WPIAL, Pitt, UNC Alumni Cameron Johnson Taken In First Round Of NBA Draft
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - For the first time since 1997, a former WPIAL Basketball player has been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Pitt Panther standout Cam Johnson was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 11th overall pick Thursday night. He was traded immediately along with Dario Šarić to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jarrett Culver, who was the 6th overall pick of the 2019 draft.
"With the 11th pick of the NBA Draft, the @Timberwolves select Cameron Johnson!"
With the 11th pick of the NBA Draft, the @Timberwolves select Cameron Johnson! #NBADraft 2019 presented by State Farm
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) June 21, 2019
Johnson becomes the first WPIAL player since Danny Fortson to get selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Fortson, a Shaler graduate and Cincinnati Bearcat, was taken 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1997.
"A leader and a competitor. With the 11th pick of the 2019 #NBADraft, the @timberwolves select UNC's Cam Johnson, with a proposed trade to the @Suns. #CarolinaSZN | #NBADraft"
A leader and a competitor.
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) June 21, 2019
With the 11th pick of the 2019 #NBADraft, the @timberwolves select UNC's Cam Johnson, with a proposed trade to the @Suns. #CarolinaSZN | #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/fQSOb5DYCX
Johnson started his collegiate career with the Pitt Panthers, playing small forward for the team from 2014-2017. He then transferred to the North Carolina Tar Heels after head coach Kevin Stallings took over the Panthers. Johnson was a first team All-ACC Selection for UNC in 2019.