Embiid averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.45 blocked shots in 31 games last season, missing the final 2 1/2 months because of a torn left meniscus.
The telecast Thursday peaked with 5.2 million viewers from 8:15 to 8:30 p.m. EDT, shortly after the first picks were made.
As expected, the first overall pick of this year's NBA Draft is University of Washington's freshman guard Markelle Fultz.
Fultz played just 25 games in college and said that it had been his dream to be the top pick at the National Basketball Association draft. Fultz averaged 23.3 points a game, 5.7 rebounds a game and 5.9 assists a game in his lone college season. The Bulls are lost, and also may have to deal with a buyout demand from Dwyane Wade after he opts in for $24.5 million.
They finally landed their franchise point guard, Markelle Fultz, to go along with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers are particularly excited as their teams have the top two picks in the draft, which is being held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Embiid fired the first salvo between the new-look 76ers and Lakers on Thursday night telling him teammate Simmons through social media to dunk on Ball.
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I always say to young back-rowers, that if you want to become a top back-row player, you've got to be a specialist at something. Sam Warburton will skipper the British & Irish Lions against the Highlanders on Tuesday after recovering from an ankle injury.
"I'd just say we want Joel to be on the team for a long time", Harris said. The front office has also said that they expect to have more high draft picks in coming years.
"Please dunk on him so hard that his daddy runs on the court to save him", Embiid tweeted in reference to Ball's father, LaVar, who does most of the talking off the court for his son.
The worst team has the best odds of getting the first pick.
Overall, the Celtics took a player who should contribute this season, and a high reward, low-risk player with Ojeleye who could be the steal of the draft.
The Wolves drafted Arizona's sharpshooting forward Markkanen for the Bulls, while Chicago took Creighton forward Justin Patton at number 16 for Minnesota, who have gone 13 seasons in a row without reaching the playoffs.
Philadelphia went all out to get their man, trading their third overall pick plus a future first-round pick to the Boston Celtics to secure the Maryland native. He and McNeely are the only two No. 1 picks to never play an National Basketball Association game.
Phoenix selected versatile forward Josh Jackson from Kansas with the fourth choice before ultra-quick point guard De'Aaron Fox of Kentucky was snapped up by the Sacramento Kings.
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