Jeremy Sochan highest UK NBA Draft pick of all time

NBA Draft 2022 Presented by State Farm® was held on Thursday, June 23, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., reaching fans in 214 countries and territories in 31 languages. A total of 19 international players from 11 countries were selected: six in the first round and a record 13 in the second round.

Canadian Bennedict Mathurin (6^th overall, Indiana Pacers), who has ties to Haiti, and Australian Dyson Daniels (8^th, New Orleans Pelicans) became the second and third graduates of the NBA Academy program to be drafted into the NBA. With the selections of Mathurin, Daniels, Shaedon Sharpe (7^th) and Jeremy Sochan (9^th), at least two international players have now been selected in the top 10 in each of the last 10 NBA Drafts.

Eight players who participated in Basketball Without Borders (BWB) were drafted, and at least 10 international players have been drafted every year since 2000.

Below please find storylines about the international players selected in NBA Draft 2022. Transcripts of media availability sessions with draftees who attended the Draft in person are available at https://asaptext.com/orgs/nbadraft/.

International Players Selected in NBA Draft 2022 Presented by State Farm®

1. Bennedict Mathurin (Canada, ties to Haiti; University of Arizona; NBA Academy Latin America) was selected 6^th overall by the Pacers, becoming the second graduate of the NBA Academy program to be drafted into the NBA after Australian Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder; NBA Global Academy) became the first last year. Mathurin is the highest-drafted Canadian player since RJ Barrett, who was selected 3^rd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, and the seventh Canadian player selected in the top 10. The Pac-12 Player of the Year attended NBA Academy Latin America in Mexico from 2018-2020, becoming the first Canadian to join the NBA Academy program. He participated in BWB Americas 2019 in Colombia and BWB Global 2020 in Chicago during NBA All-Star 2020, where he was named an All-Star.

2. Shaedon Sharpe (Canada; University of Kentucky) was selected 7^th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. With the selection of fellow countryman Mathurin at 6^th overall, this marks the second time that two Canadian players have been selected in the top 10 of the same draft. Andrew Wiggins and Nik Stauskas were selected 1^st and 8^th overall, respectively, in the 2014 NBA Draft. There were a record 18 Canadian players on 2021-22 opening-night NBA rosters.

3. Dyson Daniels (Australia; G League Ignite; NBA Global Academy) was selected 8^th overall by the Pelicans, becoming the third graduate of the NBA Academy program to be drafted into the NBA. Daniels attended NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia from 2019-2021, where he was teammates with Giddey before signing with G League Ignite. Mathurin and Daniels competed against one another at several NBA Academy events and as teammates on an NBA Academy Select Team that won the prestigious 2020 Torneo Junior Ciutat de L’Hospitalet in Barcelona, Spain. Daniels was the second NBA Academy graduate to sign with G League Ignite, after India’s Princepal Singh (NBA Academy India; NBA Global Academy) in 2020. This marks the third straight year that an Australian player has been selected in the first round (Giddey 6^th overall in 2021; Josh Green 18^th overall in 2020).

4. Jeremy Sochan (United Kingdom, ties to Poland and the U.S.; Baylor University) was selected 9^th overall by the San Antonio Spurs, becoming the highest-drafted UK player of all time and the first since OG Anunoby, who was selected 23^rd overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Sochan is a Polish citizen and has played for the Poland Senior Men’s National Team.

5. Ousmane Dieng (France, ties to Senegal; New Zealand Breakers) was selected 11^th overall by the New York Knicks (traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder), marking the seventh consecutive year at least one French player has been selected.

6. Nikola Jović (Serbia; Mega Basket) was selected 27^th overall by the Miami Heat, becoming the fifth Serbian player selected in the first round, and 16^th overall, in the last 10 years. This also marks the fourth consecutive year that at least one player from Serbia has been selected. There were five Serbian players on 2021-22 opening-night rosters, tied for fifth most of any country outside the U.S.

7. Andrew Nembhard (Canada; Gonzaga University) was selected 31^st overall by the Pacers, giving Canada at least three draft picks for the second time in the last four years. Nembhard participated in BWB Global 2017 in New Orleans during NBA All-Star 2017.

8. Caleb Houstan (Canada; University of Michigan) was selected 32^nd overall by the Orlando Magic, becoming the 12^th Canadian drafted since 2019. With this year’s selections of fellow countrymen Mathurin (6^th), Sharpe (7^th) and Nembhard (31^st), four Canadians have been selected in same draft for the third time (2019 and 2014).

9. Christian Koloko (Cameroon; University of Arizona) was selected 33^rd overall by the Toronto Raptors, becoming the first Cameroonian player to be drafted since Raptors teammate Pascal Siakam, who was selected 27^th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. He is the third highest-drafted Cameroonian player of all time, behind Joel Embiid (3^rd overall, 2014) and Siakam, and the fourth former BWB Africa camper from Cameroon to be drafted, joining Siakam (2012), Embiid (2011) and Luc Mbah a Moute (2003). Koloko participated in BWB Africa 2017 in Senegal and BWB Global 2018 in Los Angeles during NBA All-Star 2018.

10. Gabriele Procida (Italy; Fortitudo Bologna) was selected 36^th overall by the Trail Blazers, becoming the first player from Italy to be drafted since Nico Mannion, who was selected 48^th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Procida participated in BWB Europe 2019 in Latvia.

11. Khalifa Diop (Senegal; Gran Canaria) was selected 39^th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming the first Senegalese player to be drafted since Gorgui Dieng, who was selected 21^st overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. Diop participated in BWB Global 2019 in Charlotte, N.C., during NBA All-Star 2019.

12. Moussa Diabate (France; University of Michigan) was selected 43^rd overall by the LA Clippers. Diabate participated in BWB Global 2020 in Chicago as part of NBA All-Star 2020.

13. Ismael Kamagate (France; Paris Basket) was selected 46^th overall by the Detroit Pistons. There were 12 French players on 2021-22 opening-night rosters, second most of any country outside the U.S.

14. Matteo Spagnolo (Italy; Vanoli Cremona) was selected 50^th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, marking the first time that two Italian players have been selected in the same draft (Procida, 36^th).

15. Karlo Matković (Bosnia and Herzegovina; Mega Mozzart) was selected 52^nd overall by the Pelicans, becoming the first player from Bosnia and Herzegovina to be drafted since Dzanan Musa, who was selected 29^th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Matković participated in BWB Europe 2018 in Serbia.

16. Yannick Nzosa (Democratic Republic of the Congo; Unicaja Málaga) was selected 54^th overall by the Washington Wizards, becoming the sixth player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be drafted and the second in the last two years, joining Jonathan Kuminga (7^th overall, 2021). There are more than 100 current and former NBA players from Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, including a record-tying 14 on 2021-22 opening-night rosters.

17. Gui Santos (Brazil; Minas) was selected 55^th overall by the Golden State Warriors, becoming the first Brazilian player to be drafted since Marcos Louzada Silva, who was selected 35^th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. Santos participated in BWB Americans 2019 in Colombia.

18. Luke Travers (Australia; Perth Wildcats) was selected 56^th overall by the Cavaliers, giving Australia two selections in the same draft (Daniels, 8^th) for the first time since 2014. There were seven players from Australia on 2021-22 opening-night rosters, tied for third most of any country outside the U.S.

19. Hugo Besson (France; New Zealand Breakers) was selected 58^th overall by the Pacers. With this year’s selections of fellow countrymen Dieng (11^th), Diabate (43^rd) and Kamagate (46^th), France had four total selections, the second most in history (five, 2016). Besson is the 21^st player from France to be drafted in the last 10 years.

International Players in the NBA

• Opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 NBA season featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries, including a record number of players from Canada (18), Germany (seven) and the Bahamas (three), and a record-tying number of players from Nigeria (five).

• This marked the eighth consecutive season that opening-night rosters featured at least 100 international players.

• The Toronto Raptors led the league with a record-tying 10 international players from a record nine countries on opening-night rosters.

• A record 41 players on opening-night rosters participated in Basketball Without Borders (BWB), the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program, prior to their NBA careers.

• Two international players have won the last four NBA MVP awards: Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia; 2021-22, 2020-21) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece, ties to Nigeria; 2019-20, 2018-19).

• For the first time, the three MVP finalists for the 2021-22 season were all international players: Antetokounmpo, Jokić and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011).

• Also for the first time, at least three international players have been named All-NBA First Team in two consecutive seasons. The 2021-22 All-NBA First Team featured a record-tying three international players (Antetokounmpo, Jokić and Luka Dončić). Five or more international players have made an All-NBA Team in each of the last four seasons (since 2018-19).