Zach Kleiman: Purdue star Zach Edey 'special fit' on Grizzlies

NEW YORK -- Zach Edey is taking his 7-foot-4 frame to Memphis to start his NBA career.

Edey, the former Purdue center who became the first player in more than 40 years to win The Associated Press' men's college basketball player of the year award in back-to-back seasons, was taken by the Grizzlies with the ninth pick in Wednesday's NBA draft.

Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman called Edey a "particularly special fit" for Memphis, praising his development and competitiveness and saying they are optimistic about his pairing next to former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt.

"We have options," Kleiman said of what Edey gives the team. "When we think about the push that we're making to take this team all the way to a championship, you see it, it's really difficult to get through four rounds of the playoffs. In our frontcourt now, there's a lot of different ways we can play."

Edey will be one of the tallest players in the NBA this coming season; in 2023-24, only San Antonio's Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, Houston's Boban Marjanovic and Phoenix's Bol Bol were listed at 7-foot-3 or taller.

Edey averaged 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds as a junior, then 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds during a senior season in which he led Purdue to the NCAA title game against Connecticut.

Edey is one of only six players to have won the AP player of the year award, which dates back to the 1960-61 season, on multiple occasions. The others: Ohio State's Jerry Lucas, UCLA's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, North Carolina State's David Thompson and Virginia's Ralph Sampson. Lucas, Abdul-Jabbar, Walton, Thompson and Edey were all two-time winners; Sampson was a three-time AP award winner.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.