The Miami Heat hope that UConn's King can keep The King in South Beach. Shabazz Napier was drafted in the first round of the NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who subsequently traded him to Miami.
LeBron James showed his love for Napier on Twitter Thursday night.
My favorite player in the draft! #Napier
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 27, 2014
James told the Heat last week he will exercise the early termination option in his contract, which would make him a free agent on July 1. Heat president Pat Riley told ESPN that he was aware of Lebron's love for Shabazz. "If LeBron and I have the same taste in talent, so be it," said Riley. "But he didn't call me on the phone, or he didn't make a point to me about it."
Napier joins another UConn alumnus, Ray Allen. The 38-year-old guard joined the Heat in 2012 and won his second NBA Championship with the team. He also shared his congratulations on social media:
In the second round of the draft, another member of UConn's championship team DeAndre Daniels was picked by the Toronto Raptors.
Earlier this summer, UConn Huskies Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley were picked in the first round of the WNBA draft by the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm, respectively.
