Name: DeAndre Ayton
Pick: No. 1 Overall, Phoenix Suns
School: Arizona
Stats: 20.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 61.2 FG%
1. Ayton is a Native of the Bahamas
Ayton was born and raised in Nassau with his family, who are devout Seventh Day Adventists. He played soccer before deciding to put his full attention towards basketball at age 12. Ayton says he grew up near to severe poverty on the island, but thanks his parents for working hard enough to sent him to private schools. “Those people [in the Bahamas] don’t have phones,” Ayton told ESPN. “ No house phones. People live in wood houses, straw houses. No electricity and barely any water, even though we’re surrounded by water. My mom and dad, they really did a good job because they did their best to not show us that part of the world.”
A standout showing at the island’s prestigious Jeff Rodgers Basketball camp earned Ayton a scholarship to Balboa City School in San Diego — where he played for his first two years of high school in the U.S. On draft night, Ayton decided to rep his home country by wearing the flag in his suit lining.
#1 pick Deandre Ayton has the Bahamas flag stitched on the inside of his jacket ?? pic.twitter.com/pKsDCRlcdb
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 21, 2018
