Gophers freshman guard Cam Christie made the NBA a family thing on Thursday when he joined his brother not only in the same league but in the same city as well.
Christie waited a while before the Clippers selected him 16th in the second round — 46th overall — two years after the Lakers drafted his brother, Max Jr., in the second round (35th overall) in 2022. Christie has signed a four-year contract with the Clippers, according to his agent.
"It means a lot," Christie told the NBA's draft broadcast after he hugged his parents and shook the hand of NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, who announced the pick. "It's super cool to be NBA brothers. It's real dope."
A 6-6 Illinois native who excels as a pull-up shooter, Christie thanked his brother for what he taught him about the game.
Christie and his parents, Max Sr. and Katrina, waited through Wednesday night's first round at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and then another 16 picks Thursday afternoon after he had an outside chance to be the first Gopher taken in the first round since Utah drafted Kris Humphries 14th overall in 2004.
Instead, Christie, just 18, was the first Gopher drafted overall since Cretin-Derham Hall's Daniel Oturu in 2020. The Timberwolves took Oturu in the second round (33rd overall) that year and traded him to the Clippers. Oturu is not in the NBA, although the Clippers do have former Gophers guard Amir Coffey, who went undrafted in 2019.
When asked what he'll bring the Clippers, Cam Christie said, "Just bring a competitive mentality. I'm going to show up. I know to have a lot of work to do. I've great people behind me."
Christie averaged 11.3 points and led the Gophers in three-pointers last season and was the first Gopher to make the Big Ten All-Freshman team since Coffey in 2017.
