As expected, it was Kentucky players, Anthony Davis and fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who lead the pack in the 2012 NBA Draft on Thursday (June 28) by getting chosen with the first and second picks.
The Wildcats set a record on Draft Day as well, when they became the first school to have the top two picks and tied a record with six players taken overall Thursday.
The New Orleans Hornets had the #1 overall pick, and used it to pick up forward Anthony Davis ... as long-expected. The Charlotte Bobcats followed, picking Kidd-Gilchrist with pick #2.
The Wildcats tied for four players in the first round with North Carolina, whose four were chosen in the top 17 selections. They included Harrison Barnes (#7, Golden State), Kendall Marshall (#13, Phoenix), John Henson (#14, Milwaukee) and Tyler Zeller (#17, Dallas).
Zeller's rights were later traded to Cleveland for a package that included No. 24 pick Jared Cunningham of Oregon State.
The Washingon Wizards chose University of Florida shooting guard Bradley Beal at #3; the Cavs took Syracuse sixth man Dion Waiters surprisingly early with the #4 pick; and Kansas' Thomas Robinson, who hoped to go second, fell to #5 with the Sacramento Kings.
"I really didn't know where I was going to end up at, but it is a bit of a surprise," Thomas told the Associated Press, while tearing up when talking about his difficult journey to the NBA, which included the deaths of multiple family members in college. "I didn't work out for Sacramento at all, I probably talked to them about once. But I'm here, so I'm meant to be here."
Portland took Weber State's Damian Lillard at #6 with its first of two lottery picks, and Barnes was taken at #7 by Golden State.
Washington's Terrence Ross went to Toronto with the #8 pick; Connecticut's Andre Drummond went to Detroit with #9; and the Hornets rounded out the top 10 by taking Duke guard Austin Rivers with the pick they acquired in the Chris Paul trade.
Although a slew of talent entered the NBA on Thursday, all eyes were on the #1 overall pick, Davis.
He begins his NBA career in the same city where he ended it with a national title. He comes into the league at 19 years old, stands 6'10", and brings phenomenal blocking ability. In college, Davis was named Freshman of the Year, National Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. A year earlier, while in high school, he earned accolades as Jordan Brand Classic Co-MVP in 2011, and was a High School All-American.
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