Inside Rocco Zikarsky’s New York celebrations after four Aussies selected in the NBA draft for the first time in 28 years
Teen sensation Rocco Zikarsky led the way on a historic night for Australian basketball in New York, with his family’s reaction encapsulating what it meant to be drafted into the NBA. Go inside their draft party.
Australian basketball history was created on Friday with four players selected in the NBA draft for the first time in almost three decades, headlined by seven-foot three Sunshine Coast teen Rocco Zikarsky joining a fellow giant at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Zikarsky was taken by the Timberwolves with the 45th pick in the second round, meaning he’ll team up with an idol of his in French defensive beast Rudy Gobert.
The Minnesota big man is a four-time winner of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best shot blockers basketball has seen.
“For me to be able to learn off one of the greatest bigs ever – I’m just excited to pick his mind,” Zikarsky told this masthead about playing alongside Gobert.
“Every time I’ve seen him in person playing defence, it’s unreal.”
Zikarsky – a former Brisbane Bullets’ NBL Next Star – lapped up his memorable NBA draft moment in the Big Apple with his tight-knit family, including mother Kylie, father Bjorn and grandmother Virginia.
They all nervously watched the second round draft coverage on the television from their hotel until they got the call from Wolves’ front office.
It then turned into party mode for the Zikarsky’s, with the family reduced to tears of joy at the reality of their son joining the NBA.
Rocco and his loved ones shared a celebratory Asian fusion meal at the Sei Less restaurant in Times Square.
“It’s crazy,” Zikarsky told CODE Sports from the New York City restaurant, donning his new Minnesota NBA cap.
“I’ve been working out there (Minnesota) for the past two to three months, so to get the call to say I’m going back to where I’ve been is a surreal feeling.
“It still doesn’t feel real to me. It’s almost like a pinch yourself moment.
“Every pick that goes by you are thinking, ‘all right when is it my time’ and then you get the phone call and all of a sudden it just hits you all at one moment.
“I stayed up all last night thinking about it and now it is finally here.”
Zikarsky’s mother was overwhelmed with pride when asked about her son’s NBA dream becoming a reality.
“We’re super proud,” Kylie said.
“I was totally on the floor nervous before the announcement. It was the hardest thing I think I’ve ever done.”
In a special day for basketball Down Under, three more Aussies were selected in the second round.
Sydney’s Tyrese Proctor is a Cleveland Cavalier.
The speedy guard had a dynamite series of workouts leading up to the draft and the Cavs swooped on the Duke University teammate of No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg with the 49th pick.
CODE Sports has been told the Cavs targeted Proctor for his elite shooting ability – he shot over 40 per cent on his threes last season at Duke.
Proctor is set to follow in the footsteps of one of Australia’s greatest – Matthew Dellavedova.
Alex Toohey is set to be a teammate of the legendary Steph Curry at Golden State after the Warriors used pick No. 52 they acquired from Phoenix to snap up the Sydney Kings NBL Next Star.
Toohey, the blue chip kid out of Canberra, has all the fundamentals and Aussie tools to forge a long NBA career and follows an Aussie great who won a championship in Golden State colours – Boomers icon and Kings assistant coach Andrew Bogut.
“I’m excited for Alex – it’s much deserved,” said Bogut, who had two stints at the Warriors between 2012 and 2019 while he won an NBA championship with the franchise in 2015.
“Being a multi positional player, the Warriors are a perfect fit.
“He will have time to further develop.”
Legendary Boomers coach Brian Goorjian, who coached Toohey at the Kings last season, said his young charge had found a “really good situation with the style of basketball the Warriors play” at pick No. 52.
And, like his former national team members Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova, The 21-year-old would take to the team like a duck to water.
“He’s a big versatile piece and I just think whatever environment he’s put in, once he sniffs what they want, like a Patty, like a Joe, he’ll excel,“ Goorjian said.
“You look at the Boomers drafted in that area, or not drafted at all, who have made it in the NBA and I’m glad that that’s going to be his first look.“
Goorjian couldn’t hide his joy at seeing another of his players drafted to the big league.
“Very proud of him and the skill package that he built, the mindset he’s had to this process and the professionalism he’s shown through this evolution over the past year,” Goorjian said.
“I just feel like he’s on that journey, very similar to those Boomers I mentioned.
“He knows how to play, which is important with the Warriors scenario.
“They’re multipurpose guys who can dribble, pass, cut and move, so his size factor, the fact he can set a screen and use one, those are the kinds of things that are really important in the way the Warriors play.
“He won’t just be sitting in the corner just waiting and it’s ‘you better make the three’, it’s much more than that.
“That versatility, size for his position, guarding multiple people, being able to carry the ball, really fits their system.”
A historic NBA draft day for Australia was capped off with reigning Illawarra Hawks NBL champion Lachlan Olbrich heading to the Chicago Bulls where he will join fellow Aussie Josh Giddey.
The Bulls selected Olbrich with the 55th pick in the second round. Giddey took to social media to welcome the ex-Hawk.
“Welcome my boy, @lachlanolbr,” Giddey said on Instagram.
It meant four Australians were drafted for the first time since 1997 when Chris Anstey, CJ Bruton, Paul Rogers and Ben Pepper all joined the world’s best basketball league.
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