The 2013 NBA Draft was much of a surprise to spectators as it was for the actual players looking to get drafted, as predicted No.1 overall pick Nerlens Noel sat there and watched as the Cleveland Cavliers stunned everyone picking UNLV's Anthony Bennett to lead all draft picks for the night.
As for Noel, he kept waiting and waiting until being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans No.6 overall, but was later traded along with a 2014 first-round draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jrue Holiday and this year's 42nd pick.
"They've got a great organization there, too. I'm just staying positive about everything," he said. "It shows how much confidence they have in me. I'm just looking to get down there and work hard."
When asked about the five teams who passed on him, Noel tried to stay positive, but admitted he felt like he was overlooked.
"Oh yeah, I'm going to make them pay," Noel said.
Noel averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, and blocked 106 shots as a freshman for the University of Kentucky. However, he had a March 12 operation to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and expects to return to the court by Christmas, a long road back likely to involve countless hours of rehabilitation.
He said he uses his mother as motivation when it came to rehabilitating his knee to show NBA teams his worth as a top pick in the NBA draft.
"Coming to America from Haiti, working two jobs, she never quit so I could be where I'm at today," said Noel. "I wasn't about to give up."
"This has been his dream since he was a little boy. I just told him to keep working and good things would come," Dorcina Noel said.
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