The History of NBA

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Starting as early as 1937, when the National Basketball League, the only league in the USA at that moment. The NBL is considered the first official league to be announced in the US. At the time, 25 teams were playing in the league. Although NBL is considered the first, there was a predecessor called the Midwest Basketball Conference, but the information about it is relatively vague.

In 1946, a new league was found alongside the NBL called Basketball Association of America, and the two leagues will eventually combine and make the NBA in the year 1949. A few years later, an organization called ABA (American Basketball Association) will join the merge as a failed basketball league, and the NBA will receive four teams out of eleven.

Although considered a failed league, it is because of ABA that the 3-point shot was introduced in the game and change the ideology of that beautiful sport. At the start of the eighties, the NBA was considered a dying franchise, as they were losing more money than winning, tickets were not sold, the audience did not go to the games. Until the appearance of gigantic names left in the history of sport such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and the most famous basketball player ever to play the game of basketball Michael Jordon.

The History of the Drafts

Starting with what is the draft. It is a specific time when the teams of the NBA can choose new players either from the USA or outside, depending on who made the draft game. It is not, as in soccer, a specific transfer window where anyone could buy anyone.

The NBA draft is different in a way that the teams within choose from an already selected group of youngsters and professionals-to-be. The draft works in the following way. The teams with the worst records are given the chance of signing one of the best applicants to make them better in the next season and thus competing for the play-offs.

The first-ever recorded draft occurred in early 1947, and from there on, each year, there was a special selection. Before that year, there are vague and ambiguous records as to who went where, what happened, and much information was not even written down. In the following years of the draft, Draft Lottery Pick was introduced as an innovation.

Draft Lottery Pick

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The draft lottery pick is made to give the teams with the worst records the best chance to sign someone who will turn the tide. For all the teams in the NBA, there is one important goal, if not the most important one, and that is the Play-Offs. Considered the biggest attraction of the whole competition, each team is striving to get into this event.

That is because the view rate is much higher, there is special payment for qualifying in the play-offs, and the competition there provides a different atmosphere and vibe. In the history of the Draft, there are many changes of the rules, who and how to pick, but in the most recent year, the rules are the following. From the remaining 14 teams who did not reach the play-offs, only four teams with the worst win-loss record or worst points per game statistic are fighting in the final lottery.

Then, using a lottery slotting system chooses on random one of the four teams to win the lottery draft pick, and the team gets the right to choose first from the selection of special players who are hoping to taste what an NBA court smells, feels and looks like.

The Best Lottery Draft Picks

Regardless of all the rules that changed throughout the years, we will start with the best players of each pick. There are 14 picks in total, and we will start from the highest number to the lowest. In the year 2004, with the relatively average season, the Utah Jazz is coming to their pick, and they choose Kris Humphries under number 14 of the draft.

That is not the most famous name for those who are not following the sport but what he achieved is amazing. He became a rebounding machine that has played alongside Chris Bosch, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer and more. Kris has been named the best rebounder in NBA the following two seasons.

Next on the list is the 13th pick and maybe one of the most famous players in the NBA history, no other than the late Kobe Bryant. In 1996 the Charlotte Hornets picked him, and then the Los Angeles Lakers sign him on a draft-day trade. A lot could be written for Kobe Bryant, who could be named the best player to play in the league for several years. To see just how enormous of a figure he is, we’ve listed some of his achievements:

  • 5-time NBA Champion
  • 2-time NBA Finals MVP
  • NBA Most Valuable Player
  • 2-time Scoring Champion
  • 18-time NBA All-Star Player
  • 4-time NBA All-Star Game MVP
  • 15-time All-NBA-Team
  • 12-time All-Defensive Team Selection
  • NBA All-Rookie Team Selection
  • NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion
  • 34-time Player of the Month
  • NBA Regular Season Leader
  • NBA Play-offs Leader

Continuing with the list on the 12th place comes Thaddeus Young, picked by the Philadelphia 76ers in the year 2007. He is maybe one of the most consistent players as he achieved some big games, but he also averaged 13 points per game, which in the five years he played is quite good.

At 11th position comes Allan Houston. A great shooter picked by Detroit Pistons, he did make some big impact for the team with his regular appearances. At 10th pick Paul Pierce who has shown enormous loyalty staying for his whole career only with the Boston Celtics. In the year 1998, the Boston Celtics were not what they were ten years earlier, but Paul Pierce showed that there is hope and gave them the will to fight for greatness again.

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The next pick under number 9 is a player of the calibre of Kobe Bryant. He is the player with the 2nd longest career in the NBA and is proof that being foreign does not mean you cannot be one of the great players in the NBA. This man is Dirk Nowitzki, with 21 seasons for the Dallas Mavericks.

If you know of any big achievements from the Mavericks, Nowitzki is more than sure to be involved in them. He is the only player to play for one team throughout 21 seasons. He is a 14-time All-Star player, 12-time All-NBA Team member, the first European to star in the All-Star game, and the first one to receive an MVP award.

He is the highest-scoring foreigner in the history of the NBA and holds many Maverick franchise records. Counting down to the 8th draft pick is Rudy Gay picked by Houston Rockets but traded in Memphis Grizzlies in 2006. He is an NBA-class player averaging 18 points, six rebounds and two assists per game, which is an amazing statistic in maybe the hardest league to play in.

Going back a few years back in 1985, the Golden State Warriors sing Chris Mullin. That name may not ring a bell, but he was an excellent player with excellent shooting and averaging 18 points per game, which would have been higher if he did not stay two more years, averaging 5 points and lowering his points per game in total.

Next, an All-Time great player picked in the year 1987 by the Sacramento Kings. Currently, an analyst in the studio of the NBA, an emblematic name in the NBA history is Kenny The Jest Smith. Averaging 18 points and six assists per game, the same case as Chris Mullin, it would have been more, but the last two seasons were not that great. His numbers are not making the impression of a world-class player, but his confident play, his strengths, and his vision are what made him a one-of-a-kind player.

Coming up with the top five in the year of 1987, but believe me, he is off the charts a name connected to the famous Chicago Bulls of 1991-1998, a name which Michael Jordan named the best partner to ever play with, the enormous athlete Scottie Pippen. There is awful a lot to say about him. His story is quite large, difficult family, two members in a wheelchair, a lot of hardships, but he remained focused on basketball, and he achieved a lot:

  • 6-Time NBA Championship
  • 7-Time All-Star
  • NBA All-Star Game MVP
  • 3-Time All-NBA First Team
  • 2-Time All-NBA Second Team
  • 2-Time All-NBA Third Team
  • 8-Time NBA All-Defensive First Team
  • 2-Time NBA All-Defensive Second-Team

After the great Scottie Pippen at 4th comes a name in recent years a great point guard Chris Paul signed by New Orleans Hornets in 2005. Five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA and All-Defensive selection. He is known in his late years, but he proved that he could be one of a kind.

Afterwards, at 3rd is Pau Gasol in 2001 for Memphis Grizzlies. What differentiates him from the others is that he has many titles. Without construing each one of them, short said he has four-time All-Star and two-time Championships wins during his playing years.

Second is the famous Jason Kidd signed in 1994 by Dallas Mavericks. Keeping in mind that there is a lot of competition in the 2nd position Jason Kidd has proven that he is an outstanding pick and has deserved it more than enough. He did not have the biggest impact in Dallas but has brought fame to the Phoenix and Nets. In 2008 Jason Kidd even acquired a Championship.

He is a ten-time All-Star and nine-time All-Defensive champion. He is not a scorer, rather a support player who runs both amazing defensive and offensive games. Finally, we have come to the end of the best picks in the draft and at the end is someone, who by no surprise, makes it to the 1st place. His name is as big as the body that bears that heavy title, in other words – Shaquille O’Neil.

Picked by Orlando Magic in 1992 with an enormous body of 215cm, one of the tallest basketball players, and one of the most massive players ever to play. He weighs 147kg, and maybe the fact that not many people know, NBA had to make a new rule so that he could be guarded and not just sit under the hoop because he was impossible to defend. The most impressive years in his career are with the late Kobe Bryant in LA Lakers. He has many achievements under his belt, some including:

  • 4× NBA champion
  • 3× NBA Finals MVP
  • NBA Most Valuable Player
  • NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 2x NBA scoring champion
  • 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP
  • 15× NBA All-Star
  • 14× All-NBA
  • 3× NBA All-Defensive
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team
  • 12× NBA Player of the Month
  • 20× NBA Player of the Week
  • 4× NBA Rookie of the Month

With that, we finish the statistic of the best players to ever be drafted. Anyone knows at least one of those names, as they are great athletes to play the game of basketball. Now it is time to look into some of the worst draft picks, with players who had potential but blew it away.

The Worst Lottery Draft Picks

As you can imagine, there will be not much to say, as the players on the list have not achieved anything big but rather have some anti-records. Starting with number 14 in the year of 2009, the Phoenix Suns pick Earl Clark, who achieved an average of 3 points per game for four years in the league. Number 13 in 2002, the Milwaukee Bucks picked Marcus Haislip, and he achieved about the same numbers 3.5 points per game and 1.5 rebounds.

Players

The next one is famous, as there was a lot of noise about him being a potentially great pick, and at the 12th pick, the LA Clippers sign the foreign Yaroslav Korolev. Many believed he was the next big thing, but he did not prove anything as his shooting missed the mark.

The next on at 11th pick the Boston Celtics pick Jerome Moiso. Another pick with 2.7 points per game in five years. Coming to the top 10, Mouhammed Sene was signed by Seattle Supersonics in 2006. Maybe with one of the worst statistics for a center, a mere 2.2 points per game and 1.6 rebounds. Next on the list 9th, another center, Patrick O’Bryant, picked by Golden State Warriors.

Almost the same numbers 2.1 points per game and 1.5 rebounds. 8th, the Toronto Raptors pick Rafael Araujo, who has proved that having a good college career does not mean a good NBA one. Next names have met the same path and destiny as the ones before and will be just as remembered, but there are cases where luck fails to deliver at points in your life.

As there is not much to say about the rest, they will be just listed: Bobby Hurley at 7th, Dajuan Wagner, at 6th, Nikoloz Tskitishvili at 5th, Shaun Livingston at 4th, Chris Washburn at 3rd, Jason Williams at 2nd, and our finalist in the list is no other than Gred Oden who is rather famous for his career considered failed because of injuries.

He was coming straight from college with an amazing year. Then he came into the NBA only to record 82 games for the Portland Trail Blazers. Sadly, injuries are part of the game, but in the case of Oden, his career went only downhill, and he was quickly shown the exit door.

Conclusion

To sum up, everything stated so far, the draft is a special way of picking out from a selected player base. The history of the NBA is huge and has gone through a lot of changes during the years, introducing draft lottery pick as a way to stimulate low-performing teams. During the years of draft picks, there are numerous players who had proven that their place is in the NBA hall of fame, as well as some that had their chance but failed to deliver.

Throughout the years, many draft picks have become some of the most well-known basketball players of all time and have brought us all joy and excitement while playing. The draft pick is also a great way to give young players a chance to play with the big dogs and make a name for themselves.