For 76 years, the Draft of the nba received as it deserved to future stars and also experienced epic mistakes that sank franchises. The Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, foreseeable number one this year, is the last protagonist of an unpredictable selection system.
pioneers without playing
The first player chosen with the number one in the Draft was Clifton McNeeley, by the Pittsburgh Ironmen in 1947. The league, then called the Basketball Association of America (BAA), was not yet so attractive and the forward preferred to work in the oil fields to play professionally.
And yes… one of the great passions of basketball fans is to revisit past decisions in the Draft. The first great “and if…” The Rochester Royals could star in it, who with the first election in 1956 let Bill Russell pass to opt for Sihugo Green.
The Celtics used it to convince the St Louis Hawks, who had drafted Russell second, to trade him for their All-Star center Ed Macauley. It was a stroke of genius for coach Red Auerbach key to the dynasty that Boston wielded with 11 champion rings between 1957 and 1969.
The most remembered mistake, however, occurred in 1984 when Michael Jordan he was not drafted until number three by the Chicago Bulls.
The Rockets chose Hakeem Olajuwon in first place, which made them win two titles, and the Blazers were the worst off when they opted for Sam Bowie instead of ‘Air Jordan’, still considered the best player in history.
legendary numbers one
In 1969, Lew Alcindor was not yet called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but he was already on everyone’s lips after winning three straight college titles with UCLA.
The young center was so coveted that the Milwaukee Bucks selected him first in the NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets in the rival American Basketball Association (ABA) league, and the Harlem Globetrotters. they offered him a contract for a million dollars.
In the end, Alcindor opted for the Bucks and the rest is history: six championships (one with the Bucks and five with the Lakers) in ten Finals, six MVP awards and the NBA’s all-time scoring leader until this year he was surpassed by a certain LeBron James.
LeBron, baptized as “The chosen one” Before landing in 2003 in the NBA, he is one of the first-choice stars who exceeded expectations and media pressure, huntil hoarding countless records and winning four rings.
In addition to ‘King James’, Wembanyama can be inspired by other legends such as Magic Johnson (Lakers, 1979), Shaquille O’Neal (Orlando, 1992) and Tim Duncan (San Antonio, 1997) who were also number one.
.Prestige vintages
For many, the best Draft vintage in history is still that of 1984 when, in addition to Jordan and Olajuwon, Charles Barkley (5th) and John Stockton (16th) arrived, who had extraordinary careers that they could not crown with a title.
The 1996 Draft was also exceptional with Allen Iverson (1st/Philadelphia), Ray Allen (5th/Minnesota), Kobe Bryant (13th/Charlotte and immediately traded to the Lakers) and Steve Nash (15th/Phoenix).
In 2003, LeBron (1st/Cleveland) had top players like Carmelo Anthony (3rd/Denver), Chris Bosh (4th/Toronto) and Dwyane Wade (5th/Miami) as classmates.
Main failures
Looking back, the number ones that ended in failure are almost more remembered than the hits. Reserved places on that list are Michael Olowokandi (Clippers in 1998), Anthony Bennett (Cleveland in 2013) and Kwame Brown (Washington in 2001).
The case of Greg Oden, recruited by Portland in 2007, was also a notorious fiasco because, despite the fact that he was slowed down by serious injuries, the Blazers had Kevin Durant as an alternative, a superstar chosen in the two by the Seattle SuperSonics.
The unexpected jackpot
The win this season of the Denver Nuggets was largely the result of one of the greatest successes in the history of the Draft: selecting Nikola Jokic ranked 41st in 2014.
In addition to the two-time MVP, other great figures were discovered in the second round, such as Emanuel Ginóbili by the Spurs (57th in 1999), Draymond Green by Golden State (35th in 2012) or Marc Gasol by the Lakers (48th in 2007), later traded to Memphis.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
