RealGM Wiretap
The 20-year-old Andrew Bogut was the first selection in this year's draft. Utah is the first school to have players picked first in both the NBA and NFL drafts in the same year. Quarterback Alex Smith was drafted No. 1 by the San Francisco 49ers in April.
Milwaukee had been debating whether to take Bogut or North Carolina small forward Marvin Williams with the franchise's first overall No. 1 pick since 1994, when the Bucks selected Glenn Robinson. In the end, the lure of a versatile, athletic 7-footer with Olympic experience was too much to pass up.
"Adding the quality and the competitor in Andrew Bogut, we really feel we're solid in the center position," Bucks general manager Larry Harris said.
The Atlanta Hawks chose Williams second, and the 19-year-old player flashed a bright smile at Stern while shaking the commissioner's hand. The 6-foot-9 small forward was a sixth man for the Tar Heels, who were expecting to have at least four players from their national championship team chosen in the first round.
Illinois junior point guard Deron Williams went third to the Jazz, who sent three first-round picks -- Nos. 6 and 27 in this year's draft, plus a 2006 first-round pick -- to the Trail Blazers earlier Tuesday. The 6-foot-3 Williams was the first of several point guards chosen in the first round.
New Orleans selected fourth and also chose a playmaker, picking Wake Forest sophomore guard Chris Paul, and the Charlotte Bobcats took North Carolina junior point guard Raymond Felton at No. 5.
High school senior Martell Webster of Seattle Prep went No. 6 to Portland, making him the first prep player taken in a draft notable for its historical significance. It likely marked the final time high school players would be eligible to jump directly to the pros -- the route chosen by Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Jermaine O'Neal and others.
Under terms of the new six-year collective bargaining agreement to take effect in July, high school players will have to wait one year after their class graduates to become draft eligible.