Jerebko becomes first Swede drafted into NBA
Jonas Jerebko, a native of Borås in western Sweden, became the first Swedish national to be drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA), being picked on Thursday night by the Detroit Pistons as the 39th pick overall.
“I get the impression that Detroit wants to invest in me and that I can get a spot already this coming season,” Jerebko told the Borås Tidning (BT) newspaper.
The 22-year-old Jerebko, the son of former US college and Swedish professional basketball player Chris Jerebko, began his professional basketball career with his hometown team in Borås before moving to Italy’s top professional league in 2007.
With a height of 2.04 metres (6 feet, 8 inches), Jerebko was listed as one of the top five European basketball prospects by the ESPN sports television network, with some analysts projecting he could be drafted in the first round.
Jerebko joins an team coming of a mediocre season in which the Pistons barely made the playoffs before losing in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In heading to Detroit, Jerebko joins a long list of Swedish hockey players who make of the core of the towns beloved and perennial successful Red Wings hockey team.
Next up for Jerebko is the NBA’s week-long Summer League in Las Vegas, where the small forward will get a first chance to show his skills as a part of the Pistons’ organization.
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“I get the impression that Detroit wants to invest in me and that I can get a spot already this coming season,” Jerebko told the Borås Tidning (BT) newspaper.
The 22-year-old Jerebko, the son of former US college and Swedish professional basketball player Chris Jerebko, began his professional basketball career with his hometown team in Borås before moving to Italy’s top professional league in 2007.
With a height of 2.04 metres (6 feet, 8 inches), Jerebko was listed as one of the top five European basketball prospects by the ESPN sports television network, with some analysts projecting he could be drafted in the first round.
Jerebko joins an team coming of a mediocre season in which the Pistons barely made the playoffs before losing in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In heading to Detroit, Jerebko joins a long list of Swedish hockey players who make of the core of the towns beloved and perennial successful Red Wings hockey team.
Next up for Jerebko is the NBA’s week-long Summer League in Las Vegas, where the small forward will get a first chance to show his skills as a part of the Pistons’ organization.
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