Bol Bol entered the 2018-19 college basketball season as a projected top-five pick. However, when the 2019 NBA Draft rolled around on Thursday, June 20, Bol Bol was in for a long night. The 7-foot-2 center, who is the son of former NBA player Manute Bol, was invited to the green room but watched the first round play out without his name being called.
It wasn’t until pick No. 44 that Bol Bol finally heard his name called and the crowd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York went wild.
Bol was selected by the Miami Heat, but will ultimately suit up for the Denver Nuggets after Miami included the pick in a proposed trade.
As you might expect, NBA Twitter had a field day with the Bol Bol waiting game as the night played out and he continued to wait to learn where he would be beginning his professional career.
A look at some of the best Twitter reactions to Bol Bol’s draft day slide can be seen below.
https://twitter.com/Ramey_m8/status/1141911793809444865
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1141917254121955333
https://twitter.com/Visiondary/status/1141914225406857216
https://twitter.com/LLCooITre/status/1141912336002949120
https://twitter.com/DefrankNicholas/status/1141910543600685056
https://twitter.com/Steve_R_Walker/status/1141913805204676609
https://www.instagram.com/p/By802ltHD49/
https://twitter.com/HeyWoido/status/1141904952178049024
https://twitter.com/imcolegiannasca/status/1141913777220272134
https://www.instagram.com/p/By9OJzpHpor/
https://twitter.com/iamRIFLEX/status/1141910456585658368
https://twitter.com/Jackkaaayyy/status/1141913612816199682
https://twitter.com/solemarks/status/1141911557061955584
https://twitter.com/Vehementtoast53/status/1141912064450973696
https://twitter.com/ExSamplez/status/1141911537872977920
https://twitter.com/merrittv_/status/1141910656821501952
https://twitter.com/JoshuaForester_/status/1141909895664455682
Bol Bol suffered a draft day slide in large part due to concerns over his medicals. There were also questions about his motivation and effort level on the court. Bol Bol — who also checks in at a frail 208 pounds at 7-foot-2 — played in just nine games during his time with the Oregon Ducks but managed to average 21 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game.
The 2019 NBA Draft may not have gone exactly how Bol Bol had planned, but he will now have the opportunity to prove all of the doubters wrong as he begins the next chapter of his career.