Johnson was taken first, so the Spurs could only turn around and select Kevin Porter.
With the final pick of the first round, the Lakers chose Dylan Windler.
The first round of the draft ended there.
At that moment, Bol Bol sat in the Green Room, his face filled with desolation.
As the son of the legendary Manute Bol, he had been a five-star recruit in high school and had joined the formidable University of Oregon.
Over the first nine games of the season, he averaged 21 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. He had been considered a lock for the lottery and a contender for the top three.
But injuries ruined him. A stress fracture in his left foot—the very culprit that had forced Yao Ming into retirement.
Now every team knew about his injury. Falling out of the first round, or even going undrafted, was entirely possible.
Speaking of which, his father, Manute Bol, had been in a car accident at forty-five. His life had fallen into hardship afterward, and he passed away at the young age of forty-seven.
That was also the fate of stars from the last century. The league's revenue had been low back then, and there were no pensions, making it difficult to secure a decent life in old age.
Now, like his father, he too had suffered a troubled fate.
Tang Tian discussed Bol with Stevens and Dempsey at this point.
Bol unquestionably had talent. As a big man, he moved well and could set screens, and more importantly, he had shooting range that extended beyond the three-point line.
But his problems were equally obvious: his foot injury and his extremely thin frame.
To put it simply, he was an injury-plagued, upgraded version of Zhou Qi.
If they could get him around the