Philadelphia 76ers select Markelle Fultz with No. 1 pick in the NBA draft


              Washington's Markelle Fultz poses for photos on the red carpet before the start of the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Washington's Markelle Fultz poses for photos on the red carpet before the start of the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK (AP) - The Philadelphia 76ers have selected guard Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

Fultz averaged 23.2 points last season at Washington, tops among freshmen, and added 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, the only Division I player to reach those stats. He walked across the stage Thursday night at Barclays Center wearing red sneakers made of basketballs.

The 76ers had the No. 1 pick for the second straight year after trading with the Boston Celtics on Monday. Now they add Fultz to a promising young core that includes Rookie of the Year finalists Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, plus Ben Simmons, the top pick from last year who sat out all season with a foot injury.

The Los Angeles Lakers have the second pick again and the Celtics moved down two spots to third after the deal with their Atlantic Division rivals.

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