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Report | The Hornets Drafted James Nnaji "Against His Will"

Charlotte selected Nnaji with the first pick of the second round in the 2023 draft

James Plowright

Jul 5, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets center James Nnaji (46) during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 5, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets center James Nnaji (46) during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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ESPN's Jonathan Givony recently appeared as a guest on Nate Duncan's "Dunc'd on" podcast to breakdown the 2024 NBA Draft. While discussing the impact of the draft switching from one to two days, Givony made a startling revelation about James Nnaji who the Hornets traded up and selected 31st last year.

We've seen guys get taken by teams against their will at the same time. James Nnaji is an example of that last year. He had a good spot later in the second round. Mitch Kupchak was like 'Sorry, I like you James Nnaji, I'm taking you and I'm stashing you in Europe'. That's just like the biggest bummer of all time if you're James Nnaji.

- ESPN's Jonathan Givony

While shocking to hear, if the Hornets only drafted players who wanted to end up in Charlotte that would severely restrict the talent available to them. The truth is, situations like Nnaji's happen every year with teams and players throughout the draft, it's just rarely becomes publicly known.

Nnaji played summer league with the Hornets in 2023 in a back-up role behind Kai Jones, he returned to play the 2023-24 season overseas at FC Barcelona. Nnaji recently underwent lumbar spine surgery which will force him to miss the 2024 summer league. You can learn more about how James Nnaji's season went overseas HERE.

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James Plowright

JAMES PLOWRIGHT

Twitter: @British_Buzz Linked In: James Plowright Muck Rack: James Plowright About Me Bylines for: Sports Illustrated, Sky Sports NBA, SB Nation, Queen City Hoops Based in Manchester in the United Kingdom, I have covered the Charlotte Hornets since 2008. When I was 16 years old I won a blogging competition on Bobcats.com, this ignited my passion for journalism and since then I went on to write for a variety of blogs; Hornets Planet, Queen City Hoops and At The Hive. In 2022 I took on the role as site content manager for the Charlotte Hornets Fannation site (AllHornets.com).  I am also the founder of the All Hornets Podcast Network, having recorded over 350+ Hornets related podcasts.  Awards - The All Hornets podcast was nominated for "Best Team Podcast" in the 2022 Sports Podcast Awards.  - I was nominated for "Sports Writer of the Year" in 2013 for LSU Media while studying my B.A in History and International Relations at Loughborough University. 

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