Zion Williamson, who starred for Duke in 2018-19, his lone season in college basketball, smiles before the NBA draft Thursday night in New York. Williamson, as expected, was taken No. 1 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans.NEW YORK - Zion Williamson plays basketball with force and ferocity, a Hulk in hightops who looks as though he would never show a soft side.
Draft night proved otherwise.
Williamson was the No. 1 pick of the New Orleans Pelicans - a surprise to nobody who watched him as a freshman this past season at Duke. He couldn't hide his emotions later, though, despite the fact he along with everyone else knew what would happen Thursday to start the NBA draft.
"Because I love the game of basketball," he said. "You can hear people say that it was likely I was going to go No. 1. But I guess you don't know until you actually go through it. Hearing my name called, and I was able to make it on stage without a tear, shake the commissioner's hand, but in the interview my mom was standing beside me and my emotions just took over."
There might be tears of joy in New Orleans, too, after the Pelicans were able to get the 6-foot-7, 285-pound powerhouse who is considered one of the league's most exciting prospects in years. He compiled a career worth of highlights in just one college season, becoming the third freshman to be named men's college basketball player of the year by The Associated Press.
His assault on the rims made him a favorite of fans, but his game is more than just dunks. Williamson averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 68% from the field.
Wearing a white suit, he hugged members of his family and NBA commissioner Adam Silver after his name was called first at Barclays Center. Williamson will step into an open position in New Orleans, which recently agreed to trade All-Star big man Anthony Davis - the last freshman before Williamson to win the AP award - to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I'm going to do anything to win," Williamson said. "I'm just going to do anything to win."
The Memphis Grizzlies also quickly addressed a positional need by taking Murray State's Ja Morant with the No. 2 pick. The Grizzlies agreed to trade Mike Conley, their longtime point guard, to the Utah Jazz a day earlier. Morant led Division I players this past season with 10 assists per game as a sophomore while averaging 24.5 points.
"I have some big shoes to fill in (replacing) Mike Conley," Morant said. "He's a great player. I wish him the best. Like I said before, it just means the Grizzlies see a lot in me."
RJ Barrett then made it two Duke freshmen within the top three picks when the New York Knicks took the guard who actually edged out Williamson to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Knicks fans hoped they would get Williamson after finishing this past season with the worst record in the league but seemed happy to end up with Barrett, loudly cheering and chanting "RJ! RJ!" when the pick was announced.
"That was great," Barrett said. "I'm glad that the city wants me here as much as I want to be here."
De'Andre Hunter of national champion Virginia was taken fourth but won't be teaming up with Williamson. The Pelicans acquired the rights to the pick in the Davis deal, but shortly before the draft they agreed to trade it to the Atlanta Hawks. The original trade can't be official until July 6, so Hunter was outfitted with a Los Angeles Lakers hat, and the draft board behind the stage listed the pick as belonging to the Lakers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers then took Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland, who played in just five games this past season as a freshman because of a knee injury. Then it was another pick who won't be playing for the team that made it, with Jarrett Culver taken at No. 6 by the Phoenix Suns with a pick they agreed to trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 11 choice.
That turned out to be Cameron Johnson, the second University of North Carolina player to be drafted after Chicago took Coby White at No. 7. The Hawks drafted Texas forward Jaxson Hayes with the No. 8 pick, though he'll end up with the Pelicans, and Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura, who's from Japan, went ninth to the Washington Wizards.
Duke's Cam Reddish went 10th to the Hawks, making the Blue Devils the first team to have three players drafted in the first 10 picks since Florida had Al Horford taken third, Corey Brewer seventh and Joakim Noah ninth after winning the 2007 national championship.
After Culver was chosen, a pair of Kentucky Wildcats became back-to-back selections, with P.J. Washington going 12th to the Charlotte Hornets and Tyler Herro 13th to the Miami Heat.
The numerous trades caused some confusion in Barclays Center beyond just players wearing hats of teams whose uniforms they won't don. A brief "Brooklyn! Brooklyn!" chant broke out when the Nets were on the clock at No. 17, but the Nets had already agreed to deal that pick to the Hawks - who will send him on to the Pelicans - in yet another swap that won't become official until July 6.
That pick was Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who played at Chattanooga's Hamilton Heights Christian Academy before going on to Virginia Tech. Brandon Clarke (No. 21, Oklahoma City Thunder, expected to trade to Memphis) and Mfiondu Kabengele (No. 27, Brooklyn, expected to trade to Los Angeles Clippers) followed Barrett and Alexander-Walker in being drafted, giving Canada its best showing with four first-round picks.
The overall record for draft picks from outside the United States was set when France had five players selected in 2016.