Atlanta Hawks officially sign first-round pick Zaccharie Risacher

The Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and officially signed him to his rookie contract today.

Risacher most recently suited up for JL Bourg (France), where he played 32 regular season games in Pro A (including 23 starts), averaging 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 21.9 minutes of play (.439% shooting, .352% from three, .740% from the field). He was named the 2023-24 French League Young Player of the Month, as well as the LNB Pro A Young Player of the Month twice, in October and November.

The 2023-24 EuroCup Rising Star award winner appeared in 23 EuroCup games, averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 23.5 minutes (.503 FG%, .450 3FG%, .688 FT%).

Risacher played 50 regular season games in the French Ligue 1, averaging 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 18.3 minutes (.425 shooting percentage, .338 three-point percentage, .729 free throw percentage). Prior to joining JL Bourg, he played two seasons with French club ASVEL (2021-23), where he played alongside 2023 first overall pick Victor Wembanyama during the 2021-22 season.

The 6’9 forward made his senior national team debut with France during the FIBA ​​EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in February 2024. He also represented France at the FIBA ​​U19 World Cup 2023, winning the silver medal, and helped France win the bronze medal at the FIBA ​​U17 World Cup 2022.

Born in Spain, Risacher grew up in Lyon, France. His father, Stephane, won a silver medal in basketball with France at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

When Hawks general manager Landry Fields met with the media after the first round of the draft was over, he pointed to Risacher’s versatility on defense and his shooting ability as big factors in the Hawks liking him as a prospect:

“Well, you start with what you see is he’s 6’2” and he’s got the ability to play both sides of the ball, he’s got the ability to defend, he’s a versatile defender, a very good shooter and a high IQ player. You know, the level of development he’s had so far is fantastic, he’s only 19, he’s going to be 19 all next year and I’ve always said all the qualities that are important to us in the past, about those types of players and the ones that we want in the building ultimately and he’s got a lot of them.”

Risacher is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wing who fills a major need in Atlanta. He’s a versatile two-way forward who has performed well in his league’s playoffs since the lottery. He’s a plug-and-play forward who would fit the Hawks as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter. But first, he needs to get off to a good start this summer, and that starts next Friday.