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Jayhawk Makes Top NBA Draft Pick

For the first time since 1988, a member of the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team was the overall No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Andrew Wiggins Thursday night with that top pick.  Teammate Joel Embiid went third overall to the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Though some feel Wiggins disappeared in KU’s last game of the season against Stanford in the NCAA tournament, he was clearly visible when NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced him as the top pick.

Wiggins, dressed in a black-and-white floral tuxedo jacket, then walked to the stage at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., with a beaming smile. He was the first overall pick from KU since Danny Manning.

In the second round, University of Missouri point guard Jordan Clarkson was chosen by the Washington Wizards, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Also, Cleanthony Early of Wichita State University was taken in the second round by the New York Knicks.

Sports have an economic and social impact on our community and, as a sports reporter, I go beyond the scores and statistics. I also bring the human element to the sports figures who have a hand in shaping the future of not only their respective teams but our town. Reach me at gregechlin@aol.com.
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