NBA – Kanter and Valanciunas top record 16 international draftees

NEWARK (2011 NBA Draft) – The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft which was marked by the largest-ever international player crop and was full of exciting twists and turns.

Not many were surprised with the selections that followed – the Minnesota Timberwolves took Derrick Williams with the second pick and Turkey’s Enes Kanter was the highest drafted international player this year after going to the Utah Jazz with the third selection.

Many experts thought that it would be Jonas Valanciunas who would join Irving in Cleveland with the fourth pick and, despite reported buyout issues, become a fellow Cavalier in time for next season.

However, the Cavs decided to select Tristan Thompson, leaving Valanciunas to the Toronto Raptors, who pounced on the opportunity and snatched the biggest Lithuanian prospect in a while.

The 19-year-old Valanciunas will try to lead the Lithuanian U19 squad to a podium finish at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship in Latvia starting next week.

Czech Republic’s Jan Vesely and Bismack Biymbo from the Congo were chosen sixth and seventh respectively.

Another international prospect, Lithuanian Donatas Motiejunas of Benetton Treviso, slid down 20 and was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves before being traded to the Houston Rockets shortly afterwards.

All together, 16 players from outside the United States were chosen in the 2011 NBA Draft, setting the record for most international players selected in a draft.

FIBA