Anthony Davis Selected No. 1 Overall By New Orleans Hornets In NBA Draft

The NBA rules didn't allow the Hornets to publicly announce they'd select Davis, but there was never any doubt in the matter. New Orleans was the only team Davis visited and it was in that city that he won the national championship with Kentucky.

We're thrilled to welcome Anthony to the Hornets family, Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said. Anthony is an incredible person and very talented basketball player. We look forward to him being a part of the sustained success of our franchise on and off the court going forward.

I won a national championship in New Orleans, so why not win another one in New Orleans? Davis said after the Hornets were awarded the first pick in the draft.

Davis has drawn comparisons to such NBA big men as Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan. He's a great fit in New Orleans, a team that went 21-45 last season, good enough for the third worst record in the league. Davis also brings some sorely needed star power to the team that recently dealt Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers.

In order to turn the franchise around Demps must build on this draft. Davis is a great player to build around, but recent years have shown that small NBA markets have struggled to hold on to the premier players in the sport. The next few drafts will be just as crucial.

As a freshman in the Southeastern Conference, Davis was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC Player of the Year, and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. It's widely assumed he'll start immediately for the Hornets and hope to bring some of the 186 total blocks he had during his only season at Kentuckyy. That number set records in the SEC as well as at Kentucky.

Davis, nicknamed the unibrow for obvious reasons, is already popular in his new city. Hornets fans watching Davis be selected in New Jersey from their home arena went bonkers when the inevitable became official.