Yao Ming Is Top Pick At NBA Draft

Yao Ming of China, a 7-foot-5 center who gained clearance from his national federation to play in the NBA only hours earlier, was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets in the draft Wednesday night.

It marked the first time a foreign player who did not play in college in the United States went No. 1 in the draft.

The choice was expected, although the Rockets went through a few nervous days leading up to the draft while they waited to learn whether Yao would receive clearance from his national team. Yao had earlier reached a severance agreement with his professional team, the Shanghai Sharks.

Yao shared high-fives and handshakes with his family as commissioner David Stern announced the pick.

The Chicago Bulls followed up the Ming selection by taking Duke's Jay Williams with the second pick.

Williams was the consensus National Collegiate Player of the Year and won both the Naismith and Wooden Awards last season. He started all 108 games he played in three years at Duke, averaging 19 points, six assists and two-point-two steals.

Despite leaving Duke a year early, Williams earned his degree.

The third pick of the draft went to the Golden State Warriors, who selected Williams's teammate at Duke, Mike Dunleavy, Jr.

Dunleavy, Jr. was a forward at Duke, where he averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds in his junior, and final, year.

The Memphis Grizzlies landed former Kansas forward Drew Gooden with the fourth pick.

Gooden led Kansas to the 2002 NCAA Final Four and paced the Big 12 in scoring at 19-point-eight points a game. He set a conference record with 25 double-doubles and topped the Jayhawks in scoring 20 times.

European forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili was taken by the Denver Nuggets with the fifth pick. The seven-footer played in Italy last season, and at 19-years-old, was the first teenager selected in this year's draft.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had the sixth pick, and they scooped up Dujuan Wagner, a guard that played one year at Memphis. Wagner finished second in Conference USA in scoring, averaging 21 points-per-game.

Wagner was the Conference U-S-A Freshman of the Year and was an A-P All-America honorable mention. He was USA Today's High School Player Of The Year when he was a senior at Camden High in New Jersey.

The New York Knicks used the seventh pick in the draft to get Nene Hilario of Brazil. They then traded the rights to Hilario to Denver, along with veterans Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson. In return the Knicks received forward Antonio McDyess.

Hilario will have just turned 20 when NBA training camps open in October. His age didn't prevent him from averaging 13 points and ten rebounds for Vasco da Gama in Brazil last season.

Maryland's Chris Wilcox was taken by the Los Anegeles Clippers with the eighth pick. Wilcox, a power forward, played two years at Maryland, averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds in his senior season as he helped lead the Terrapins to the National Championship.

Amare Stoudamire became the first high schooler seleced in the draft when the Phoenix Suns selected him ninth overall. He averaged 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 blocks in his senior season at Cypress Creek in Florida, his sixth high school.

The Miami Heat rounded out the top 10 picks by chosing Connecticut forward Caron Butler, who averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds in his two years at UCONN.

NBA First-Round Selections

1. Houston Rockets -- YAO MING C Shanghai Sharks (China)

2. Chicago Bulls -- JAY WILLIAMS G Duke

3. Golden State Warriors -- MIKE DUNLEAVY G/F Duke

4. Memphis Grizzlies -- DREW GOODEN F Kansas

5. Denver Nuggets -- NIKOLOZ TSKITISHVILI F Benetton Treviso (Italy)

6. Cleveland Cavaliers -- DAJUAN WAGNER G Memphis

7. New York Knicks -- MAYBYNER (Nene) HILARIO F/C Vasco da Gama (Brazil)

8. Los Angeles Clippers -- CHRIS WILCOX F Maryland

9. Phoenix Suns -- AMARE STOUDAMIRE F/C Cypress Creek HS (Florida)

10. Miami Heat -- CARON BUTLER F Connecticut

11. Washington Wizards -- JARED JEFFRIES F Indiana

12. Los Angeles Clippers -- MELVIN ELY F/C Fresno State

13. Milwaukee Bucks -- MARCUS HAISLIP F Tennessee

14. Indiana Pacers -- FRED JONES G Oregon

15. Houston Rockets -- BOSTJAN NACHBAR F Benetton Treviso (Italy)

16. Philadelphia 76ers -- JIRI WELSCH G Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)

17. Washington Wizards -- JUAN DIXON G Maryland

18. Orlando Magic -- CURTIS BORCHARDT C Stanford

19. Utah Jazz -- RYAN HUMPHREY F Notre Dame/Oklahoma

20. Toronto Raptors -- KAREEM RUSH G Missouri

21. Portland Trail Blazers -- QYANTAL WOODS G/F Northeast Miss. C.C.

22. Phoenix Suns -- CASEY JACOBSEN G/F Stanford

23. Detroit Pistons -- TAYSHAUN PRINCE F Kentucky

24. New Jersey Nets -- NENAD KRSTIC F/C Yugoslavia

25. Denver Nuggets -- FRANK WILLIAMS G Illinois

26. San Antonio Spurs -- JOHN SALMONS G/F Miami

27. Los Angeles Lakers -- CHRIS JEFFERIES F Fresno State/Arkansas

28. Sacramento Kings -- DAN DICKAU G Gonzaga/Washington