By , Andre Vergara
Published June 22, 2017
As expected, the Philadelphia 76ersselected point guard Markelle Fultz No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Brad Penner
The Sixers had traded up to acquire the top pick from the Celtics after Fultz impressed them in a pre-draft workout. Boston received the No. 3 overall pick (which it used to draft Duke's Jayson Tatum) and a future first-round pick.
"By adding a player of Markelle's caliber to our promising roster, we believe we're incredibly well positioned for the future," team owner Josh Harris said. "This is a tremendous night for the Sixers and our great fans."
It's the second straight year the Sixers had the top pick. They drafted LSU forward Ben Simmons No. 1 in 2016 but he didn't play last season due to a foot injury, and Philly finished 28-54. The Sixers also have the Nos. 36, 39, 46 and 50 picks.
Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 25 games during his lone college season at Washington, excelling on a team that finished 9-22 and lost its final 13 games. Fultz led the Pac-12 in scoring, finished No. 6 among all Division I players, and was the top freshman scorer in the country.
Over the past 10 seasons, only two other freshmen had a better scoring average in college: Kevin Durant for Texas in 2006-07 and Michael Beasley for Kansas State in 2007-08.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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