welcomed its newest class of rookies to the league Thursday night during the 2021 draft from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Draft night is always a time for trades, and this year featured plenty of picks on the move. After the draft was fairly predictable at the top, things really got wild in the middle of the lottery through the first round. Several teams had multiple first-round picks and additional draft capital to swing deals that could significantly alter the league s landscape entering the 2021-22 season.
USA TODAY Sports recaps the entire 2021 NBA draft with all 60 picks, plus pick-by-pick analysis from Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina on each of the first-round selections.
Winner: Houston Rockets
Houston has a lot of work to do pivoting from the James Harden era. But the Rockets made a significant step in the draft.
First, the Rockets used their No. 2 pick on G League Ignite star Jalen Green, who has a good chance of reaching his stated goal of collecting the Rookie of the Year award and landing on an All-Defensive Team. Then, the Rockets packaged a pair of future first-round picks to Oklahoma City for the No. 16 pick that resulted in Alperen Sengun, who won the MVP of the Turkish League at only 18 years old and has plenty of upside as a big man. The same can be said about using the No. 23 pick on another international prospect (Spain’s Usman Garuba) and the No. 24 pick on a promising combo guard (Arizona State’s Josh Christopher).
July 27, 2021
Considering he’s one of the greatest Phoenix Suns players of all time, it came as a bit of a surprise for some that Charles Barkley decided to pick Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks to win the title in the NBA Finals. Barkley himself opened up about this bit of irony in a recent interview, and he also had a strong message to any Giannis naysayer left out there.
Speaking to Mark Medina of USA TODAY, Barkley revealed that in his heart, he was cheering for the Suns. However, as a basketball analyst, he knew that the Bucks held the advantage. Giannis proved to be just that, and for his part, Barkley has decided to call out any of the Greek Freak’s haters:
July 26, 2021
Pau Gasol, at 41 years old, is still playing in the Tokyo Olympics for his native Spain. According to the NBA champion big man, though, it’s all because of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
In a recent interview with Mark Medina of USA Today, Gasol shared how Kobe has inspired him to push through his career and even join the national team in a bid to win Olympic gold. While he has battled with injuries over the past few years and even considered retirement, Bryant’s legacy continues to push him pas his limits.
“I kept him in mind a lot of the days to say hey, ‘Kobe would be pushing himself, ” Gasol said of his late friend and Lakers teammate. “Kobe would not be taking this workout easy or not skipping anything. He would be really disciplined, trusting and being committed to the work. He’s always a big presence with me. He’s always going to be an inspiration and motivation in my life.”
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