Jun. 25, 2024 12:09 PM EST

Nba Draft Betting: French Teenager Zaccharie Risacher Has The Best Odds To Be Selected No. 1 Overall

By RYAN HANNABLE of BetMGM Sportsbook
FILE - UConn center Donovan Clingan, right, deflects a shot by Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the men's NCAA Tournament, March 30, 2024, in Boston. Clingan is among the headliners of the big men in the upcoming NBA draft.(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) Steven Senne, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - UConn center Donovan Clingan, right, deflects a shot by Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the men's NCAA Tournament, March 30, 2024, in Boston. Clingan is among the headliners of the big men in the upcoming NBA draft.(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - Pennsylvania's Andrew Laczkowski, center, dives for a loose ball against Kentucky's Rob Dillingham, right, and Reed Sheppard during an NCAA college basketball game Dec. 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. Dillingham and Sheppard are among the headliners of the guards in the upcoming NBA draft. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
FILE - Southern California's Bronny James (6) brings the ball up the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Washington in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. It’s unclear where the son of NBA great LeBron James might land in this month’s NBA draft. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Zaccharie Risacher, of Bourg-en-Bresse, shoots a free throw during a Betclic Elite basketball game against Limoges in Bourg-en-Bresse, eastern France, on Oct. 31, 2023. New names will soon adorn replica NBA jerseys of French youths competing on basketball courts around Paris. Frenchmen Zaccharie Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Tidjane Salaün are among the top picks in the NBA draft, where a second straight French No. 1 pick is expected after Victor Wembanyama last year. (AP Photo, File)
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French teenager Zaccharie Risacher has the best odds at BetMGM online sportsbook to be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA draft.

The draft, which will be a two-night event for the first time, will begin Wednesday at the Barclays Center in New York.

The Atlanta Hawks have the No. 1 pick for the first time since 1975. The Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets (via the Brooklyn Nets), San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons round out the top five.

No. 1 Overall Pick

Risacher is listed at -250 to be the top pick. His odds have gotten better over time after opening at +275 and improving to +130 last week.

Risacher is pulling in the most money (33.4%) but doesn’t lead when it comes to overall tickets.

Despite +25000 odds, Bronny James is drawing the most tickets to be the first overall pick (25.2%) even though he is only pulling in 5.9% of the money.

James is the son of Los Angeles Lakers great LeBron James.

Donovan Clingan has the second-best odds to go No. 1 overall at +210, and he is pulling in the second-most bets (23.3%).

Bronny James

The Lakers, which have the No. 17 and 55 overall picks, have the best odds to draft James at -130. They’re also the favorite among bettors.

A massive 52.2% of the money is on the Lakers to select James on 31.9% of the bets. Los Angeles opened at +140 and was +160 last week.

The Phoenix Suns (+700) are the second favorite with 14.8% of the bets and 15% of the money on the team to select James. They have the No. 22 overall pick and do not have a second-round pick.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who are +2500 to select James, are drawing the third-most bets (12.2%) and the third-most money (14.6%). They have the No. 20 overall pick and do not have a second-round selection.

When it comes to the NBA draft position market, James’ over/under is set at 45.5 with the over at -150 and the under at +110.

Betting Notes

Alexandre Sarr (-650) is a huge favorite to be selected No. 2 overall by the Wizards. Sarr is drawing a substantial 88.7% of the money on 44.3% of the bets. … Reed Sheppard (-150) is a slight favorite to be drafted by the Rockets at No. 3. Just under half the money (40.7%) on 31.6% of the bets are on him to go to Houston in that spot. … Risacher, Sarr and Sheppard are -120 to be drafted Nos. 1, 2 and 3 overall.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

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