The Sportsletter - NBA Draft: Round 1 Rewind ⏪

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BY JEFF YODER

JUNE 27, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

A night of draft dreams, home run highlights and global soccer take us one step closer to the weekend. And after months (nay, years) of speculation, the LeBron-Bronny father-son duo could become reality tonight.

🗓️ Holiday Schedule: The Sportsletter Team will be taking a break next week (July 1-5). You’ll still receive two abbreviated editions from us before the July 4 holiday. Tomorrow’s edition will be our last normal newsletter until we return on Monday, July 8. Enjoy.

Letter Rip!

  NBA DRAFT  

The Round 1 Rewind ⏪

Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images

French Phenoms Go 1-2, UConn Duo Picked Top-7, Zach Edey Goes No. 9 (Grizzlies) & Dalton Knecht Slides to No. 17 (Lakers)

Last night’s Round 1 of the NBA Draft certainly felt weird — a Wednesday night, less firepower and more "depth" made things a bit interesting. As expected, the two French phenoms, Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks) and Alex Sarr (Wizards), were drafted 1-2. Those rangy wing-forwards could be special, but they're a bit unknown to American fans. From there, Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard (Rockets), UConn’s Stephon Castle (Spurs), and G-League star Ron Holland (Pistons) filled out the top five. UConn’s other star player, Donovan Clingan (Blazers), fell to the No. 7 pick.

NCAA Biggest Stars: A few high-profile names from the NCAA season were intriguing to watch, and few analysts really knew where they'd fall. The 7-foot-4 monster from Purdue, Zach Edey (Grizzlies), was selected by Memphis at No. 9. The biggest slide of Round 1 was Tennessee sharpshooter Dalton Knecht. He fell into the Lakers’ lap at No. 17 — a shiny toy for former 3-point specialist J.J. Redick.

Round 1 featured two trades in the lottery and four trades overall, including a big one at No. 8 between the Spurs and T-Wolves. Here’s a full look at Round 1 before Round 2 tonight (4:00 pm ET, ESPN).

2024 NBA Draft (Round 1)

1. Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher (F, France)

2. Wizards: Alex Sarr (C, France)

3. Rockets: Reed Sheppard (G, Kentucky)

4. Spurs: Stephon Castle (G, UConn)

5. Pistons: Ron Holland (SF, G-League)

6. Hornets: Tidjane Salaun (F. France)

7. Blazers: Donovan Clingan (C, UConn)

8. Timberwolves: Rob Dillingham (G, Kentucky)

9. Grizzlies: Zach Edey (C, Purdue)

10. Jazz: Cody Williams (SF, Colorado)

Picks 11-20

11. Bulls: Matas Buzelis (SF, G-League)

12. Thunder: Nikola Topic (G, Serbia)

13. Kings: Devin Carter (G, Providence)

14. Wizards: Bub Carrington (G, Pittsburgh)

15. Heat: Kel’el Ware (C, Indiana)

16. 76ers: Jared McCain (G, Duke)

17. Lakers: Dalton Knecht (SG, Tennessee)

18. Magic: Tristan Da Silva (F, Colorado)

19. Raptors: Ja’Kobe Walter (G, Baylor)

20. Cavaliers: Jaylon Tyson (G, California)

Picks 21-30

21. Pelicans: Yves Missi (C, Baylor)

22. Nuggets: DaRon Holmes (C, Dayton)

23. Bucks: A.J. Johnson (G, NBL)

24. Wizards: Kyshawn George (G, Miami)

25. Knicks: Pacome Dadiet (G, France)

26. Thunder: Dillon Jones (G, Weber State)

27. Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr. (G, Illinois)

28. Suns: Ryan Dunn (F, Virginia)

29. Jazz: Isaiah Collier (G, USC)

30. Celtics: Baylor Scheierman (SF, Marquette)

NBA Draft Tracker (Complete)

Round 2 (Tonight, 4:00 pm ET, ESPN)

Read More

The Ringer: Grading Every Pick From Round 1 of the NBA Draft

AP: Hawks Make French Teen Zaccharie Risacher 2nd No. 1 Overall Pick in Franchise History

CBS Sports: NBA Draft Grades: Pick-by-Pick Analysis for Round 1 as Lakers Land Steal & Knicks Make Surprise Trades

  MLB  

Bombs Away 💣

Photo: Kevork Dejansezian / Getty Images

MLB Home Run Race: Aaron Judge (30th), Gunnar Henderson (26th) & Shohei Ohtani (25th) All Go Yard in Night of Blasts

The Home Run Derby quickly becomes the center of attention in the mid-summer MLB story arch, but it’s still two weeks out. In the meantime, the in-season home run race is just as exhilarating. Each of the top three sluggers raked one over the fence on Wednesday night — Aaron Judge (30), Gunnar Henderson (26) and Shohei Ohtani (25). Ohtani’s leadoff blast marked his 10th straight game with an RBI — a Dodgers’ franchise record. Henderson might be on his way to one of the best seasons in Orioles’ history. Judge is chasing 60 again while his Yankees fight their way out of a slump.

Let’s check in on the MLB home run race before July and the Home Run Derby, but remember there’s a long way to go.

MLB Home Run Race (Top-10)

1. Aaron Judge (NYY) — 30 HRs

2. Gunnar Henderson (BAL) — 26 HRs

3. Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — 25 HRs

T4. Jose Ramirez (CLE) — 21 HRs

T4. Marcell Ozuna (ATL) — 21 HRs

T4. Anthony Santander (BAL) — 21 HRs

T7. Bryce Harper (PHI) — 20 HRs

T7. Josh Naylor (CLE) — 20 HRs

T9. Juan Soto (NYY) — 19 HRs

T9. Kyle Tucker (HOU) — 19 HRs

Read More

B/R: The Dream Field for the 2024 MB Home Run Derby

MLB: 30 Sluggers We Want to See in the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby

MLB Quick-Hitters

Mets Sweep Subway Series

Something has erupted from the Mets in the past few weeks. They ran roughshod on the Yankees again last night (12-2) to sweep this week’s Subway Series and climb back to .500 on the year. Francisco Alvarez held the big stick (3-for-3, HR, 3 RBIs). They’re 15-4 since June 3rd.

Chourio, Crew Win Via Walk-Off

The Brewers topped the Rangers last night (6-5) with many magic moments in Milwaukee. Jackson Chourio dug in for an inside-the-park home run in the 5th inning before Andruw Monasterio knocked in the game-winning run with a walk-off single in the 9th. The Crew have won four straight.

Welcome to the Show, ‘Big Christmas’!

The Orioles may have cooled off the red-hot Guardians on Wednesday (4-2), but Cleveland newcomer Jhonkensy Noel (a.k.a. ‘Big Christmas’) had himself a moment. Noel lost control of the wood in his first-ever MLB at-bat, then regained his composure to lift a home run in the 1st. Is ‘Big Christmas’ the best nickname ever?

  EUROS  

The Last 16: Georgia's Surprise 🇬🇪

Photo: BSR Agency / Getty Images

Georgia (The Country) Shocks Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal (2-0) for 'Biggest Upset in Euros History'

The Round of 16 is locked for the 2024 Euros, but we got there with a shocking twist on the final day of group play. Group E entered Wednesday with all four teams tied (3 points each) with one match to play. Both games between Slovakia-Romani and Ukraine-Belgium ended in draws, leaving Group E with four tied teams. Ukraine was left out due to a -2 goal differential. In Group F, the underdogs from Georgia shocked Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal team (2-0) to mark the nation’s first-ever Round of 16 berth in any major European tournament. Georgia struck gold just 90 seconds in with a quick counter-attack goal. They added a penalty kick in the second half to complete the upset despite being out-shot (22-7) and out-possessed (73-27) by Portugal. The FOX soccer broadcast called it the greatest upset in Euro history.

Euro Highlights

🇬🇪 Georgia def. 🇵🇹 Portugal (2-0)

🇹🇷 Turkey def. 🇨🇿 Czechia (2-1)

🇸🇰 Slovakia draw 🇷🇴 Romania (1-1)

🇺🇦 Ukraine draw 🇧🇪 Belgium (0-0)

Euro Round of 16 (Group Winners)

• Group A: 🇩🇪 Germany (7 pts), 🇨🇭 Switzerland (5 pts)
• Group B: 🇪🇸 Spain (9 pts), 🇮🇹 Italy (4 pts)
• Group C: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England (5 pts), 🇩🇰 Denmark (3 pts), 🇸🇮 Slovenia (3 pts)
• Group D: 🇦🇹 Austria (6 pts), 🇫🇷 France (5 pts), 🇳🇱 Netherlands (4 pts)
• Group E: 🇷🇴 Romania (4 pts), 🇧🇪 Belgium (4 pts), 🇸🇰 Slovakia (4 pts)
• Group F: 🇵🇹 Portugal (6 pts), 🇹🇷 Turkey (6 pts), 🇬🇪 Georgia (4 pts)

The Round of 16 begins Saturday.

UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16 Schedule

Read More

B/R: Euro Round of 16 Schedule, Odds, Bracket & Title Predictions

SI: Georgia Pulls Off Huge Upset of Portugal to Reach Knockout Stage at Euro 2024

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  OTHER HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚽️ Copa America

🇻🇪 Venezuela def. 🇲🇽 Mexico (1-0)

Venezuela (Rank 44) Upset 15th-Ranked El Tri

🇪🇨 Ecuador def. Jamaica (3-1)

Ecuador Scores Opener on Wicked Deflection

  STORYLINES   

🇺🇸 The USWNT Olympics Roster

The U.S. Women’s National Team looks different under new manager Emma Hayes. The 18-player Olympic squad was announced yesterday and it features nine first-time Olympians, three veterans, and no Alex Morgan. (CBS Sports)

⚾️ Schlossnagle’s Texas Treason

Tennessee defeated Jim Schlossnagle’s Texas A&M team in the Men’s College World Series on Monday. Schlossnagle made an adamant vow to ‘never’ leave A&M. One day later, he left for rival Texas. What happened in College Station? (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 Pros & Cons of Drafting Bronny

After Night 1 of the NBA Draft, Bronny James — LeBron’s son — is still on the board for Round 2 tonight. It’s far from a foregone conclusion that he’ll wind up on the Lakers, but it’s a strong enough possibility to weigh the pros and cons. (Bleacher Report)

  NEWS   📰 

⚽️ Alex Morgan Shares Emotional Message After Being Left Off USWNT Roster (SI)

🏀 Bam Adebayo & Miami Heat Agree to 3-Year, $166 Million Extension (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 OG Anunoby & New York Knicks Agree to 5-Year, $212 Million Extension (CBS Sports)

🏅 Michael Phelps Slams Olympic Anti-Doping Efforts During Congressional Testimony (USA Today)

⚽️ Phil Foden Leaves England’s Euro Squad Mid-Tournament for Birth of 3rd Child (ESPN)

📺 Hallmark to Make Chiefs-Inspired Kansas City Romance Christmas Movie (FOX Sports)

🏀 WWE Superstar Invites Caitlin Clark to Compete in 2025 Royal Rumble (CBS Sports)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🏀 NBA Draft

Round 2 (4:00 pm ET, ESPN)

⚽️ Copa America

🇵🇦 Panama vs. 🇺🇸 USMNT (6:00 pm ET, FOX)

🇺🇾 Uruguay vs. 🇧🇴 Bolivia (9:00 pm ET, FOX)

⚾️ MLB

Cubs at Giants (3:45 pm ET, ESPN+)

Rangers at Orioles (6:35 pm ET, MLBN)

Guardians at Royals (8:10 pm ET, FS1)

🏀 WNBA

Aces at Sky (7:00 pm ET, PRIME)

Fever at Storm (10:00 pm ET, PRIME)

  POLL RESULTS   📊 

The Bronny Pick

Yesterday, we asked: What do you think will happen with Bronny James in the NBA Draft? It’s a dead split between the Lakers, the field, or the undrafted free-agent market. We’ll find out tonight in Round 2, but I have a feeling...

Drafted by Lakers — 34.3%

Drafted by Another Team — 33.1%

Undrafted Free-Agent — 32.6%

Editor’s Pick: My NBA source calls it a "guarantee" that Bronny goes No. 55 to the Lakers. Say what you will about his talent or NBA readiness, the "father-son teammates" storyline is ratings gold.

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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