The basketball gods gave the New Orleans Pelicans a major gift on Tuesday night, and the reaction of head coach Alvin Gentry showed just how significant it was for the franchise.
Despite having only a 6 percent chance of winning the NBA Draft Lottery, the Pelicans ended up with the No. 1 pick and the rights to draft former Duke superstar Zion Williamson. Gentry did absolutely nothing to hide his excitement, first standing up and yelling, “F— yeah!” in a room with representatives from other teams.
Coach Alvin Gentry reacts to the @PelicansNBA winning the 2019 #NBADraftLottery. pic.twitter.com/miV5cmVT3Y
— NBA (@NBA) May 15, 2019
Gentry later crashed an interview with new Pelicans GM David Griffin and acted like the team had just won an NBA title.
How excited is Alvin Gentry about getting the #1 pick in the NBA Draft?
Wow. pic.twitter.com/IwboNuLrPH— Doug Mouton (@DMoutonWWL) May 15, 2019
While Gentry’s reaction was entertaining, it didn’t quite top the celebration that the Pelicans’ ticket department broke into when the pick was announced. Anthony Davis may still want New Orleans to trade him, but Williamson is considered a franchise-altering talent. You can understand why the Pelicans were so thrilled given the odds they had of landing at No. 1.
