BASKETBALL/Top TPBL draft pick Adam Hinton sets sights on title with Aquas

Taipei, July 16 (CNA) Taiwanese-American guard Adam Hinton said he hopes to help the Kaohsiung Aquas win a championship after being selected first overall in the 2026 Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) Draft in Taipei on Thursday.

"The goal is to win a championship. That's it," the 23-year-old Cornell University graduate told reporters after hearing his name called.

Hinton, who obtained his Republic of China (Taiwan) identification card before turning 16, will be classified as a local player under TPBL rules.

Standing 194 centimeters tall and weighing 100 kilograms, Hinton was widely considered the likely No. 1 pick after announcing his decision to enter the TPBL draft.

He described the Aquas as a "championship-level program" whose intensity and style of play had impressed him.

"I thought they played hard, they played fast, they played with a lot of grit," Hinton said. "So I'm very excited to join that and keep that going with everybody on the team."

Hinton said the Aquas' family atmosphere convinced him that Kaohsiung was the right destination after he visited the team.

He expects to learn from the team's veterans while contributing energy and defense. Hinton is not prioritizing individual honors in his rookie season, saying, "If the individual awards come, then that's great, but [I'm] not looking for it."

Despite entering the draft as the expected top selection, Hinton said his composure disappeared in the minutes before the Aquas announced their choice.

"My mind went blank. I thought I was going to be calm, cool, and collected," he said. "My heart just started beating really fast, and that's all I could think about."

Hinton first attracted widespread attention in Taiwan when he and his brother Robert represented Taiwan's second-string national team at the 2023 William Jones Cup.

The brothers, born to a Taiwanese mother and an African-American father, previously described Taiwan as their "second home."

Hinton later played for Taiwan at the FIBA Asia Cup, where he was a teammate of Aquas veteran Hu Lung-mao (胡瓏貿). He said he was excited to reunite with Hu, whom he described as an intelligent player.

After Hinton went first overall, the Taipei Taishin Mars selected Wu Chih-kai (吳志鍇) with the second pick, followed by Kuo Chia-an (郭嘉安), who went to the New Taipei CTBC DEA. Eight of the 28 players who entered the draft were selected.

Wu was also selected by the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots with the fourth overall pick in the P.LEAGUE+ draft in late June. He can decide which of the two teams to sign with.