Defensive anchors, a Finals MVP and several high-school gambles all came out of one June night. Some peaked early; others lasted nearly two decades.
1Dwight HowardOrlando's No. 1 pick out of an Atlanta high school, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Star who won the 2020 title with the Lakers.1000pts
2Trevor ArizaSecond-round pick (43rd) by the Knicks out of UCLA who won the 2009 championship with the Lakers and played 1,118 regular-season games.943pts
3Josh SmithOak Hill Academy forward taken 17th by Atlanta, winner of the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest and a 2010 All-Defensive Second Team pick.800pts
4Andre IguodalaArizona wing taken ninth by Philadelphia who was named 2015 Finals MVP and won four championships with the Golden State Warriors.771pts
5J. R. SmithHigh-school guard picked 18th by New Orleans who won 2012–13 Sixth Man of the Year with the Knicks and titles with Cleveland (2016) and the Lakers (2020).692pts
6Kevin MartinWestern Carolina scorer selected 26th by Sacramento who finished his 12-season career averaging 17.4 points per game.600pts
7Jameer NelsonSaint Joseph's point guard drafted 20th by Denver and traded to Orlando, where he spent ten seasons and was a 2009 All-Star.600pts
8Al JeffersonDrafted 15th by Boston straight from a Mississippi high school, he averaged 15.7 points and 8.4 rebounds and made the 2014 All-NBA Third Team with Charlotte.491pts
9Emeka OkaforUConn center chosen second as the Charlotte Bobcats' first-ever draft pick, then named 2004–05 Rookie of the Year.491pts
10Luol DengDuke forward picked seventh by Phoenix and traded to Chicago, where he made the All-Star team in 2012 and 2013.360pts
11Devin HarrisWisconsin point guard drafted fifth by Washington and traded to Dallas, who became a 2009 All-Star with the New Jersey Nets.360pts
12Ben GordonChicago's third overall pick after a 2004 NCAA title at UConn, who became the first rookie to win Sixth Man of the Year in 2005.360pts
13Shaun LivingstonFourth overall pick by the Clippers out of Peoria High School who returned from a severe 2007 knee injury to win three titles with Golden State.0pts
14Anderson VarejãoBrazilian big man drafted 30th by Orlando and traded to Cleveland, where he played 13 seasons over two stints and averaged 7.2 rebounds for his career.0pts
Photo credits
- Dwight Howard — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Trevor Ariza — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Josh Smith — Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Andre Iguodala — All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0
- J. R. Smith — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Jameer Nelson — Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Al Jefferson — joshuak8, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Emeka Okafor — Mike, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Luol Deng — SusanLesch, CC BY 4.0
- Devin Harris — Danny Bollinger, CC BY 2.0
- Ben Gordon — Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shaun Livingston — Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Anderson Varejão — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
