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76ers make Fultz first pick in NBA Draft

76ers make Fultz first pick in NBA Draft
Posted at 6:40 PM, Jun 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-22 19:40:52-04

Coming off a 28-54 season, the Philadelphia 76ers selected the University of Washington's Markelle Fultz as the first selection in the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday. 

Philadelphia garnered the top draft selection in a trade with Boston.

Fultz, who spent one year with the Huskies before declaring for the Draft, was a highly-touted point guard from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. 

Fultz was a bit of a late bloomer, failing to make his high school's varsity team his freshman and sophomore years. He grew from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-4 in high school, and became one of the nation's top high school seniors in 2016. 

Fultz earned a spot in the McDonald's All-American game in 2016. 

Although Washington struggled last year, Fultz shined. Fultz averaged 23.3 points a game, 5.7 rebounds a game and 5.9 assists a game in his lone college season.

Fultz is one of dozens of freshmen college players to be selected in Thursday's Draft. The NBA requires that players wait a year after high school to be drafted.