London’s Shaedon Sharpe arrives in Portland following NBA draft
You could say Thursday night was a slam dunk for the Forest City and for London, Ont. native Shaedon Sharpe.
Sharpe was drafted into the NBA and was picked seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Speaking to CTV News Friday afternoon shortly after landing in Portland with his family, Sharpe said he is looking forward to what lies ahead.
“[I’m] feeling really good, really just excited to get started,” he said. “We flew into Portland this morning. Got a little tour around the place, so I mean I’m just getting really excited to get started.”
Sharpe credits the hard work he put into playing basketball and support from his family and friends as propelling him throughout his journey.
Shaedon Sharpe, right, shakes hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being selected seventh overall by the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 23, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
He admitted that he was nervous during Thursday night's NBA draft because he didn’t know where he was going to end up.
The former Beal Secondary School student was technically a Kentucky Wildcat, but had never played a game prior to the draft.
Speaking to CTV News Friday, his father Robert Sharpe said he could not be more proud of all that this son has accomplished.
“I think the key to his success was, you know, we have a great group of people — our circle we maintain very small, but you know, he’s got awesome, awesome support from his grandparents, to his parents…brother and sisters — we sacrificed a lot,” he said.
“We all went above above and beyond the call of duty to help him reach his dream,” Sharpe’s father added.
The first game of the 2022 season for the Portland Trail Blazers will kick off on Oct. 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
The UN warns Sudan's warring parties that Darfur risks starvation and death if aid isn't allowed in
The United Nations food agency warned Sudan's warring parties Friday that there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don't allow humanitarian aid into the vast western region.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.