No. 1 pick Simmons one of six former U17 Worlds players in 2016 NBA Draft

NEW YORK (2016 FIBA U17 World Championship) - The dream of most of the players at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship is to play in the NBA. That became a reality for six former U17 Worlds alumni who were selected at the 2016 NBA Draft.

The top overall pick Ben Simmons of Australia was still a couple of weeks shy of his 16th birthday at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship, where he averaged 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds for the team that reached the Final. 

Joining Simmons in the lottery was Canada's Jamal Murray, who landed with the Denver Nuggets at number seven. Murray was Canada's main weapon at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship, averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists. 

The Detroit Pistons chose Henry Ellenson of the United States with the 18th pick out of Marquette. The power forward averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in the United States' undefeated run to the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship crown. 

The other three former U17 Worlds players were all selected in the second round. 

Diamond Stone of the United States was picked number 40 by the New Orleans Pelicans - and then traded to the Los Angeles Clippers - two years after he teamed up with Ellenson on the 2014 USA team. Stone averaged 13.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 1.3 assists and was selected to the All-Star Five in Dubai. 

The Houston Rockets chose China’s Qi Zhou with the 43rd pick. The slender Chinese center averaged 14.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals as a 16-year-old at the 2012 FIBA U17 Worlds.

And the last U17 Worlds alum selected was China's Wang Zhelin picked 57 by the Memphis Grizzlies. Wang was 16 years old when he averaged 5.8 points and 4.9 rebounds at the first U17 Worlds in 2010. 

These six were among the record 26 international players selected in the 2016 NBA Draft, snapping the previous record of 21 set in 2003. A record 14 internationals were chosen in the first round while a record-tying 12 got called in the second round.

Some of the other big names were: Croatian Dragan Bender taken at number four by the Phoenix Suns; Jakob Poeltl of Austria picked by the Toronto Raptors; Australian/South Sudanese Thon Maker by the Milwaukee Bucks and Georgios Papagiannis of Greece by the Suns as well. 

Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis was picked by the Orlando Magic but traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. As he was born in Oregon, the NBA does not count him as an international.

FIBA