Jamaican Nick Richards drafted into NBA
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Nick Richards, a Jamaican-born basketball player, was the New Orleans Pelicans 42nd pick in the 2020 NBA draft last night.
Caribbean National Weekly (CNW) reported that the 22-year-old former University of Kentucky forward was chosen by the New Orleans Pelicans and then traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick.
Richards, who was born in Kingston, was discovered by Andre Ricketts, a New York City-based basketball scout in the summer of 2013 during a basketball camp in Jamaica.
Commenting on the pick in a video shared on Twitter, head coach of Kentucky’s basketball team, John Calipari said, “(He) can shoot it, can block it, can shoot jump shots, can guard guards … this was a great pick.”
Richards was one of two NBA hopefuls from Jamaica. The other Jamaican basketball player, Romaro Gill, went undrafted, according to the CNW report.
