Rolling Meadows' Christie chosen by Lakers in 2nd round
Magic Johnson went from Michigan State to the Los Angeles Lakers. Rolling Meadows High School product Max Christie is set to follow the same path.
The 6-6 point guard was chosen by the Lakers with the 35th overall pick in the second round on Thursday. That's 34 spots lower than Magic was taken in 1979, but barring a trade, Christie will get a chance to try to fit in with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Christie averaged 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists during his lone season in East Lansing. He ended up getting picked right around where he was projected. Landing in the first round would have been a mild surprise.
Christie attended the draft in Brooklyn and walked out of the seats when his name was called.
Christie is not the first Rolling Meadows grad to reach the NBA. Center Aaron Williams played in the league from 1993-2008 and played in the Finals twice with the New Jersey Nets.
Of course, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garappolo is another Rolling Meadows product to find fame in pro sports.
The top of the NBA Draft featured a bit of a surprise. Auburn's Jabari Smith had been forecast as the No. 1 overall pick since the draft lottery. But in recent days, the betting odds for Duke's Paolo Banchero plummeted. About an hour before the draft began, Banchero became the favorite, and everyone knows what that means. Orlando made the switch to Banchero official.
Oklahoma City stuck with the script and chose Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren second, then Smith went third to Houston.
A minor Big Ten surprise followed, with Sacramento taking Iowa's Keegan Murray at No. 4, leaving Purdue's Jaden Ivy for Detroit at No. 5.
When Wisconsin's Johnny Davis went No. 10 to Washington, it marked the first time since 2013 the Big Ten has three players chosen in the top 10. Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller and Trey Burke were the three picks that year.
The first trade saw New York sending No. 11 pick Ousmane Dieng to Oklahoma City for some future first-rounders. The Thunder followed that move by taking Santa Clara shooting guard Jalen Williams at No. 12.
The next trade had Charlotte sending No. 13 pick Jalen Duren from Memphis to Detroit for a future first-rounder. There were also reports of the Pistons getting veteran guard Kemba Walker from the Knicks.
The Hornets snagged their big man with the 15th pick by taking 7-2 Duke center Mark Williams. Cleveland took Kansas tournament hero Ochai Agjabi at 14.
Duke's A.J. Griffin, son of former Bulls player and coach Adrian Griffin, dropped a bit before going to Atlanta at No. 16. LSU's Tari Eason, a player the Bulls might have taken, went to Houston at No. 17.
One somewhat local player taken late in the first round was Patrick Baldwin Jr., who grew up in Evanston before moving to the Milwaukee area for high school. He went to Golden State with the 28th pick.
The dominant NBA buzz earlier in the day was Kyrie Irving reportedly looking to leave Brooklyn. He has a player option for next season worth $36.5 million. There's been speculation he could exercise that option and then request a trade.
If Irving doesn't want to play for the Nets, then Kevin Durant might want to find a new home. It's all speculation now, but is there a scenario where the Bulls could bring together Durant, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine? That group would have some firepower.