Atlanta Hawks Officially Sign No. 1 Pick Zaccharie Risacher

The Hawks selected Risacher with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

Jun 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks first overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher poses for a photo with general manager Landry Fields at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and they have officially signed him to his rookie contract today.

We have signed our No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher ✍️

Details ➡️ https://t.co/KF6SfuKtw2 pic.twitter.com/8cGQ6t3CWP

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) July 6, 2024

Risacher most recently suited up for JL Bourg (France), appearing in 32 French League Pro A regular season games (23 starts), averaging 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 21.9 minutes of play (.439 FG%, .352 3FG%, .740 FT%). He was named the 2023-24 French League Best Young Player, as well as the French LNB Pro A Best Young Player of the Month twice, earning the recognition in October and November.

The 2023-24 EuroCup Rising Star Award recipient saw action in 23 EuroCup games, averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 23.5 minutes (.503 FG%, .450 3FG%, .688 FT%).

Risacher played in 50 career French League Pro A regular season contests, owning averages of 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 18.3 minutes (.425 FG%, .338 3FG%, .729 FT%). Prior to suiting up for JL Bourg, he played two seasons with French club ASVEL (2021-23), where he played alongside 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama during the 2021-22 season.

The 6-9 forward made his Senior National Team debut with France at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in February 2024. He also represented France at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup, winning the silver medal, and helped lead France to the bronze medal at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup.

Risacher, who was born in Spain, grew up in Lyon, France. His father, Stephane, won the silver medal for basketball with France at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

When Hawks general manager Landry Fields met with the media after the first round of the draft concluded, he pointed out that Risacher's versatility on the defensive end and his ability to shoot were huge factors in the Hawks liking him as a prospect:

"Well, you start by what you see and that is he is 6'10 and got the ability to play on both sides of the ball, has the ability to defend, a versatile defender, a really good shooter, and a high IQ type of player. You know, the amount of development that he has had up until this point is fantastic, he is still only 19, he will be 19 all of next year and I have consistently said all of the important qualities for us in the past, about those types of players and who we want in the building at the end of the day and he possesses a significant amount of those"

Risacher is a 6'8, 204 LBS wing player who fills a big need for Atlanta. He has two-way versatility and performed well in his league playoffs since the lottery. He is a plug-and-play type of forward that would fit on the Hawks as either their starting 2 or 3. First things first though, he has to get off to a great start this Summer and that begins next Friday.