Who Was The First Pick In The 2016 Nba Draft?
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We all know who the first pick in the 2016 NBA Draft was, but do you know who the second pick was? Stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news and information with our blog.
Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons was born on July 20, 1996, in Melbourne, Australia, to Dave and Julie Simmons. He has two older sisters, Emily and Olivia. He is 6′ 10″ and weighs 240 pounds. Simmons was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school. He was ranked as the number one high school basketball player in the class of 2015.
Early Life
Benjamin David Simmons (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Simmons was born in Melbourne and played his junior basketball for the Knox Raiders in the Big V competition before moving to the United States to attend Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. He played one college season for Louisiana State University (LSU), where he was named a consensus first-team All-American and College Basketball Player of the Year.
Simmons was selected with the first overall pick by the 76ers in the 2016 NBA draft. He missed most of his rookie season after suffering a fracture in his right foot during training camp. The following year, he was voted as a starter for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the youngest player ever to be voted into an All-Star Game starting lineup.
College Career
Ben Simmons played one year of college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU). He was named a consensus first-team All-American and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year. He also won the Wayman Tisdale Award as the best freshman in the nation. In 36 games (all starts), he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals in 33.8 minutes per game. He was the only player in Division I to average at least 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists per game.
Professional Career
In 2016, Simmons was drafted with the first overall pick in the NBA draft by the Philadelphia
76ers. He made his debut for the 76ers in October 2017 after missing the entire
previous season due to injury. In his second season, he averaged 16.9 points, 8.8
rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game and was named an NBA All-Star for the first time.
In 2019–20, he helped lead the 76ers to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance
since 2001.
Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram was the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. Brandon Ingram is a small forward who played college basketball for Duke University.
Early Life
Brandon Ingram was born on September 2, 1997, in Kinston, North Carolina, to Donald and Sheila Ingram. He has two sisters, Ashlee and Brittany. When he was four years old, his parents divorced, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather Mokun Fajemisin. He began playing organized basketball at age seven for a local recreation league team called the Aces. During his childhood, Ingram idolized LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who he later called his “biggest mentors”, and watched every one of their games on television.
College Career
Ingram played one season of college basketball for Duke University before being selected with the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and the Second Team All-ACC. In 36 games (all starts), he averaged 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game. He led Duke in scoring and set freshman records for the school in points, three-point field goals made and free throws made en route to being named the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and a Consensus first-team All-American.
Professional Career
Brandon Ingram was selected with the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2016 NBA draft. He made his debut for the team on October 26, 2016, against the Houston Rockets, recording four points, three rebounds and one assist in a 120–114 victory. On November 16, Ingram scored a season-high 20 points in a 112–97 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He was subsequently namedWestern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November. On January 1, 2017, he scored in double figures for the 20th consecutive game, breaking D’Angelo Russell’s franchise rookie record. Two days later, he was named to the Rising Stars Challenge as a member of Team USA for the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Dragan Bender
Dragan Bender (born November 17, 1997) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
Early Life
Dragan Bender was born in Čačak,FR Yugoslavia on November 17, 1997. His parents are both professional athletes. His father, Ivan Bender, was a professional football player, and his mother, Biljana Sesevic, was a professional basketball player. Dragan has an older sister, Ivana Bender, who is also a professional basketball player.
Dragan started playing basketball when he was four years old. He played for various youth teams in his hometown of Čačak and later for the Serbian national team. He moved to Zlatorog Lasko in Slovenia when he was sixteen to play for their youth team. In 2014, he joined the senior team of Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League.
Professional Career
Bender began his professional career with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League during the 2014–15 season. In 32 games for Maccabi, he averaged 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game. Bender helped Maccabi win the 2015 Israeli League championship after defeating Hapoel Jerusalem in the Finals.
In July 2015, Bender joined the Phoenix Suns for the 2015 NBA Summer League where he averaged 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in five games. On August 1, 2015, he signed with the Suns after impressing them during Summer League play.
On October 31, 2015, Bender made his NBA debut against the Sacramento Kings, recording three points and one rebound in four minutes of action off the bench in a 113– 94 loss.
