NBA Draft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The NBA Draft is an annual North American event in which the National Basketball Association's (NBA) thirty teams (29 in the United States and one in Canada) can select players who wish to join the league. These players usually come from college level, but in recent drafts a greater number of international and high school (now forced to go through one year of college) players have been drafted. As of the 2006 NBA Draft high school players gain eligibility for draft selection one year after their graduating class has finished high school, but only if they also are at least 19 years of age as of the end of the calendar year of the draft.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Structure
The NBA draft is currently divided into two rounds, with thirty picks per round. The order of selections is based on several rules. The first picks of the draft belong to the fourteen teams that did not enter the playoffs in that year's season. These teams participate in a NBA Draft Lottery to determine the order of the first three picks. Each team is assigned a number of chances based upon season standings to 'win' the lottery. After these three teams have been determined, the remaining picks are given out based on regular season record with the worst teams getting the highest remaining picks. This lottery assures each team can drop no more than 3 positions from its projected draft position. The lottery also prevents teams from throwing the season to ensure a top draft pick.
The next sixteen spots in the draft are reserved for the teams that made it into that season's playoffs. The order of these sixteen teams' selection is determined by their regular-season win-loss record, going from worst to best. Therefore, the team with the best record selects last. The team with the best record is not necessarily the champion; for example, in the 2004 NBA Draft, the last pick did not go to the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons, but rather to the Indiana Pacers (this is unlike the NFL Draft, in which the Super Bowl champion always draws the final selection of the first round).
The order of selections in the second round are also based upon season standings, with the worst team picking first and the best picking last. There is no lottery for the second round. Teams are allowed to trade future draft picks (first and second round) as they would current players.
League rules prohibit a team from trading away their own future first-round picks in consecutive years. This rule was created partially as a reaction to the practices of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early 1980s. Ted Stepien, who owned the team from 1980 to 1983, made a series of trades for players of questionable value that cost the team several years of first-round picks. The trades nearly destroyed the franchise; the NBA pressured Stepien into selling out, and in order to get a solid local owner (Gordon Gund), the league had to sweeten the deal by giving the Cavaliers several future bonus draft picks.
[edit] Selection process
All U.S. players are automatically eligible upon the end of their college eligibility. Through 2005, U.S. players were also allowed to declare eligibility for the draft at any time between high school graduation and the completion of college eligibility. International players could declare eligibility in the calendar year of their 18th birthday, or later.
Starting with the 2006 NBA Draft, the eligibility rules have changed:
- All players, regardless of nationality, must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft.
- A U.S. player must also be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class.
This age limit for draftees is part of the new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players union.
The NBA has established two draft declaration dates. All players who wish to be drafted, and are not automatically eligible, must declare their eligibility on or before the first declaration date. After this date, prospective draftees may attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions. A player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which is one week before the draft. A player who declares for the draft will lose his college eligibility, even if he is not drafted, if any of the following is true:
- The player signs with an agent.
- The player has declared for and withdrawn from the draft in any previous year.
When a player is selected in the first round of the draft, the team that selected him is required to sign him to at least a one-year contract. Players selected in the second round are "owned" by the team for three years, but the teams are not required to sign them.
[edit] First overall picks since 1950
All players are American nationals unless otherwise indicated.
- 1950 - Chuck Share; Boston Celtics
- 1951 - Gene Melchiorre; Baltimore Bullets
- 1952 - Mark Workman; Milwaukee Hawks
- 1953 - Ernie Beck; Philadelphia Warriors
- 1954 - Frank Selvy; Baltimore Bullets
- 1955 - Dick Ricketts; St. Louis Hawks
- 1956 - Si Green; Rochester Royals
- 1957 - Hot Rod Hundley; Cincinnati Royals
- 1958 - Elgin Baylor; Minneapolis Lakers
- 1959 - Bob Boozer; Cincinnati Royals
- 1960 - Oscar Robertson; Cincinnati Royals
- 1961 - Walt Bellamy; Chicago Packers
- 1962 - Bill McGill; Chicago Zephyrs
- 1963 - Art Heyman; New York Knicks
- 1964 - Jim Barnes; New York Knicks
- 1965 - Fred Hetzel; San Francisco Warriors
- 1966 - Cazzie Russell; New York Knicks
- 1967 - Jimmy Walker; Detroit Pistons
- 1968 - Elvin Hayes; San Diego Rockets
- 1969 - Lew Alcindor; Milwaukee Bucks
- 1970 - Bob Lanier; Detroit Pistons
- 1971 - Austin Carr; Cleveland Cavaliers
- 1972 - LaRue Martin; Portland Trail Blazers
- 1973 - Doug Collins; Philadelphia 76ers
- 1974 - Bill Walton; Portland Trail Blazers
- 1975 - David Thompson; Atlanta Hawks
- 1976 - John Lucas; Houston Rockets
- 1977 - Kent Benson; Milwaukee Bucks
- 1978 - Mychal Thompson; Portland Trail Blazers (
Bahamas) - 1979 - Magic Johnson; Los Angeles Lakers
- 1980 - Joe Barry Carroll; Golden State Warriors
- 1981 - Mark Aguirre; Dallas Mavericks
- 1982 - James Worthy; Los Angeles Lakers
- 1983 - Ralph Sampson; Houston Rockets
- 1984 - Akeem Olajuwon; Houston Rockets (
Nigeria) - 1985 - Patrick Ewing; New York Knicks
- 1986 - Brad Daugherty; Cleveland Cavaliers
- 1987 - David Robinson; San Antonio Spurs
- 1988 - Danny Manning; Los Angeles Clippers
- 1989 - Pervis Ellison; Sacramento Kings
- 1990 - Derrick Coleman; New Jersey Nets
- 1991 - Larry Johnson; Charlotte Hornets
- 1992 - Shaquille O'Neal; Orlando Magic
- 1993 - Chris Webber; Orlando Magic (traded to the Golden State Warriors)
- 1994 - Glenn Robinson; Milwaukee Bucks
- 1995 - Joe Smith; Golden State Warriors
- 1996 - Allen Iverson; Philadelphia 76ers
- 1997 - Tim Duncan; San Antonio Spurs (
United States Virgin Islands) - 1998 - Michael Olowokandi; Los Angeles Clippers ( Nigeria)
- 1999 - Elton Brand; Chicago Bulls
- 2000 - Kenyon Martin; New Jersey Nets
- 2001 - Kwame Brown; Washington Wizards
- 2002 - Yao Ming; Houston Rockets (
China) - 2003 - LeBron James; Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2004 - Dwight Howard; Orlando Magic
- 2005 - Andrew Bogut; Milwaukee Bucks (
Australia) - 2006 - Andrea Bargnani; Toronto Raptors (
Italy)
Notes:
- Olajuwon did not become a U.S. citizen until 1993.
- Ewing was born in Jamaica, but had become a naturalized U.S. citizen by the time he was drafted.
- The NBA considers all players from outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia to be "international," even if they come from political entities that share a common citizenship with the U.S., such as Duncan's original home of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Until 1965, teams could choose, in lieu of their first round pick, to designate a player who went to high school within fifty miles of their location. Wilt Chamberlain was the best-known "territorial pick"[1]
[edit] Past NBA drafts
|
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ For example, under current NBA Draft rules, late 1980s and early 1990s star Brad Daugherty would not have been eligible until two years after his high school graduation, because he graduated from high school while still 16. On the other hand, current highly-touted high school prospect O.J. Mayo is already 19, but will not be eligible until the 2008 draft.
[edit] External links
- TheDraftReview.com Draft Historian Matthew Maurer chronicles every pick ever made in the NBA Draft from 1950 - present day
- DraftExpress.com, Mock Drafts, In-depth scouting reports, and coverage of everything NBA Draft related.
- Draft Coverage @ Fantapedia.net
- Basketball-Reference.com's draft page, with selections organized by year and college.
- Complete list of every NBA draft pick, from 1951 to present day
- 2007 NBA Draft Coverage
