It took a bit longer than expected, but Cam Christie heard his name called in the NBA draft in New York City on Thursday.

The Los Angeles Clippers selected the Gophers freshman guard in the second round with the 46th overall pick.

Christie was at ESPN studios with his parents for the draft show and he shook hands with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum as he put on a Clippers hat.

Christie of Arlington Heights, Ill., will be going to the same city as his older brother Max, who was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 35th pick in 2022. The Christie parents, Katrina and Max Sr., will be able to go to the same spot to watch their boys play home games in the NBA.

“It means a lot. It’s super cool to be NBA brothers,” Cam said on ESPN. “It’s really dope. I thank him a lot for everything he has taught me. I’m super excited to get out there and start competing against him.”

Christie was considered fifth on ESPN’s list of “best available” players at the start of the second round and moved to the top that list for a while as picks further down that list came off the board.

“I think Cam Christie is a better prospect coming out of school than Max Christie was,” ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony said on air. “I had him ranked 14 spots higher on my big board than the Clippers actually took him. … He might be the best pull-up shooter in this draft. … I went to watch him workout here in New York. My eyes popped out at this kid’s talent. It’s going to be a big-time steal for (Clippers president) Lawrence Frank and the Clippers. It’s going to take him a year or two to get his body right and improve on the defensive end, but this guy has incredible upside.”

On Wednesday, Christie wasn’t able to be the Gophers’ first first-round pick since Kris Humphries in 2004, but he is the first Gopher player taken in the draft since center Daniel Oturu of St. Paul was selected by the Timberwolves with the 33rd pick in the 2020 draft.

Christie improved throughout his single season of college basketball. He moved into the starting lineup during the winter and became an all-Big Ten freshman team honoree, putting up 11.3 points per game and 39% 3-point shooting across 33 games.

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