SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings selected forward Keegan Murray of Iowa with the fourth overall pick in the NBA draft. A first-team All-American as a sophomore, Murray was the Big Ten’s leading scorer with 23.5 points a game and averaged 8.7 rebounds while playing alongside twin brother Kris. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound Murray gives Kings first-year coach Mike Brown a versatile wing player to complement a core group anchored by point guard De’Aaron Fox and 6-foot-11 power forward Domantas Sabonis. Murray was Sacramento’s only draft pick. The Kings had pair of second-rounders but traded both.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have selected Purdue’s Jaden Ivey with the No. 5 overall pick in the NBA draft. Detroit’s rebuilding plan should get a boost with the addition of the dynamic player. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Ivey can play point or shooting guard. The busy team acquired Memphis center Jalen Duren, who was drafted No. 13 overall by Charlotte and traded to New York. Detroit also added Knicks guard Kemba Walker in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick it acquired the previous day. The Pistons added Italian guard Gabriele Procida, who shot 38.3% on 3-pointers for Bologna.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards have selected Johnny Davis with the 10th pick in the NBA draft, capping his impressive rise from role player to lottery pick. The 6-foot-5 Davis averaged 19.7 points per game as a sophomore last season. That was up from 7.0 in 2020-21. He earned first-team All-America honors for his two-way contributions. Now he joins a team that’s coming off a disappointing season in which star guard Bradley Beal was limited by a wrist injury. The big question for the Wizards this offseason is whether they can keep Beal. On draft night they added a tough wing who averaged 8.2 rebounds last season.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs chose Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan with ninth overall pick, Ohio State guard Malaki Branham with the 20th selection and Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley at No. 25 in the NBA draft. A 6-foot-9 forward, Sochan averaged 9.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in his lone season with the Bears. Branham averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and two assists per game in his only season with the Buckeyes. Wesley averaged 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Fighting Irish. San Antonio missed the postseason the past two seasons following a league record 22 straight playoff appearances.
CULVER CITY, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers drafted forward Moussa Diabate from Michigan with the 43rd pick in the NBA draft. Diabate was the second player from Michigan to be picked in the second round. Caleb Houstan went to Orlando with the 32nd selection. The 6-foot-11 Diabate helped the Wolverines reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in his freshman season. He started 26 of 32 games, averaging 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. He shot 54% from the field, second-best on the team. Diabate moved to the U.S. from France at age 14, two years after he started playing basketball.
UNDATED (AP) — The number of women competing at the highest level of college athletics continues to rise along with an increasing funding gap for men’s and women’s sports programs. An NCAA report examining the 50th anniversary of the Title IX civil-rights law found 47.1% of participation opportunities were for women across Division I in 2020 compared to 26.4% in 1982. Yet amid that growth, men’s programs received more than double that of women’s programs in allocated resources in 2020. NCAA managing director for the office of inclusion and lead report author Amy Wilson told The Associated Press the resource gap was “stark.” It stands out when evaluating how schools use resources to comply with Title IX by providing equitable opportunities for male and female athletes.
