Chapter 1259 The Rookie Wearing the Spurs No. 31 Jersey

The award ceremony ended, and the end of the 2018~2019 season finally came to an end.

Similarly, the footsteps of the new season are also quietly approaching.

Although the Men's Basketball World Cup in August has attracted much attention, but before that, the NBA still has two major events to do.

One is the free agent market that will come in July, and the other is the upcoming 2019 draft.

However, before the draft, the Pelicans officially announced a new news soon.

After Tang Tian retired, he has purchased 10% of the team's shares. He is now the small owner of the Pelicans.

And he will serve as the team's vice president, mainly responsible for team operations.

The so-called operation is basically what Dempsey is doing now.

This is actually tantamount to no change for the Pelicans.

It's just that Tang Tian originally gave advice to Dempsey in private, but now he is giving him orders publicly.

This is tantamount to disclosing past work.

For Tang Tian, ​​his first job after becoming a manager was not an easy task.

When he time traveled in his previous life, it was at the end of 2019. In other words, his eyes were opened to this point.

The next job really depends entirely on his personal ability.

However, he is not a vegetarian in this regard. With the experience of his previous life, coupled with the growth of Dempsey in the past few years, he is still capable of doing well.

The Pelicans have only one first-round pick at No. 27 this year.

Dempsey inspected several rookies, and Tang Tian probably knew about them.

However, he still let Demps try to trade a pick that was interrupted in the second round.

This year, the contracts of several players on the team expired, and the Pelicans have a lot of tasks in the draft.

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, on June 21, the NBA Draft kicks off at Madison Square Garden.

The 30-team draft teams all enter the field before the draft begins.

Tang Tian came to the scene with Dempsey and Stevens in a suit and leather shoes.

His appearance drew screams and cheers from fans of all teams on the scene.

It's just that compared to before, seeing Tang Tian as the team's management team, the feeling is always a bit weird.

This year's draft lottery has been determined before.

The No. 1 pick went to the Knicks.

Anthony left, Wall and Howard were seriously injured, and the Knicks performed poorly last season to a new level, and finally got their wish.

Apple City finally ushered in a new opportunity to rise.

The popularity of the NCAA last year was the highest in recent years, and it all stemmed from that person named Zion Williamson.

The second pick went to the Grizzlies.

The lottery results for the poor teams last year were pretty good.

The No. 3 pick went to the Hornets.

The fourth pick belongs to the 76ers.

The fifth pick belongs to the Cavaliers.

...

The number of invitations to the Little Green House this year is also the highest in history, reaching as many as 20 people.

The area of ​​the small green house is completely larger than before, and it looks very lively.

But this means that many players will end up falling out of the lottery.

In other words, this is also the most competitive draft in recent years.

After waiting for a while, Tatum came out of the backstage to the cheers of the fans.

Tatum's performance in the past season was perfect. The fans did not boo, but welcomed him with cheers. This is the greatest affirmation.

After a familiar opening speech, Tatum announced the ownership of the first pick.

The cheers at the scene exploded again, and the decibels were even louder than before.

Because the first pick belongs to the Knicks, this is the home of the Knicks, and the Knicks fans are the most present.

Five minutes later, Tatum came backstage again to announce the Knicks' final pick.

"The first pick in the first round of the NBA in 2019, the New York Knicks selected Zion Williamson, a 2.01-meter forward, from Duke University."

Without any suspense, when Williamson's name was read out, the decibels of the scene increased again.

His college highlights were also played on the large LED screen at the scene, and his performance was extremely brutal.

This is a so-called weight-enhanced version of James, and has already signed a fat contract with Nike.

It is no exaggeration to say that his momentum into the league is the greatest since James.

New Yorkers are really excited this time.

Williamson couldn't hide a smile on his face either.

Although the Knicks management sucks, it is a New York giant after all.

Starting his career in such a bustling metropolis, his commercial value would explode from the very beginning.

The Grizzlies at No. 2 are also pretty much what the draft pick predicted.

After sending away Conley and Gasol one after another, this team does not have much talent except for Wendell Carter, who was drafted last year.

So their goal is very clear, that is to choose the best talent.

Williamson was drafted away, and their goals followed suit.

Ja Morant.

In the past sophomore season, he averaged 24.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.

He is the first player to average 20 points and 10 assists per game since the NCAA has assist data in 1980.

He led Murray State into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and he won the NCAA Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard of the Year).

In terms of talent, he is the No. 1 point guard in this year's draft.

In the era when point guards were prevalent, there wasn't much suspense about this choice.

The suspense is the third pick.

RJ Barrett, who was optimistic before, performed mediocre at Duke University. DeAndre Hunter and Darius Garland are both possible choices for this pick.

It depends on how boss Joe chooses.

Jordan unexpectedly chose Bamba last year. As a result, Bamba suffered injuries in his rookie season and his performance was mediocre.

So what choice Boss Joe will make, and even what kind of mood the selected person will be, are very interesting things.

Five minutes later, under the expectant eyes of the fans, including Tang Tian, ​​Tatum walked out of the draft backstage for the third time.

"The third overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA season, the Charlotte Hornets select... RJ Barrett, a 6-foot-1 shooting guard from Duke."

When the results of this draft came out, everyone reacted differently.

Some people feel that Boss Joe is rarely seeking stability this year.

Some people think it's very Jordan, because Barrett is famous, but he really didn't play well at Duke University.

Regardless, Barrett ended up being a top-three pick.

He looked in good spirits as he walked briskly onto the stage in a Hornets hat.

Shake hands with Tatum and take photos.

Right after this, he did not step off the stage immediately, but unbuttoned his suit in front of so many people, and then revealed the clothes inside.

It wasn't a shirt, it was a jersey, a jersey that looked a little old.

No. 31 for the Spurs.

If it was ten years earlier, no one would know who the jersey belonged to.

But now, everyone knows.

This is the jersey Tang Tian wore when he was with the Spurs!

The scene exploded.

Originally, they didn't like Barrett very much, but now it seems that Barrett is a fan of Tang Tian!