2001 NBA draft
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox sports draft The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001, in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizards, over players that have gone on to have more successful NBA careers, has been a source of great criticism by numerous media outlets.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Several international players from this draft, Pau Gasol (Spain), Tony Parker (France) and Mehmet Okur (Turkey), became NBA All-Stars.
The Minnesota Timberwolves forfeited their first-round pick due to salary cap violations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It would be the first of two first rounders that would have to forfeit their picks during the early 2000s.
Eight of the players selected in this draft would never play in an NBA game in their professional basketball careers. Both of the players drafted by the New York Knicks (Michael Wright and Eric Chenowith) were among this group.
Draft selectionsEdit
| G | Guard | PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | F | Forward | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
Template:NBA Draft legend Template:Stack
Notable undrafted playersEdit
Template:Further These players were not selected in the draft but have played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/club team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | PG | Template:PRI | FIU (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | G | Template:Flagu | Michigan State (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | G | Template:Flagu | McNeese State (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | PG | Template:Flagu | Penn State (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | SG/SF | Template:Flagu | Texas (Jr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | SF | Template:Flagu | Mississippi State (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | SF | Template:ARG | Atenas de Córdoba (Argentina) | |
| Template:Sortname | PG | Template:Flagu | William Paterson (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | SF | Template:Flagu | Meridian CC (Fr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | PF/SF | Template:ARG | TAU Cerámica (Spain) | |
| Template:Sortname | PG | Template:Flagu | Iowa (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | G | Template:Flagu | Hofstra (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | PF | Template:Flagu | Iowa State (Sr.) | |
| Template:Sortname | C | {{#invoke:flag | Poland}} | Znicz Pruszków (Poland) |
| Template:Sortname | C | Template:FR-YUG | Partizan (Serbia) | |
| Template:Sortname | PG | Template:Flagu | Rice (Sr.) |
Early entrantsEdit
College underclassmenEdit
This year would officially mark the very first year where the number of underclassmen that declared their entry into the NBA draft would exceed the number of selections made with 75 players that fit the underclassmen criteria declaring their initial entry for the NBA draft. However, it would also mark the largest number of dropped players yet with 23 of those players either coming from college or overseas deciding to withdraw from the draft for one reason or another. The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.<ref name=tdr>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Gilbert Arenas – G, Arizona (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Brandon Armstrong – G, Pepperdine (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Malcolm Battles – F, Point Mark (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Tavorris Bell – F, Rhode Island (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Preston Bennett – F, Grayson (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Michael Bradley – F, Villanova (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Jamison Brewer – G, Auburn (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Kedrick Brown – F, Okaloosa-Walton CC (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon SirValiant Brown – G, George Washington (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Nick Burwell – G, Orange Coast (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Jason Collins – C, Stanford (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Omar Cook – G, St. John's (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Samuel Dalembert – C/F, Seton Hall (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Maurice Evans – G, Texas (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Benjamin Eze – F, Southern Idaho (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Alton Ford – F, Houston (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Joseph Forte – G, North Carolina (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Jerry Green – G, UC Irvine (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Eddie Griffin – F, Seton Hall (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Rob Griffin – F, Kentucky Wesleyan (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Trenton Hassell – G, Austin Peay (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Kirk Haston – F, Indiana (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Draper Housley – G, Lee College (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Steven Hunter – C/F, DePaul (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Richard Jefferson – F, Arizona (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Joe Johnson – F/G, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon D. A. Layne – G, Georgia (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Zach Marbury – G, Rhode Island (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Jamario Moon – F, Meridian (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Troy Murphy – F, Notre Dame (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Zach Randolph – F, Michigan State (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Jason Richardson – G, Michigan State (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Kenny Satterfield – G, Cincinnati (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Bobby Simmons – F, DePaul (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Will Solomon – G, Clemson (junior)
- Template:Flagicon Clifton Terry – F, Kennedy–King (sophomore)
- Template:Flagicon Gerald Wallace – F/G, Alabama (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Rodney White – F, Charlotte (freshman)
- Template:Flagicon Michael Wright – F, Arizona (junior)
High school playersEdit
This would be the seventh straight year in a row where at least one high school player would declare their entry into the NBA draft directly out of high school after previously only allowing it one time back in 1975. This year would also mark the year with the highest amount of players coming directly out of high school yet with six players deciding to make the jump into an opportunity at the NBA (though only five of them would get it). Not only that, but it marked the first time that a high schooler would be taken as the #1 pick of the NBA draft. The following high school players successfully applied for early draft entrance.<ref name=tdr />
- Template:Flagicon Kwame Brown – F, Glynn Academy (Brunswick, Georgia)
- Template:Flagicon Tyson Chandler – F/C, Dominguez High School (Compton, California)
- Template:Flagicon Ousmane Cisse – F, St. Jude Educational Institute (Montgomery, Alabama)
- Template:Flagicon Eddy Curry – C/F, Thornwood High School (South Holland, Illinois)
- Template:Flagicon DeSagana Diop – C, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
- Template:Flagicon Tony Key – C, Centennial High School (Compton, California)
International playersEdit
The following international players successfully applied for early draft entrance.<ref name=tdr />
- Template:Flagicon Denis Ershov – C, Pulkovo Saint Petersburg (Russia)
- Template:Flagicon Antonis Fotsis – F, Panathinaikos (Greece)
- Template:Flagicon Pau Gasol – F, FC Barcelona (Spain)
- Template:Flagicon Raül López – G, Real Madrid (Spain)
- Template:Flagicon Tony Parker – G, Paris Basket Racing (France)
- Template:Flagicon Vladimir Radmanović – F, FMP (FR Yugoslavia)
Other eligible playersEdit
| Player | Template:Tooltip | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Flagicon Robertas Javtokas | Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania) | Left Arizona in 2000; playing professionally since the 2000–01 season | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:NBA Drafts Template:NBA Draft history by team Template:2001 NBA draft Template:2001–02 NBA season by team Template:NBA on TNT Template:Portal bar