NEW YORK – The Philadelphia area’s impact on the NBA draft at the Barclays Center was undeniable. Two players with local roots were picked in the top 10. One was traded after he thought he was going to play with his hometown team. Two other players with local ties went No. 17 and No. 18.
This was no ordinary draft.
As for players with Philadelphia-area roots, University of Texas center Mohamed Bamba, the former all-American from the Westtown School, went No. 6 overall to the Orlando Magic. Bamba will enter the NBA with high expectations.
“When it’s all said and done, I want to be walking across the stage and I want to be putting on a jacket that has this little seal that says “Hall of Fame,” Bamba said in his news conference afterward.