Former Hamilton Heights Christian Academy standout Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was taken by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th overall pick of the NBA draft Thursday night in New York.
He was soon after traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for their No. 12 pick and two second-round picks.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who played for the Chattanooga school as a junior and senior from 2016 to 2018, is a native of Toronto. The 6-foot-6, 180-pounder was the University of Kentucky’s starting point guard as a freshman this past season, when he was named MVP of the Southeastern Conference tournament after leading the Wildcats to the league title.
The Hornets have gone 36-46 each of the past two seasons. They haven’t made the playoffs since going 48-34 in 2015-16.
The Clippers missed the playoffs last season, when they went 42-40 and ended a string of six straight postseason appearances.
The Phoenix Suns selected University of Arizona center Deandre Ayton (7-0, 261) with the No. 1 pick, with Duke’s Marvin Bagley III taken by the Sacramento Kings at No. 2, Slovenia’s Luka Doncic taken with the third pick by the Atlanta Hawks and Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr. going fourth to the Memphis Grizzlies.