In a pick traded from Memphis to Minnesota and then Toronto, the Raptors select Ulrich Chomche of Cameroon 57th overall.
You thought the Toronto Raptors were done! You thought wrong!
The Toronto Raptors acquired the 57th overall draft pick in a deal that sent it from Memphis to Minnesota to Toronto — though the specifics aren’t clear yet.
Still, with this pick, they selected Ulrich Chomche (ULL-rich shom-shay) out of Cameroon — sound familiar to anyone…?
Quick thread on why a team could/should draft Ulrich Chomche mid to late first round pic.twitter.com/o551CEZKZr
— Ngijol Songolo (@5ongolo) May 16, 2024
The 6-foot-10 center played in the Basketball Africa League starting at just sixteen years old, and is the youngest player in this year’s draft. The young player is described to have a “massive ceiling” in talent and described as the best talent out of Cameroon since Joel Embiid (which we think is Siakam erasure but I digress).
Some fun facts about Ulrich Chomche
– pronounced ULL-rish shom-shay
– from Cameroon, first player to be drafted from NBA Africa Academy
– started playing basketball at age 11
– 8.5 points, 2.4 assists, 2.1 blocks in 26 games with NBA Africa last season— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) June 27, 2024
Chomche was heavily talked about for the 45th pick, and it seems the Raptors made a last minute move to grab him right at the end of the draft.
A long and raw Cameroonian big man? The Raptors would never!
Toronto wraps up the draft by adding Ulrich Chomche with the 57th pick (via Minnesota). 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and, at 18, he’s the youngest prospect in the class.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 27, 2024
Okay, so now we can say the Raptors are OFFICIALLY done with picking draft prospects — because the draft is over — and will now head into the undrafted pool to sign training camp prospects.
So here is where the Raptors end the draft:
No.19: Ja’Kobe Walter
No.31 Jonathan Mogbo
No.45 Jalen Shead
No.57 Ulrich Chomche