The Chicago Bulls tried to strike gold in North Carolina again and the Milwaukee Bucks started their post-Giannis Antetokounmpo era in the NBA draft.
Both the Bulls and Bucks had two top-15 picks Tuesday to highlight the draft for the Central Division. That represented a major change from last year, when the only Central team with a first-round pick was Chicago, which took Noa Essengue at No. 12 overall.
Click to Gallery
Nate Ament greets NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, left, after being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 13th pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Brayden Burries walks off the stage after being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the tenth overall pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Brayden Burries is interviewed after being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the tenth overall pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Caleb Wilson, right, poses for a photo with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, left, after being selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Caleb Wilson walks off the stage after being selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Chicago selected North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson with the fourth overall pick and took Texas forward Dailyn Swain at No. 15. Milwaukee took Arizona guard Brayden Burries at No. 10 and Tennessee forward Nate Ament at No. 13. The other Central team to add a player Tuesday was Detroit, which traded for Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie after he went 17th.
Wilson becomes the third North Carolina player the Bulls have drafted in the first round. The Bulls selected Michael Jordan third overall in 1984 and Coby White seventh in 2019.
“I’m always going to do whatever it takes to get better,” Wilson said. "I want to be the greatest player of all time, man. Y’all got one of the GOATs in y’all’s history right now. So it’s time for another one. I’m hungry. I’m hungry to be the greatest.”
Wilson's lone college season ended prematurely when he broke his right thumb in a noncontact drill while trying to come back from a fracture in his left hand. He still earned second-team Associated Press All-America honors while averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds.
“I feel great, better than ever," Wilson said. “Been working on my hand strength, so I’ll never have to go through something like that again.”
The Bucks had much at stake as they began to rebuild their roster a night after news broke that they were trading Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. Burries said he didn't feel any extra burden from heading to Milwaukee just as the Bucks adapt to life without the two-time MVP forward.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure,” Burries said. “I’d say I’m just going to go there and be me and try to be the best version of myself.”
Burries, a 6-foot-4 guard, had 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 39.4% from 3-point range his lone season at Arizona to help the Wildcats reach the Final Four. The Bucks took Ament with the extra first-round pick they got in the Antetokounmpo trade. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a Tennessee freshman.
“They are big shoes to fill over there in Milwaukee, and I think that it’s just a tremendous opportunity for me and Brayden,” Ament said. “If anything, I see it as an opportunity and not pressure.”
Ament often was linked to Milwaukee in mock drafts, perhaps in part due to Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam's Tennessee ties. Haslam is a Tennessee alum who announced this month he is donating $130 million to the school.
Needs: Size, along with help in the backcourt. The Bulls acquired 6-foot-11 center Nic Claxton as part of a three-team trade in the run-up to the draft, but more size is needed after the team struggled defensively last season.
Who they drafted: Wilson upgrades Chicago’s overall athleticism. When Bryson Graham was introduced as the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations in May, he mentioned the acronym SLAP — size, length, athleticism, physicality — and the 6-9 Wilson fits right in. The 6-7 Swain averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season with Texas.
NBA comparisons: Wilson has been compared to Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett, but a more likely possibility is Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, albeit with more athleticism. Swain’s NBA comps include Herb Jones, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Naji Marshall.
Needs: Cleveland has an abundance of guards, but they still need some depth in the front court or a center who can shoot from the perimeter when the Cavaliers want to play five-out on offense. A rookie contract would also help the franchise’s bloated salary cap, with Donovan Mitchell due for an extension and James Harden on a player option.
Who they drafted: After trading out of the first round, the Cavaliers selected Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas with the 34th overall pick. Thomas scored 15.6 points per game and shot 41.6% from 3-point range at Arkansas this past season.
NBA comparison: Thomas has a profile that offers reminders of CJ McCollum. Both are 6-3 guards. McCollum has shot 39.5% from 3-point range in his 13-year career.
Needs: Outside shooters and ballhandlers. Detroit’s weaknesses were exposed in the playoffs, putting them on the brink of elimination in the first round as a top-seeded team and leading to their second-round exit.
Who they drafted: Okorie was drafted at No. 17 and acquired in a trade.
NBA comparison: Okorie draws comparisons to Dennis Schröder, who has been a solid NBA player for more than a decade. The 6-1, 186-pound combo guard can create his own offense off the dribble or set up teammates for shots.
Needs: Indiana filled its biggest need – center - with a midseason trade for Ivica Zubac. The problem was the Pacers sent a protected first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers and lost it in the draft lottery, leaving them with no draft picks. The good news: All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton is expected to return from his torn Achilles tendon in the fall.
Who they drafted: The Pacers didn't have a first-round selection, but they acquired the No. 38 overall pick and took Purdue guard Braden Smith, the NCAA's career assists leader.
NBA comparison: Smith has much in common with new Pacers teammate T.J. McConnell, as both are undersized guards who see the floor well and are quality distributors.
Needs: The Bucks could use help everywhere as they retool their roster without Antetokounmpo. Losing Antetokounmpo and forward Bobby Portis, who also is headed to Miami, makes the frontcourt the biggest concern.
Who they drafted: Burries' all-around game made him a safe pick at No. 10. He could be a reliable part of Milwaukee's backcourt for years to come. Ament will need to develop strength, but he has a high upside. The Bucks also reportedly acquired the 60th overall pick Wednesday and selected Malique Lewis, a forward from Trinidad & Tobago.
NBA comparison: Burries has drawn comparisons to Derrick White, a well-rounded performer who can play either guard spot. Auburn coach Steven Pearl has compared Ament to Jabari Smith Jr., a former Auburn star.
AP Sports Writers Jay Cohen, Josh Dubow, Larry Lage, Michael Marot and Joe Reedy contributed to this report.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Nate Ament greets NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, left, after being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 13th pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Brayden Burries walks off the stage after being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the tenth overall pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Brayden Burries is interviewed after being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the tenth overall pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Caleb Wilson, right, poses for a photo with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, left, after being selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Caleb Wilson walks off the stage after being selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
DENVER (AP) — Tyler Freeman’s sacrifice bunt in the eighth inning drove in the go-ahead run, Cole Carrigg had three RBIs and the Colorado Rockies rallied past the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Wednesday.
After pinch-hitter Mickey Moniak and Willi Castro singled off Justin Slaten (0-4) and put runners on first and third with the game tied at 6, Freeman put down a bunt along the first-base line that scored Moniak to put the Rockies up. Carrigg capped the scoring with an RBI double.
Antonio Senzatela (8-0) struck out two in two perfect innings and Jimmy Herget picked up his second save with a hitless ninth. Rockies starter Kyle Freeland allowed six runs and 11 hits as Colorado fell behind 3-0 after two innings and 6-3 after five.
Carrigg, Jake McCarthy and Troy Johnston each hit RBI singles during the Rockies’ three-run seventh inning to tie it at 6.
Connor Wong hit his first home run since Sept. 8, 2024, for the Red Sox in the second. Andruw Monasterio’s homer in the fourth gave Boston a 5-2 lead. Willson Contreras and Anthony Seigler both hit one-run doubles for Boston, which hasn’t won back-to-back series since April 6-12.
MARLINS 4, RANGERS 2
MIAMI (AP) — Otto López homered, Xavier Edwards had an RBI single in the fifth and Miami beat Texas.
López’s two-run shot in the eighth off reliever Cole Winn gave him a 33rd multi-hit game and raised his major league-leading batting average to .340. López also had a single.
Edwards snapped a 1-1 tie with his RBI against Jacob deGrom (6-5). Owen Caissie hit a leadoff single and Leo Jimenez followed with a walk. Both advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Edwards then hit a grounder to right that scored Caissie.
John King (5-1) pitched an inning of relief for the win. Anthony Bender and Michael Petersen combined for seven outs before Pete Fairbanks closed around Joc Pederson’s leadoff homer in the ninth for his 12th save.
DeGrom struck out eight over six innings of two-run-ball. The right-hander allowed four hits and walked two. He ended his outing by striking out the side.
CUBS 10, METS 3, 1ST GAME
CUBS 10, METS 5, 2nd GAME
NEW YORK (AP) — Dansby Swanson had a go-ahead RBI triple and four RBIs to cap a monster doubleheader performance and help Chicago sweep the reeling New York Mets.
Swanson hit a three-run homer and a grand slam in the Cubs’ victory in the opener. The 11 RBIs in a doubleheader are a franchise record, breaking the mark of 10 set by Hall of Famer Ron Santo on July 6, 1970.
Swanson also homered on Tuesday night and has three homers and 15 RBIs in the first three games of the series. The shortstop had just 14 RBIs in his previous 48 games entering Tuesday.
Pedro Ramirez had two RBIs in the second game, when Carson Kelly, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Shaw had an RBI apiece.
Shota Imanaga (5-6) surrendered four runs over 5 1/3 innings.
ANGELS 7, OTIOLES 6, 10 INNINGS
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Nolan Schanuel reached third on an error and Logan O’Hoppe drove him in on a soft ground ball in the 10th inning as Los Angeles rallied back to defeat Baltimore.
It was the 12th come-from-behind victory for the Halos and sixth walk-off win.
Pinch-hitter Vaughn Grissom started the rally with an RBI single in the eighth, and Wade Meckler tied the game with a two-run single.
Pete Alonso gave the Orioles the lead again with a 10th-inning RBI single, but Oswald Peraza scored on Schanuel’s soft grounder to tie after Keegan Akin mishandled the toss while covering first.
GUARDIANS 4, WHITE SOX 3, 10 INNINGS
CHICAGO (AP) — Khalil Watson singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning for his third RBI of the day, and Cleveland survived a ninth-inning collapse to beat Chicago.
In a game delayed by rain at the start for 2 hours, 40 minutes, Watson singled to left off Grant Taylor (2-1) to score automatic runner Petey Halpin from third and help Cleveland tie Chicago for the AL Central lead.
Braden Montgomery and Randal Grichuk homered off majors saves leader Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth to tie it for Chicago. Smith had two of his three blown saves this season in this series.
Shawn Armstrong (2-1) got the final out of the ninth and pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee threw six shutout innings, scattering three hits to extend his streak of scoreless innings against the White Sox to 15.
YANKEES 4, TIGERS 2
DETROIT (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt had two home runs and Jasson Domínguez hit a go-ahead, two-run shot in the sixth inning off Tarik Skubal, lifting New York to a series-winning victory over Detroit.
Skubal (3-4) tied a career high by giving up three home runs, allowing that many in a game for the first time since 2021. The two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner gave up only one other hit, didn’t walk a batter and had nine strikeouts over six innings.
Ryan Weathers (3-5) allowed two runs — one earned — six hits and walked two while striking out six in six innings.
Yerry De los Santos and Fernando Cruz combined for two innings of relief and David Bednar pitched the ninth for his 16th save.
PIRATES 11, MARINERS 1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft pitched six strong innings, batterymate Endy Roriguez drove in three runs and Ryan O’Hearn had three hits to help Pittsburgh rout Seattle.
Ashcraft (7-3) had 10 strikeouts without a walk while allowing one run and five hits. He became the first Pirates pitcher to have at least two starts in the same season with at least 10 strikeouts and zero walks since at least 1901.
Rodriguez’s two-run double opened the scoring in a five-run fourth inning against Bryan Woo (6-6) as the Pirates went ahead 5-1. Rodriguez also singled in a run in a four-run seventh that pushed the lead to 9-1.
Carmen Mlodzinski pitched four scoreless innings for his second save.
Tyler Callihan tripled home Rodriguez in the fourth, Jake Mangum, and Esmerlyn Valdez followed with run-scoring singles.
O’Hearn doubled twice, including one that drove in a pair in the seventh. Valdez and Nick Gonzales had two hits and Callihan had two RBIs.
RAYS 5, ROYALS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Griffin Jax pitched five strong innings, Yandy Díaz tied Tampa Bay’s franchise record for career RBIs and the Rays defeated Kansas City.
Jax (3-5) struck out seven while allowing two unearned runs and five hits. It was his fourth start in a row with at least five innings pitched and less than two earned runs allowed. Bryan Baker gave up a run in the ninth, but closed it out for his 20th save.
Díaz hammered a line drive to left field in the fourth inning to tie B.J. Upton’s franchise mark of 447 RBIs and give Tampa Bay a 4-0 lead. Jonny DeLuca followed with an RBI double.
Nick Fortes and Díaz opened the scoring in the third when they both scored after Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone fielded Ryan Vilade’s grounder and stepped on the bag for the out — but then his throw home went wide of catcher Salvador Perez. Jonathan Aranda added a one-run single to put the Rays up 3-0.
Noah Cameron (4-5) gave up all five runs on eight hits in five innings for the Royals.
ASTROS 3, BLUE JAYS 1
TORONTO (AP) — Joey Loperfido scored the tiebreaking run on Jeff Hoffman’s errant pickoff throw in the eighth inning and Houston beat Toronto for their sixth victory in eight games.
Loperfido tripled off the center field wall with one out and scored when Hoffman’s pickoff throw sailed past third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. Okamoto was standing well wide of the base.
Loperfido beat his former team Tuesday with a tiebreaking home run in the 11th inning of Houston’s 9-7 win.
Hoffman (5-5) lost for the first time since May 30 at Baltimore.
Isaac Paredes had an RBI double in the first and Jeremy Peña’s infield single scored an insurance run in the ninth as the Astros won with only four hits.
PHILLIES 5, NATIONALS 4
WASHINGTON (AP) — Derek Hill hit a two-out, two-run pinch home run in the ninth inning to lift Philadelphia past Washington.
The comeback came a night after the Phillies had an eight-run ninth inning in a 14-9 victory over the Nationals.
Major league homers leader Kyle Schwarber, out of the starting lineup with lower back tightness, pinch hit with two outs and walked against Orlando Ribalta. Left-hander Richard Lovelady (2-4) came on and Hill pinch hit for Justin Crawford and homered to right center on a 1-2 pitch.
Brandon Marsh had three hits for the Phillies. He is 7 for 13 with two homers, three RBIs and four runs in the series.
Seth Johnson (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the victory, and Jhoan Duran struck out the side in the ninth for his 19th save.
Curtis Mead smacked a pinch two-run homer to give Washington a 4-3 lead in the sixth. Luis Garica Jr. and Jorbit Vivas also homered for the Nationals. Garcia homered in this third consecutive game and Vivas connected in his second straight.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola gave up two runs on three hits in five innings.
DODGERS 4, TWINS 3
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mookie Betts backed Shohei Ohtani with his 300th career home run, three hits and slick defense as the Los Angeles Dodgers finished a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night.
Ohtani helped himself with an RBI single to spark a three-run third inning against Twins starter Joe Ryan after the two-way superstar fell behind with a three-run second.
Max Muncy and Alex Call drove in the tying and go-ahead runs off Ryan for the MLB-leading Dodgers, and Tanner Scott pitched the ninth inning for his 11th save.
BREWERS 6, REDS 5
CINCINNATI (AP) — William Contreras and Jake Bauers hit back-to-back homers in the third inning and Milwaukee beat Cincinnati to complete a three-game sweep.
Milwaukee improved to a season-high 20 games over .500 at 49-29. The Brewers have won 18 of the last 21 series against the Reds.
Cincinnati (37-42) was swept at home for the first time since Aug. 16-18, 2024 against the Royals, a streak of 44 consecutive series.
The Reds loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Joel Kuhnel, who got Dane Myers to ground into an ending 6-4-3 double play.
DIAMONDBACKS 9, CARDINALS 4
ST. LOUIS (AP) — LuJames Groover and Ketel Marte hit back-to-back home runs to cap a six-run fourth inning that powered Arizona to a victory over St. Louis.
Tommy Troy went 2 for 5 with two RBIs on a night during which every Diamondbacks hitter had at least one hit.
Mitch Bratt allowed one run and two hits and two walks in three innings as he became the first Canadian pitcher to make his major league debut with the Diamondbacks. Ryan Thompson (3-1) allowed one run on two hits in two innings in relief of Bratt.
José Fermín homered in the ninth inning for St. Louis and rookie Blaze Jordan went 2 for 3 with three RBIs for his third multi-RBI game in 12 games since making his major league debut on June 12.
Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore (3-5) allowed six runs and eight hits with two walks in 5 1/3 innings. He’s 0-2 with a 10.34 ERA in four June starts.
Colorado Rockies' Tyler Freeman puts down a bunt to drive in a run from third base against Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Justin Slaten in the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
