New York ? As the majority of pundits predicted, the Memphis Grizzlies have selected former Kansas University standout Drew Gooden with the fourth pick in the 2002 NBA draft.

Tune in to tonight’s 6News on Sunflower Broadband channel 6, and tomorrow’s Lawrence Journal-World and KUSports.com for full coverage of the NBA draft.

Yao Ming of China, a 2.26-meter (7-foot-5) center who gained clearance from his national federation to play in the NBA only hours earlier, was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets in the draft Wednesday night.

It marked the first time a foreign player who did not play in college in the United States went No. 1 in the draft.

The choice was expected, although the Rockets went through a few nervous days leading up to the draft while they waited to learn whether Yao would receive clearance from his national team. Yao had earlier reached a severance agreement with his professional team, the Shanghai Sharks.

The Chinese federation was concerned about Yao’s availability for national team commitments, but an agreement was reached earlier Wednesday. Yao did not attend the draft at Madison Square Garden. He was in Beijing for training with his national team for an upcoming four-nation tournament.

Yao shared high-fives and handshakes with his family as commissioner David Stern announced the pick.

“The whole franchise wanted this so badly. I just felt that it would all be worked out,” Houston general manager Carroll Dawson said.

Jay Williams, a junior guard from Duke who was the national player of the year, went second to the Chicago Bulls. Williams gave hugs rather than handshakes to his family before donning a Bulls cap and walking onstage.

This marked the second straight year the Bulls got the second overall pick. A year ago, they acquired teen-ager Tyson Chandler from the Los Angeles Clippers for Elton Brand in a major draft-night deal.

This year’s draft had no shortage of trade talk, either, with several teams trying to move into the top 10 or acquire one the veterans – including Antonio McDyess, Andre Miller and Baron Davis – whose names had been prominently mentioned in trade rumors throughout the day.

Mike Dunleavy of Duke went third to the Golden State Warriors, learning of his selection as he sat stage left with his father, former NBA player and coach Mike Dunleavy.

The draft was expected to start getting interesting beginning with the fourth pick, with newly hired Memphis Grizzlies president Jerry West set to make his first personnel move for a team other than the Los Angeles Lakers.

Other team executives said West had been working feverishly for the past several days trying to line up a series of moves.

West chose Drew Gooden of Kansas, a 6-foot-10 junior power forward and first-team All-America selection. The Big 12 Player of the Year, who averaged 19.9 points last season, would join a Grizzlies frontcourt that already includes Shane Battier and Rookie of the Year Pau Gasol.

Denver, choosing fifth on a day when McDyess trade rumors were rampant, chose center Nikoloz Tskitishvili of Benetton Treviso in Italy.

The 19-year-old Tskitishvili was the first teen-ager selected. A year ago, high school seniors comprised four of the first eight picks.

There was only one high school senior expected to be drafted in this year’s first round, but it also seemed likely that only a handful of college seniors would be among the first 28 picks.

Dajuan Wagner of Memphis went sixth to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a clear signal that the trade talk surrounding Miller – the NBA assists leader last season – was legitimate. Cleveland has told Miller it does not want to offer him a contract extension for another year, and several teams have been contacting the Cavs to make offers – most notably the Los Angeles Clippers.

The New York Knicks, with their highest pick in 15 years, selected 6-foot-11 inches (2.28.94 meters) “Nene” Hilario of Brazil – a rebounding and shot-blocking specialist who remains under contract to a professional team in Rio de Janeiro.

The Knicks, who enlisted the advice of the NBA’s former lead attorney in examining Hilario’s contract, are confident it will be voided at an arbitration hearing in London later this summer.

The choice of Hilario drew quite a few boos from a crowd that chanted “We Want (Caron) Butler” moments before the pick was announced. Moments later, the crowd chanted: “Fire Layden” a reference to Knicks president Scott Layden.