By Johnny Askounis/ [email protected]
After numerous Europeans were selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft on Wednesday, more promising prospects from the Old Continent were called up in the second round, held on Thursday at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in Manhattan.
Taking over in the second round of the annual draft, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announced Spanish point guard Juan Núñez as the 36th pick and the latest European rookie signed by the San Antonio Spurs. A product of the Real Madrid youth academy, he spent the last two seasons in Germany with ratiopharm Ulm. A regular on Spain’s youth teams, he rose to the senior team and played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Following up with the 37th pick, the Detroit Pistons selected 21-year-old Bo Klintman of Sweden. After a year of college basketball with Wake Forest, he joined the Cairns Taipans as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program for the 2023-24 season. Representing Sweden, Klintman participated in Division B of the 2022 European U20 Championship.
Belgian Ajay Mitchell was selected 38th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Coming from UC Santa Barbara, the 22-year-old guard is the third Belgian player to be drafted, after Toumani Camara in 2023 and Axel Hervelle in 2005. A regular in his country’s youth teams, he made his senior debut during the EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers.
Coming out of UCLA, Adem Bona was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 41st pick. Originally from Lagos, the explosive 21-year-old inside played for Turkiye on all youth national teams from 2018 to 2022. At the club level, he recorded several Senior appearances with Pinar Karsiyaka in the 2019-20 season. .
Nikola Djurisic settled for the 43rd pick. His rights were traded from the Miami Heat to the Atlanta Hawks. The 20-year-old forward established the most recent link between Mega MIS and the draft. A regular at youth level with Serbia, he was recently promoted to the senior squad.
Ultimately controlling the 44th pick, the Heat selected 23-year-old Swedish forward Pelle Larsson. Larsson, another regular on Sweden’s junior national teams with experience at the senior level, split his NCAA career between Arizona and Utah over the past four years.
The Dallas Mavericks acquired the 51st pick and selected Frenchman Melvin Ajinca. After two seasons with Saint-Quentin, including one in France’s top division, Betclic Elite, he is the cousin of former NBA player Alexis Ajinca. The 20-year-old swingman is a regular in France’s youth teams.
Dutch interior Quinten Post heads to the Golden State Warriors with the 52nd pick. The seven-footer played for Boston College from 2021 to 2024 and Mississippi State from 2019 to 2021 in the NCAA. At international level, he represented the Netherlands in Division B of the 2019 European Under-20 Championship.
To expand the connection between the Basketball Champions League and the NBA draft, 22-year-old German center Ariel Hukporti was selected by the New York Knicks with the 58th and final pick. With MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, he recorded five BCL appearances in 2018-19 and added one more last season after reuniting with the German club.
A total of 17 young Europeans were selected in the draft, including five French players. In addition to the youngsters from the Old Continent, the Los Angeles Lakers confirmed their intentions to select Bronny James with the 55th pick, pairing the 19-year-old point guard with his father, LeBron James.
