The Cleveland Cavaliers selected UNLV freshman Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 pick Thursday night, making him the first Canadian to be the top choice and getting the NBA draft off to a surprising start.
The Cavaliers passed on big men Nerlens Noel and Alex Len in favor of the forward who has starred for Canada’s junior national teams and was the Mountain West Conference player of the year.
There was suspense right until the end, either because the Cavs were unsure who they wanted or were trying to trade the pick. Most predictions had them taking one of the big men.
‘‘I'm just as surprised as anyone else,’’ Bennett said. Full story for BostonGlobe.com subscribers.
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