The NBA draft is the biggest day in the lives of so many young men who have spent years working their socks off with the dream of one day having their names being called by the commissioner on stage. For Jaden Ivey, that dream became a reality last night as the Detroit Pistons selected him with the 5th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.
It was a very emotional moment for Ivey, not just because he got drafted but also because it was Pistons who selected him. Ivey has deep ties to the Detroit area, with his grandfather playing for the Detroit Lions in the NFL while his mother suited up for the Detroit Shock in the WNBA. His father also played for the Detroit Country Day, and the Pistons honored the family’s past in the city by presenting him with jerseys of three individuals who undoubtedly mean a lot to him.
Jaden Ivey's grandfather played for the Detroit Lions, his father played for Detroit Country Day and his mother played for the Detroit Shock.
Today the Pistons presented Ivey with all of their jerseys before giving him his 🥺
(H/T @DetroitPistons) pic.twitter.com/CaWOszmwX9
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 24, 2022
Ivey, who shed tears of joy during draft night, couldn’t hold back at this great gesture by the Pistons, and one hopes this is just the beginning of a great relationship between him and the team. Ivey is a great prospect, and one NBA scout claimed that he is an early Russell Westbrook with a jumper. If he goes on to have a career remotely close to the one Russ has had, then the Pistons have hit a home run here.
Ivey is a terrific athlete who averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for Purdue in his last season in college. He now gets paired in Detroit with Cade Cunningham and another promising rookie in Jalen Duren. Cunningham, who was the first pick in the draft last year, came into his own as the season went by, and he, along with Ivey, provide the Pistons with hopes of a return to relevance.
