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CHICAGO — One day removed from the 36th anniversary of winning their first draft lottery, the San Antonio Spurs celebrated again in spectacular fashion Tuesday by winning the coveted No. 1 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft at this year’s lottery and the rights — the beautiful, priceless rights — to select Victor Wembanyama, considered the best prospect in a generation.
Peter John Holt, the chairman of Spurs Sports & Entertainment and the team’s on-stage representative, could barely contain himself upon learning the news. And by barely I mean: he could not in any way contain himself. (And for the record: who can blame him?) As NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum pulled out the envelope revealing the No. 2 pick with the Charlotte Hornets logo on it, Holt knew by process of elimination that his Spurs had won the lottery.
“I had line of sight to where I could see Charlotte come out of the envelope [at No. 2]. I think I jumped the gun,” Holt said. “My apologies to Charlotte and to Mark Williams. I said ‘sorry’ afterwards if any of my spittle went anywhere. I felt bad.”
Holt let out an uproarious “LET’S GO,” and a “WHOOOOO!” followed by another “LET’S GO!” as Tatum worked his way towards unveiling the Spurs as the lottery winner. So much adrenaline and excitement coursed through him so quickly, his first comments on the ESPN broadcast were not about winning the lottery or about Wembanyama — they were a brief mention that he might faint.
San Antonio won the draft lottery on May 17, 1987, and then again on May 18, 1997, selecting two superstars in David Robinson and Tim Duncan, respectively, in those years . Now a third lottery win on darn near the same date has given this franchise new life, behind what is expected to be another generationally talented big man in Wembanyama.
“People talk about generational talent, and they only think of on-court skills,” said Spurs general manager Brian Wright. “But it’s bigger than that. Peter talked about his ability to be a great teammate, his ability to think the game. His approach, his professionalism…
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Author : Kyle Boone
Publish date : 2023-05-17 04:52:12
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