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Serena Williams’ NWSL Team’s No. 1 Draft Pick Gets LA Excited as She Bears Witness to Joel Embiid & LeBron James’ 35-Point Masterclass

Published 01/16/2023, 6:30 AM EST

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US High School soccer player Alyssa Thompson made a name for herself at the NWSL draft 2023. She became the first High School player to be picked first in the draft on Thursday. Los Angeles-based Angel City FC, co-owned by Serena Williams, picked Thompson in the draft, meaning the player will now play her home games in her home city. 

The Angel City draft pick on Monday was in the Crypto.com Arena for the LA Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers game. The Lakers went down 112-113 to the 76ers despite 35 points by legend LeBron James. 76ers star Joel Embiid also scored 35 points helping the team register a win against the Lakers. 

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LA Lakers welcomed a new Angel City FC player 

LA Lakers posted an image of the new Angel City FC player Alyssa Thompson on their official Instagram handle, welcoming her for the game. The caption read, “Got some Angels among stars at center court.” Thompson was in Crypto.com Arena for the first time after becoming the Los Angeles-based NWSL soccer club player.

Although the Lakers have gone down by a game, the meeting was full of entertainment. However, the city’s NWSL team’s recent draft pick was at the center of attraction during the game. Thompson is the first High School soccer player to have a contract with Nike. She is excited by the prospect of playing in the NWSL and is enjoying her time off. 

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Thompson has made a name for herself in US Soccer with her performances for Harvard-Westlake School. The forward has 48 goals in 18 appearances for the school and has played for Total Futbol Academy’s U-19 team in MLS Next. She was the only female player in the league then. 

Her performances attracted many clubs in the NWSL. High School sensation made her debut for USWNT at 17 last year in a friendly against England. It was her performances that made Angel City get involved in a trade with three clubs to land the first pick in the draft. 

Serena Williams co-owned Angel City succeeded in landing Thompson

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The NWSL draft took place on Thursday, with Gotham City FC being the first to pick the player. However, Angel City FC landed that right from Gotham, which involved a trade between three clubs. Thompson has forgone her college eligibility and decided to be part of the draft that led Angel City to act fast.

The 2021 High School Player of the Year has represented the US at the U-20 level. Thompson, with three goals in five appearances, played a pivotal role in the teams’ gold medal at the U-20 CONCACAF Championship in 2022. Thompson will hope to emulate the form this year in the NWSL with her new club.

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Watch this story: Serena Williams’ and Natalie Portman’s Success With ACFC Inspires Another Female Led Group to Invest in Women’s Soccer

Let us know your thoughts on Angel City FC going for Alyssa Thompson in the NWSL draft.

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Written by:

Nikhil Nibe

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Nikhil is a Soccer writer at EssentiallySports. He is a pharmaceutics graduate holding a PG degree in management with marketing as a specialization. A sales professional since 2011, he decided to change the course of his career into a sports writer to follow his passion for Soccer.
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Edited by:

Gideon Mathson