The 2016 NBA Draft is underway, and the Philadelphia 76ers surprised no one by taking Ben Simmons. The 6-foot-10 LSU freshman from Australia will be the subject of a Showtime documentary film set to air in October.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers began the post-Kobe Bryant era by selecting Brandon Ingram with the No. 2 overall pick. The youngest collegiate player in this year’s draft, he’s a 6-foot-9 forward out of the Duke basketball factory. He had been tipped to come to L.A.
ESPN is airing the NBA Draft live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Last year’s event was the most-watched draft ever, drawing 3.73 million viewers. Despite the lack of drama in the top two picks, this year’s could do even better; coming just days after Game 7 of the NBA Finals drew more than 30 million viewers, today’s draft has teams in some of the country’s top TV markets making the first three selections: Philadelphia (No. 4), Los Angeles (No. 2) and Boston (No. 7).
Must Read Stories
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.