University of Connecticut Athletics
NBA HORNETS SELECT BOUKNIGHT WITH 11th PICK
7/29/2021 10:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / July 29, 2021
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- James Bouknight became the 14th NBA lottery pick in UConn men's basketball history Thursday night when he was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The 6-5 Bouknight (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who led the Huskies in scoring as a sophomore last season, is the highest UConn draft pick since Andre Drummond was selected No. 9 by Detroit in 2012. Bouknight is UConn's 20th first-round pick and the 44th UConn player drafted overall.
"To see all the hard work I put in and how it has paid off is just a blessing," Bouknight said immediately following his selection. "I want to give a shout out to my high school coaches, my college coaches – I just appreciate everyone that helped me get to where I am today."
Charlotte is a franchise that has a history of drafting UConn guards, selecting Shabazz Napier with the No. 24 pick in 2014 and picking Kemba Walker with the No. 9 pick in 2011.
"Charlotte was my first workout," Bouknight said. "I went into that workout and I was ready. It was definitely my best workout."
Charlotte general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters that he did not expect Bouknight to still be available at No. 11 and Bouknight admitted he expected to be picked earlier as well.
"I felt like I started to slip a little bit, but I feel like I kept my composure," the UConn star said. "I know that on draft night anything can happen and when my name was called, all the sadness, I guess you could say, went away and it was just a big joy."
But Bouknight was quick to add that it will give him a little more incentive as he begins his NBA career.
"The whole time, every pick, pick after pick, I was just sitting there in my head like, 'OK, I got a chip on my shoulder,' " he said. "It's nothing different. My whole life I've been slept on and Charlotte took the chance and I'm not going to let them down."
The Hornets had a 33-39 record in 2020-21, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets, coached by James Borrego, also have the current NBA Rookie of the Year in LaMelo Ball.
"I'm super excited," Bouknight said. "I think we're both young players that play with a lot of flare. It's going to be exciting to watch. I never sell myself short. I think we're going to be one of the better young teams in the league. Like I said, playing with a lot of flare, a lot of excitement. We're going to be box office."
Bouknight averaged 18.7 points per game, including a BIG EAST-best 40 points in one game, last season, leading UConn to a 15-8 record and its first berth in the NCAA Tournament in five years. He was a First Team All-BIG EAST pick and the USBWA District I Player of the Year.
He said the two years he spent at UConn were invaluable.
"Playing for Coach (Dan) Hurley prepares you for life, for the real world," Bouknight told reporters. "The biggest thing I learned from my time at UConn was how to be a real person. Off the court, how to be accountable, someone that people can rely on, making a schedule and being able to stick to that schedule. Setting goals and not just thinking they are going to happen, being able to work toward those goals and making them happen. I literally speak them into existence. The biggest things I learned at UConn is how to be a real man."
Likewise, the development of Bouknight is something Hurley points to with pride.
"It's one thing when a player comes into a program and he's already preordained as the No. 1 pick or a top-five pick," Hurley said earlier this week. "He's on a campus for several months and leaves. I'm not sure how much player development actually goes on there. With a situation like James', when you talk about your player development and what we try to do at UConn in terms of an 11-month-a-year commitment to helping our players get to the highest level, he's certainly a poster child. We've had a lot of guys improve their stock. But James is the poster child. James' impact will be felt for a long time."
