All eyes are on New York as the highly anticipated NBA draft is officially underway. And once again, history repeats itself, at least for the country of France. Just last year, the Spurs drafted a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama as their first pick. Tonight, his fellow Frenchman, Zaccharie Risacher, was the first player to walk up to the podium and shake Adam Silver’s hand as the Atlanta Hawks selected him as No. 1 overall.

Seeing another French player make it to the big leagues as the top pick, Wemby could not contain his excitement and shared a 4-word message on X in his native language, “C’est la France frère” followed by multiple French flag emojis. The message in English translates to, “It’s France brother.” Even before Risacher got drafted, Victor Wembanyama deemed him the most talented prospect in this year’s draft class, which was pointed out by ESPN’s Malika Andrews as Risacher walked up to the stage.

Coming from Lyon, the 19-year-old played for Bourg in the Euro Cup earlier this year, averaging 13.1 points along with nearly 4 rebounds in 17 appearances. Apart from the club achievements, Risacher has also bagged two medals at the FIBA World Cup, bronze and silver in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Moreover, the Frenchman comes from a family of ball players as his father Stephane was also a pro basketball player who is an Olympic silver medallist and a 6-time French League All-Star. Meanwhile, Zaccharie’s sister also bagged her MVP honors at the Under 16 European Championship last summer. Coming from a family of highly accomplished athletes and an impressive resume in Europe, Zaccharie is expected to do wonders in the NBA as well.

Zaccharie Risacher is ready to do “whatever it takes to be great”

While Risacher has never played in America, the number 1 pick looks ready to take on that challenge and dominate as well. In an interview ahead of the draft, he revealed what he brings to the table. “Whatever a team wants me to do, I can do it,” he said with an open mind. With a career 3-point shooting percentage of over 40, Risacher fits the mold for today’s NBA player perfectly. Moreover, because of his 6’9 frame, he has the potential to be a great two-way player in the league as he can be productive offensively while also locking down opponents on the defensive end.

As for the team that selected him, the Atlanta Hawks could do wonders with a player like Zaccharie. While there is a lot of uncertainty around the future of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in Atlanta, in case they stay put, Zaccharie would be a great addition alongside the superstar duo. With his elite shooting and ability to run the floor, he could be the perfect running mate for Trae and get easy lobs and open shots from the three-time All-Star. More importantly, the teenager is hungry to improve his game and win.

“There is a lot of work to do. But I’ll do whatever it takes to be great,” the No. 1 pick remarked. Hopefully, he will be able to match the impact that Wemby had in his rookie year and bring glory to France again.

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