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MIAMI: Brazil sambaed their way into the World Cup knockout stages with a commanding 3-0 win over Scotland on Wednesday (Jun 24), as Vinicius Jr netted twice and Neymar made his first appearance in a Brazil shirt in nearly three years.

The victory came before a full house at the Miami Stadium, where 64,478 fans watched Carlo Ancelotti’s side top the group with seven points, while Morocco finished second with a 4-2 win over Haiti and also advanced to the last 32.

Vinicius has scored in every game so far and the 25-year-old has four goals in the tournament to find himself in elite company, going level with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland while he sits one goal behind Lionel Messi.

“We played well, it was much like the match against Haiti (a 3-0 win). It was a more complete performance and we’re pleased,” Ancelotti said.

“Now comes the best bit … There were lots of positives, we didn’t concede a goal. Neymar’s introduction is important and could help us a great deal.”

BRAZIL SCORE INSIDE SEVEN MINUTES

Scotland boss Steve Clarke had predicted Brazil would attack from the outset and the South Americans needed seven minutes to prove him right and go 1-0 up when Scott McKenna failed to clear the ball, allowing Rayan to nick it and find Vinicius unmarked.

As goalkeeper Angus Gunn scrambled to stop him, the Real Madrid forward simply took one touch to move the ball past him and tap it into an empty net as the fans in yellow erupted.

Brazil nearly made it 2-0 before the first hydration break when Vinicius nicked the ball off Jack Hendry to score, but Scotland earned a reprieve after a VAR check and the goal was overturned for a foul by the Brazilian.

That remained the theme in the first half, with Brazil being more combative while Scotland failed to capitalise on set-pieces as they finished the half with no shots on target.

Brazil twisted the knife on the stroke of halftime, winning the ball high up the pitch before Bruno Guimaraes crossed to the far post, where a grateful Vinicius headed home his second.

The two-goal cushion unleashed Brazil’s full repertoire of tricks as they sliced through Scotland’s midfield with flicks and one-touch passes that left Clarke’s side looking relieved when the halftime whistle blew.

CUNHA SCORES HIS THIRD AT WORLD CUP

Brazil pressed for a third goal and it came with another scything move through the midfield as Guimaraes grabbed his second assist, dancing into the box before setting up Matheus Cunha for his third goal of the tournament.

“It’s a dream come true. The first match was tough, the second was better, and now it’s even better,” Cunha said.

“I believe we’re improving and we’re going all out to achieve our goal – to win our sixth title.”

Scotland finally tested Alisson for the first time in the 64th minute when the goalkeeper parried a header but a roar of approval from the Tartan Army was quickly drowned out by the Brazilian fans singing in unison.

But the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Neymar, who had not donned the famous yellow jersey since October 2023, as Ancelotti brought on the 34-year-old who looked to combine with Vinicius, creating three chances in 13 minutes.

Scotland’s attacking efforts remained toothless and Alisson remained a rock in goal, denying them one last chance in the dying minutes as Brazil kept a clean sheet.

“We gave them the goals, we gave them the game we wanted. We’re disappointed,” Clarke said.

The result leaves Scotland waiting to see if they can qualify as one of the best third-placed sides with three points but a damaging goal difference of minus-three.

LONDON, June 24 – Wimbledon organisers say they are ‘surprised and disappointed’ that leading players are planning to continue their prize money protest at this year’s grasscourt major.

This month the ​All England Club announced a record year-on-year 20% rise in the total ‌prize money to £64.2 million, less than the £70 million the players were calling for.

Players are demanding a larger slice of the revenue from the Grand Slams in line with what they receive at ​ATP and WTA events. Some protested at the French Open by limiting their ​pre-tournament media activity to 15 minutes.

“Wimbledon puts the players at the ⁠heart of all our decisions and we invest significantly in them every year,” the ​All England Club said in a statement on Wednesday.

“This is alongside investing hundreds of ​millions of pounds in upgrades to our player facilities as part of a three-year transformation to create a world class player performance environment.”

Wimbledon’s record prize money pool equates to around 15% of the ​tournament’s revenue but the group of leading players represented by former WTA chief ​executive Larry Scott wanted a minimum of 16%.

Announcing the prize money this month, Wimbledon chair Debbie Jevans ‌said ⁠she had discussed prize money with Scott at the French Open. She said unlike regular tournaments, Wimbledon distributes 90% of its surplus back into British tennis.

“Using revenue to determine prize money makes no sense and we have said that to Larry Scott,” ​she said this month. “Revenue ​does not take ⁠into account the investment that we give. We are not-for-profit, and very different to a Masters 1000.”

In Paris, women’s world number one ​Aryna Sabalenka cut short her pre-tournament press conference, while other ​players like ⁠Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek limited their time.

Players have even threatened a future boycott.

Saturday is the traditional pre-tournament media day at Wimbledon and players are set to limit their time ⁠to ​15 minutes and, according to reports, are planning to ​restrict post-match appearances to 15 minutes throughout the first week.

The 15 minutes duration symbolises the 15% share ​of Wimbledon’s takings set aside for prize money.

Despite bowing out without a point in their first World Cup since 1974, Haiti twice led against 2022 semifinalists Morocco.

Morocco twice overcame the shock of conceding to Haiti to win a World Cup thriller 4-2 in Atlanta, but missed out on the top spot in Group C to Brazil.

Haiti bowed out with their first World Cup goals in 52 years, as a Yassine Bounou own goal and Wilson Isidor’s stunning strike twice gave them the lead on Wednesday.

Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari, with his third goal in as many games at the World Cup, levelled before half-time.

Soufiane Rahimi was nearly brought to tears when the 30-year-old’s deflected effort found the top corner to give Morocco the lead, before Gessime Yassine rounded off the scoring.

But Morocco missed out on the top spot in the group to Brazil on goal difference, meaning they will head to Monterrey for a likely meeting against the Netherlands or Japan on Monday.

Despite bowing out without a point, Haiti’s performances at their first World Cup since 1974 have done a nation gripped by poverty proud.

Les Grenadiers were already eliminated after losing to Scotland and Brazil, but the thousands of Haitian expats in the stands in Atlanta were undeterred as every attack was met with deafening cheers.

Morocco boss Mohamed Ouahbi made four changes to the side that had impressed in holding Brazil and beating Scotland in their opening two games, and the Atlas Lions started sloppily.

Haiti’s long wait for a goal on the global stage was ended after just 10 minutes, when Jean-Kevin Duverne got to the byline, and Lenny Joseph flicked the resulting cross into the net via a deflection off Bounou.

Hakimi has continued to captain Morocco despite learning mid-tournament that he is to face a trial on rape charges in France.

The reigning African footballer of the year stormed forward from right-back at every opportunity and was in the right place to equalise on 39 minutes.

In his final game for Haiti, 38-year-old goalkeeper Johny Placide could only parry Bilal El Khannouss’s strike, and Hakimi had a simple task to force the ball over the line.

Within four minutes, though, Haiti had restored their lead in far more spectacular fashion.

Sunderland striker Isidor pounced on a loose ball and let fly from outside the area with a shot that arrowed into the top corner.

Hakimi and Ouahbi were visibly angered by conceding for a second time, but the 2022 World Cup semifinalists responded before half-time.

Saibari stroked home his third goal of the tournament with a cool finish from Hakimi’s low cross.

Brahim Diaz nearly gave Morocco a half-time lead when his curling effort shaved the post to end a thrilling first half.

With Brazil cruising to victory over Scotland in Miami, Morocco knew that only a comprehensive victory would secure them the top spot in Group C.

Ouahbi began turning his attention to the last 32, as Bayern Munich-bound Saibari and Real Madrid’s Diaz were replaced with more than 20 minutes remaining.

But two of his substitutes came on to win the game for Morocco.

Rahimi’s powerful strike from a corner flew into the top corner via a deflection off a desperate Haiti defender.

He then turned provider by robbing possession on the Haiti byline and crossing for Yassine to roll into an empty net.

MEXICO CITY, June 24 : Mexico coach Javier Aguirre praised his team’s mentality on Wednesday after they upped the tempo in the second half to secure a 3-0 victory against the Czech Republic in their final Group A match of the World Cup.

With the victory, Mexico advance to the knockout phase as group winners.

• “I didn’t like the first 20 minutes, but then we settled down, the team recovered, and that’s where we showed the power of mental strength,” he said at a press conference.

• The Mexican coach, who led the side at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, said that while the performance was good “we always have a few things to work on”.

• Aguirre, 67, said his team’s mentality is essential to keep progressing at the World Cup, where they will look to move beyond the quarter-finals for the first time.

• “I think we’ve improved in that area, that mentality of ‘Well, that’s it, we’ve done our part.’ This group has character,” he said.

Less than 24 hours after the NCAA Division I cabinet approved a monumental change in eligibility rules, a group of 15 college basketball players filed a lawsuit in an Ohio state court claiming the new age-based model unfairly shuts them out of further competition.

The NCAA now will allow athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The move will all but eliminate waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, pregnancy or active-duty military service. No longer will extensions be considered for athletes who are injured.

Athletes whose eligibility expired by spring 2026 under the traditional model — four years of competition over five years — will not be allowed a fifth year of competition under the new rules that go into effect this fall.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cincinnati (Hamilton County) sought temporary and permanent injunctive relief that would allow a fifth year of competition for athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 and began their college sports careers that fall and never redshirted. A judge denied a temporary restraining order hours after the lawsuit was filed and scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday on the request for a preliminary injunction.

The new eligibility rule “unjustifiably restrains their ability to earn money through use of their name, image, and likeness (‘NIL’) connected to their work as Division I athletes,” attorneys Ryan Downton and Charles Rittgers wrote in the complaint.

Similar lawsuits are expected to be filed in other states.

The Division I cabinet said in a statement posted on X that it was aware of legal action challenging its decision and that “we do not intend to change course.”

The cabinet said that although age-based eligibility was under consideration, the Division I board of directors made it clear that any rule change would apply going forward and not retroactively to athletes whose eligibility was completed by the spring of 2026.

“Student-athletes who will exhaust their eligibility this year have received the full period of eligibility permitted by NCAA bylaws and the life-changing benefits college sports provides,” the cabinet said. “Giving those student-athletes another season would destabilize rosters just ahead of the coming season by disrupting settled expectations of countless student-athletes regarding their expected roster spots and playing time next year, including incoming freshmen who are eager to participate in the life-changing experience of college athletics.”

Nine of the plaintiffs have played or planned to play next season at Ohio schools. The rest, according to the complaint, have played multiple games in the state.

The complaint said Class of 2022 athletes competed for playing time against older athletes who had eligibility extended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also noted that the NCAA allowed 2022 high school graduates to play a full professional season before enrolling in 2023 and that they are not excluded from playing in 2026-27.

“NCAA athletes have a reasonable expectation that they will be treated fairly by the NCAA and that NCAA rules will be applied consistently, regardless of the athlete’s background before they attend an NCAA school and regardless of the year in which they graduated from high school,” the complaint said.

The lawsuit points out that the plaintiffs don’t challenge the concept of a defined eligibility period or the five-for-five rule itself.

“Rather, they challenge the NCAA’s application of the rule that allows players they competed against from the high school class of 2017-20 and 2023-25 an additional year of competition while denying plaintiffs the same opportunity,” the attorneys wrote. “The NCAA then compounded the problem by allowing former professional players to compete in their fifth year following high school graduation regardless of the number of professional games they had played, while denying plaintiffs the same opportunity for a fifth year of competition.”

MONTERREY, Mexico — South Korea only needed to avoid defeat against South Africa on Wednesday to guarantee their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stages. Even a draw would have been enough to secure a second-place finish and a round of 32 clash with Canada in Los Angeles on June 28.

It hardly seemed the kind of dire situation which called for bold strategies and, yet, not only did South Korea coach Hong Myung-Bo do just that — he could not have taken a bigger gamble in dropping captain Son Heung-Min from his starting XI.

Ninety minutes or so later, the repercussions of his huge call are clear for all to see. And they are not positive for South Korea. A shock 1-0 loss to Bafana Bafana has seen them slip to third and now have to await the conclusion of the group stage on Saturday to find out if they are even going to reach the knockout rounds as one of the best-performing third-placed teams.

Hong will have his reasons for the decision. It is completely within his right to make huge calls and, after all, no player is bigger than the team.

Yet, when it involves a national hero like Son — who is almost worshipped in South Korea — then whoever is making such a call will certainly be praying for vindication.

That did not come for Hong, and it remains to be seen what kind of backlash he receives in the days to come, even if South Korea do advance.

The South Korean fans in attendance did not even wait for the start of the match to make their sentiments clear. A huge roar erupted from the stands when Son appeared on the big screen as the Taegeuk Warriors came out for their warmup. Perhaps at that point some fans hadn’t discovered his omission.

But when the South Korea starting XI was eventually announced at the stadium, and 11 names had been read out with Son’s missing, the next face on the big screen — that of Hong — was roundly greeted with jeers.

For the first time since the 2010 edition — before he had even made his international debut — and after 12 consecutive starts at the tournament for him, South Korea started a World Cup match without Son.

South Korea did have a bright enough opening without their talismanic skipper — coming close to opening the scoring as early as the second minute when stand-in captain Kim Min-Jae met Lee Kang-In’s corner with a goal-bound header that was only cleared just before the line by Aubrey Modiba.

Six minutes later, they threatened again — this time with Lee Kang-In latching onto a scuffed effort by Lee Tae-Seok and lashing an effort just wide from inside the area.

But then, as the first half wore on, South Africa found some life — and actually looked the likelier of the two teams to break the deadlock despite all of South Korea’s possession. In particular, Thapelo Maseko was an absolute livewire down their right wing. A clinical counterattack saw him race through in the 19th minute, only for Lee Gi-Hyuk to his side’s rescue with a last-ditch block.

South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu was then required to make a crucial double save on the half-hour mark — first parrying a long-range effort by Thalente Mbatha before smothering a follow-up effort from point-blank range — although Evidence Makgopa might have been flagged for offside.

Then, the first almighty roar from the South Korea faithful since the match got underway. The appearance of Son for the second half.

Still, it was Maseko that continued to look the likeliest to find the breakthrough. In the 51st minute, it was Lee Han-Beom’s turn to have to weigh in with a crucial block just as the South Africa forward looked set to test Kim Seung-Gyu.

The warning signs were there. Plenty of them. South Korea just did not heed them.

And, three minutes after the hour mark, South Africa took a deserving lead.

Mere seconds after coming on as a substitute, Tshepang Moremi burst down the left before cleverly cutting inside and stroking a precise pass across the box, where who else but Maseko was waiting. With one touch to check back onto his left foot, his next sent a low shot arrowing past Kim Seung-Gyu’s despairing dive.

It proved to be the most pivotal of strikes in a tight affair.

Hong threw on more reinforcements. He even changed the system, sacrificing Kim Min-Jae for Park Jin-Seob to come on as the deep-lying playmaker — allowing midfield metronome Hwang In-Beom to push further up the field. Likewise, wingbacks Seol Young-Woo and Jens Castrop — another halftime substitute — were soon almost effectively playing as wingers.

For all the deliveries they swung into the box, none had the required guile or precision to unlock a determined South Africa defence.

Ultimately, Bafana Bafana held on for a deserving victory.

In Hong’s defence, even Son was not able to provide that much-needed creative spark in the second half. And, while it is always easier to suggest in hindsight, perhaps he might have from the start. Either way, Hong made a huge gamble with South Korea’s round of 32 prospects on the line.

Not only did it not pay off, it spectacularly backfired.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — United States manager Mauricio Pochettino said his four players on yellow cards won’t start Thursday’s match against Türkiye to avoid the possibility of being suspended for the round of 32 match on July 1.

The USMNT has clinched the top spot in Group D, and with Türkiye having already been eliminated, the match will have no bearing on the final group standings. Therefore, the four players on yellow cards — midfielder Tyler Adams, forward Folarin Balogun, defender Chris Richards and outside back Antonee Robinson — will begin the match on the bench and likely won’t play at all.

All yellow cards incurred during the group stage that don’t result in a suspension for the round of 32 will be wiped out when the group stage concludes.

“I think it’s an easy answer for the guys that have yellow cards,” Pochettino said Wednesday at his prematch news conference. “I think it’s unnecessary to take a risk and then take another yellow card and be not available for the next stage.

“I think that is a little bit a normal and easy answer not to play with them from the beginning.”

Pochettino said he also wanted to avoid a scenario where a player on a yellow card played tentatively in order to avoid a suspension.

“If you play tomorrow and maybe you receive an unfair yellow card and you are out, not available for the next stage, tell me in the way that you will approach the game,” Pochettino said. “My answer is I need to be sure that the team that is going to [play] tomorrow, want to eat the grass here in the SoFi and play as if it’s the final of the World Cup.”

The U.S. manager also hinted that he could rest a player like Malik Tillman, who is coming off a long club season. Other players like Sergiño Dest and Alex Freeman, who didn’t play as often with their clubs, may get different treatment.

“We have a lot of circumstance that we earn because we earn through our results and our performance; the possibility to manage better and arrive in a better condition in the next stage,” Pochettino said.

The U.S. coach added that Christian Pulisic, who sat out the Australia match with a calf injury, is available, though how he will be used is still to be determined.

“We need to decide if it’s possible to play from the beginning or be on the bench and have the possibility to maybe to play in the second half,” Pochettino said about Pulisic. “That is the situation.”

The news is less positive about midfielder Cristian Roldan, who was viewed as one of the possible replacements for Adams in the U.S. midfield. Roldan hasn’t trained with the full team since last weekend, and according to Pochettino has been dealing with a quadriceps issue.

“We need to assess tomorrow if [Roldan] can be available,” the U.S. manager said. “He has a small issue in his quad, but I think it’s evolving really well. [If] this is not for tomorrow, hope for the next week.”

As for Türkiye, Pochettino is anticipating that the Crescent-Stars are going to play with plenty of intensity in order to finish off what has been a disappointing World Cup on a more positive note. Türkiye has lost both of its World Cup games and has no chance of advancing.

“I think it’s a World Cup match. When you defend your shirt, your flag, your culture always is about pride,” Pochettino said. “I have no doubt that the Turkish team is going to be competitive tomorrow. They have good players. Of course they are eliminated, but I think it’s going to be a tough game. We are not thinking that it’s going to be a game that is going to be easy.”

The United States’ opponent in the round of 32 is likely to be Bosnia-Herzegovina, which beat Qatar earlier Wednesday to clinch its first spot in the knockout rounds of a World Cup.

2026 World Cup Group D

Team	MP	W	D	L	GP	P
USA	2	2	0	0	5	6
Turkiye	2	0	0	2	-3	0
Paraguay	2	1	0	1	2	3
Australia	2	1	0	1	0	3

MONTERREY, Mexico: South Korea’s World Cup hopes hang by a thread after a 1-0 loss to South Africa on Wednesday (Jun 24).

The Taegeuk Warriors can still reach the last 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, but need results elsewhere to go their way.

Thapelo Maseko fired into the bottom corner in the 63rd minute to put South Africa through to the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time. 

They finished second in Group A on four points behind winners Mexico and will face co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles on Jun 28. South Korea, who started with talisman Son Heung-min on the bench, finished on three points.

South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said he had deliberately left captain Son out of the starting 11 in the hope the forward could exploit tiring South African legs after the break.

But he conceded his side never found their rhythm.

“We thought that when the opponents had a lot of energy it would be better to use Son later in the game, when they started losing energy and there was more space,” Hong said.

“We wanted to use him when they were weaker.”

South Africa had failed to advance from the group stage in their first three World Cup appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2010.

South Africa coach Hugo Broos praised his side’s discipline after securing a historic victory.

“It was a fantastic experience. It was so tough today, but it was a good game. I think tactically we were very good and it was difficult for South Korea to find space,” he said.

“We scored, then there were 20 minutes of heart-stopping moments. It’s historical, and I’m very happy for the guys. I’ve been working with them for five years.”

South Korea, who enjoyed most of the possession but lacked a cutting edge and inspiration, made the brighter start when Kim Min-jae’s header was cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba after two minutes, before Lee Kang-in fired over from inside the penalty area shortly afterwards.

South Africa gradually grew into the contest and nearly struck in the 19th minute when Maseko raced onto a through ball, only for Lee Gi-hyuk to produce a superb last-ditch tackle.

Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu then made an excellent double save, first denying Thalente Mbatha before smothering Evidence Makgopa’s follow-up effort.

After soaking up the early pressure against a South Korea side that struggled to create clear openings, even with captain Son coming on at half-time, South Africa deservedly found the breakthrough.

Moremi slipped a precise pass into Maseko, who shifted the ball onto his left foot before drilling a low finish into the bottom right-hand corner to send his side into the last 32.

Mateo Chavez and Julian Quinones scored goals in the span of six minutes early in the second half, and Mexico beat Czechia 3-0 to win all three of its World Cup group-stage matches for the first time.

The 22-year-old Chavez, in his first World Cup, opened the scoring in the 55th minute, and Quinones scored his second goal of the tournament in the 61st. Alvaro Fidalgo added a goal in second-half stoppage time on Wednesday night.

Mexico’s previous best group-stage performance was two wins and one draw, achieved in 1986 and 2002, both featuring Javier Aguirre, the first as a midfielder and the second as El Tri’s coach.

Already the winner of Group A, Mexico will play again at Azteca Stadium on Tuesday in a round-of-32 match against an opponent to be determined.

Czechia were eliminated, finishing with one point in three games.

The match included nods to Mexico’s past and future. Gilberto Mora became the youngest Mexico player to start in a World Cup at age 17.

And 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa entered in the 77th minute, joining Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the only players to appear in six World Cups.

Homophobic chant returns in Azteca Stadium

Fans at the game chanted a slur that has previously led to fines and other sanctions against Mexico’s Football Federation.

The slur, which literally means “male prostitute” in Spanish, could be heard at the Azteca Stadium towards the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar took a goal kick, according to The Associated Press news agency.

The chant has cost Mexico hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines levied by FIFA. It rose to popularity roughly 25 years ago and is used to intimidate goalkeepers when they take goal kicks.

It went viral in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and was heard again in Russia during the 2018 World Cup, and then again four years later in Qatar. It has persisted despite attempts by the Mexican Football Federation to stop it.

It took a little longer than he had hoped, but Duke’s Isaiah Evans found his landing spot in the NBA draft.

The sophomore guard is heading to Minnesota, the move coming after the Brooklyn Nets selected Evans at No. 33 overall in Wednesday night’s second round with a pick that will be shipped to the Timberwolves as part of a pre-draft trade.

The 6-foot-6, 186-pound Evans had a seat in the green room through Tuesday’s first round but ultimately spent a difficult night without hearing his name called by league commissioner Adam Silver to join him on stage in New York.

Evans wasn’t among the list of attending prospects released by the NBA for Round 2.

Evans worked as an off-the-ball floor spacer with the ability to heat up from outside in a hurry while shooting 38% from behind the arc through two seasons. And he was considered a possible first-round prospect even before he elevated his game as a full-time starter in his sophomore season. The most pressing concern about him was the need to add strength to a slim frame to handle the physical play at the next level.

While falling out of the first round was surely a disappointment, Evans won’t have to look far for inspiration when it comes to second-round picks who have gone on to NBA success. There’s a long line of stories, like that of Denver Nuggets star and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who arrived in the league as the No. 41 overall pick in 2014.

Or, there’s New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who earlier this month led the franchise to its first championship since 1973.

His draft spot? Same as Evans, No. 33 overall in 2018.

The wait until Wednesday night wasn’t as bad for players who weren’t expecting to be selected on the first night or understood patience, something Meleek Thomas said he learned playing for John Calipari at Arkansas.

“The most important lesson I learned from Coach Cal this year was: Your time is coming. Don’t worry about when. Don’t worry about how,” said Thomas, who was selected by Sacramento with the No. 34 pick and dealt to Cleveland.

German guard Jack Kayil, whose rights were acquired by the Knicks with the No. 39 pick, not surprisingly named Brunson as the player he was hoping to learn from.

“We play kind of in a similar position,” Kayil said. “We are also in kind of the same position of the draft. He was also second round. So I think I can learn a lot of stuff, how he started getting into the NBA, into the league, getting in touch with that.”

The Knicks also acquired the rights to Tyler Nickel, the No. 47 pick from Vanderbilt, with their moves.

Among the other well-known names taken in the second round were BYU’s Richie Saunders, who was selected at No. 32 by Memphis; Purdue’s Braden Smith, the NCAA’s career assists leader who was taken at No. 38 with a pick belonging to Indiana; Kentucky’s Otega Oweh, with the No. 41 pick acquired by Oklahoma City; and Houston’s Emanuel Sharp at No. 45 to Sacramento.

The Wizards, who had the first overall pick in the draft, also had the 60th and final selection but dealt it to Milwaukee. The Bucks took Malique Lewis, a forward from Trinidad and Tobago who was playing most recently in Australia.