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French top pick Risacher getting up to speed
The Straits Times
|October 25, 2024
French teenager Zaccharie Risacher has said he is staying humble as the No. 1 draft pick enters his first National Basketball Association (NBA) season with the Atlanta Hawks, following in the huge footsteps of compatriot Victor Wembanyama.
For the second year in a row, the 2024 top pick was not only a Frenchman, but like Wembanyama in 2023, Risacher came from the French domestic league rather than through the United States college system.
Just months ago, Risacher, a 19-year-old 2.06m forward, was playing in gyms holding a few thousand people for modest JL Bourg in France's top division.
Now he will be regularly performing in front of more than 15,000 people every night in the world's top league. He made his debut in the Hawks' 120-116 home win over the Brooklyn Nets on Oct 23, contributing seven points off the bench.
It has been a whirlwind.
This story is from the October 25, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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