49 Fun Facts About NBA Draft

Which league held the 1947 draft that the NBA still counts as its first?

Basketball Association of America teams held the 1947 to 1949 drafts, and in 1949 the league merged with the rival National Basketball League to form the NBA.

Which four-time Defensive Player of the Year went undrafted in 1996?

Ben Wallace came from Division II Virginia Union, yet he anchored the defense that won Detroit the 2004 title and entered the Hall of Fame in 2021.

Which future Hall of Famer did San Antonio draft 57th in 1999 and leave in Italy for three seasons?

Manu Ginóbili became the player credited with popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA.

Which future Celtics great did St. Louis draft second in 1956 and trade for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan?

Bill Russell turned the trade into a dynasty: Boston won 11 titles in his career, eight in a row, while St. Louis won its only title in 1958.

Which 2020 No. 3 pick skipped college to play professionally in Australia?

LaMelo Ball had signed with an agent to play professionally overseas, ending his college eligibility, and in Australia he was named NBL Rookie of the Year.

Which Georgetown center was the prize of the NBA's first draft lottery in 1985?

Patrick Ewing went to whichever of seven sealed envelopes David Stern drew first, replacing the old coin flip between the two conferences' worst teams.

Which team won the very first draft lottery in 1985?

New York Knicks won it, and even then there was talk that the draw had been fixed so they would get the first pick.

Which Wake Forest center did San Antonio draft first after winning the 1997 lottery?

Tim Duncan was San Antonio's reward for a 20-62 season in which injuries held David Robinson to six games.

Toronto drafted Antawn Jamison fourth in 1998, then traded him for which fifth pick?

Vince Carter helped Toronto reach the playoffs for the first time in 2000, two seasons after the swap.

Which regulation requires a team to own a first-round pick in every other draft?

The Stepien Rule followed Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien's habit of trading away future first-round picks for mediocre players in the early 1980s.

Which future US senator was drafted in 1965 but studied at Oxford before joining the NBA?

Bill Bradley still played professionally while at Oxford, commuting to Italy to play for Olimpia Milano.

Which future two-time MVP did Phoenix draft 15th out of Santa Clara in 1996?

Steve Nash spent two seasons as a Phoenix backup and was traded away in 1998, then returned in 2004 and won back-to-back MVP awards.

Which Holy Cross star did Boston pass up in 1950, only to draw his name from a hat months later?

Bob Cousy had been dismissed by coach Red Auerbach as a 'local yokel', and owner Walter Brown was hoping to draw Max Zaslofsky, yet Cousy won six titles in Boston.

Which team took Elgin Baylor first overall in 1958?

Minneapolis Lakers had also drafted him in the 14th round in 1956, but Baylor stayed at Seattle University and turned pro only after his junior season.

Which 1969 No. 1 pick played as Lew Alcindor before changing his name?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took his new name after converting from Catholicism to Islam.

Which Indiana State star did Boston draft sixth in 1978, then wait a year to sign?

Larry Bird's arrival turned a 29-53 Boston team into a 61-21 one, a 32-game improvement in his rookie season.

Who went first overall in 1979 after winning an NCAA title at Michigan State?

Magic Johnson played center, forward and guard in the 1980 title clincher as a rookie, scoring 42 points to win Finals MVP.

Who went first overall in 1984, two picks before Michael Jordan?

Hakeem Olajuwon grew up in Lagos playing soccer and team handball, which gave him the footwork behind his famous post moves.

Which team picked Sam Bowie second in 1984, just ahead of Michael Jordan?

Portland Trail Blazers had drafted guard Clyde Drexler a year earlier and wanted a center, but leg injuries held Bowie to 139 games in five seasons there.

Which college did Michael Jordan leave after his junior year to enter the 1984 draft?

North Carolina won the 1982 national title on Jordan's game-winning shot, taken as a freshman against Georgetown.

Which 1986 No. 2 pick died two days after the draft?

Len Bias had passed a physical only days earlier, then collapsed in his University of Maryland dormitory early in the morning.

Why did the Spurs wait two years for 1987 No. 1 pick David Robinson?

Navy service duty came first, and when Robinson arrived the Spurs went from 21-61 to 56-26, then the biggest one-year turnaround in NBA history.

Which third pick of the 1993 draft was traded that night for top pick Chris Webber?

Penny Hardaway came with three future first-round picks, the price Golden State paid for Chris Webber.

Which 1995 fifth pick led a wave of players jumping straight from high school to the NBA?

Kevin Garnett's leap was followed a year later by Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal, both drafted straight from high school in 1996.

Which team drafted Kobe Bryant 13th in 1996 and traded him before he played a game?

Charlotte Hornets took him under a deal agreed before the draft, then traded his rights for center Vlade Divac in July.

Which Georgetown guard did Philadelphia take first overall in 1996?

Allen Iverson was often the smallest player on the court, yet he won Rookie of the Year and, in 2001, the league MVP award.

Which team drafted Dirk Nowitzki ninth in 1998, then traded him away that night?

Milwaukee Bucks chose sixth pick Robert Traylor instead, trading away Nowitzki's rights along with Pat Garrity.

Which Cincinnati senior did New Jersey draft first overall in 2000?

Kenyon Martin went first even though he had broken his leg at the end of his senior season at Cincinnati.

Who was the first player drafted No. 1 straight out of high school?

Kwame Brown was chosen by a Washington front office run by Michael Jordan.

Who was the first international player without US college experience to go No. 1?

Yao Ming could be drafted only after clearing hurdles with the Shanghai Sharks and the Chinese Basketball Association, and he made eight All-Star teams.

Which Akron high school star went first overall in the 2003 draft?

LeBron James had already agreed to a seven-year Nike deal worth about $90 million before the draft.

Who did Detroit famously take second in 2003, ahead of Anthony, Bosh and Wade?

Darko Miličić played 159 minutes in his whole rookie season, while the Pistons won the 2004 championship.

Who was the first European player drafted first overall?

Andrea Bargnani went first after Toronto won the 2006 lottery with only an 8.8 percent chance at the top pick.

Who went first overall in 2007, ahead of Kevin Durant?

Greg Oden missed his entire rookie season after microfracture knee surgery, while Durant was named Rookie of the Year.

Derrick Rose was drafted first overall in 2008 by which team?

Chicago Bulls won the 2008 lottery with only a 1.7 percent chance of landing the top pick.

Which team drafted point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn just before Stephen Curry in 2009?

Minnesota Timberwolves had to wait for Rubio, who stayed in Spain and made his NBA debut only in December 2011.

Who did the Cavaliers select first overall in 2011 with a pick acquired from the Clippers?

Kyrie Irving went first even though a toe injury limited him to 11 games in his only season at Duke.

Which team made Isaiah Thomas the 60th and final pick of the 2011 draft?

Sacramento Kings took him last; his name traces to his father's bet with a friend on an NBA Finals against Isiah Thomas's Pistons.

Which Michigan State forward did Golden State draft 35th in 2012?

Draymond Green missed Game 5 of the 2016 Finals through suspension, and Golden State went on to lose the series from 3-1 up.

Which Kentucky freshman went first overall in 2012, a pick ahead of teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist?

Anthony Davis shot up to 6-foot-10 during high school, yet he kept the ball skills he had developed as a guard.

Who was the first Canadian taken No. 1 overall, by Cleveland in 2013?

He struggled badly; Wiggins became the second Canadian No. 1 a year later, also for Cleveland.

Whose 2014 draft selection aired only as a news ticker beneath a Taco Bell commercial?

Nikola Jokić, the 41st pick, stayed overseas with Serbia's Mega Leks for one more season before joining Denver in 2015.

Which LSU freshman did Philadelphia take first overall in 2016?

Ben Simmons did not play a game until October 2017, a year after the draft, and then won Rookie of the Year.

Which team drafted Luka Dončić third in 2018, then traded his rights that night?

Atlanta Hawks swapped his rights for fifth pick Trae Young plus a future first-round pick.

Which team drafted Zion Williamson first overall in 2019?

New Orleans Pelicans jumped to the top pick in 2019, the first year the flattened lottery odds let teams with better records climb.

Who did the Detroit Pistons take first overall in 2021?

Cade Cunningham kept his commitment to Oklahoma State even after the NCAA hit the program with a postseason ban.

Paolo Banchero was the 2022 No. 1 pick of which team?

Orlando Magic drafted a player who had gained Italian citizenship to play for Italy, but in 2023 he chose Team USA instead.

Victor Wembanyama became the first No. 1 pick from which country in 2023?

France's Metropolitans 92 had Victor Wembanyama in his pre-draft season, and the NBA streamed the club's games on its app.

Which team selected Cooper Flagg first overall in the 2025 draft?

Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 lottery with only a 1.8 percent chance of landing the top pick.