The 2002 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2002, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from non-North American leagues.[1] This was the last draft that was broadcast on TNT, as ESPN obtained the rights for the 2003 draft via its incoming deal (which it retains to this day). The NBA announced that about 42 college and high school players, and five international players, had filed as early-entry candidates for the draft.[2] The Chicago Bulls and the Golden State Warriors each had a 22.5% chance of acquiring the first pick, but the Houston Rockets, with just an 8.9% probability, won the NBA draft lottery on May 19.[3][4] The Bulls and Warriors were second and third, respectively. As punishment for salary-cap violations during the 2000–01 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves forfeited their first-round draft pick.
The 2002 draft set a record of 17 international selections, with six of them coming in the first round.[5]
Two months after the conclusion of his rookie season, number-two pick Jay Williams nearly lost his life in a motorcycle crash that shattered his pelvis, severed a main nerve in his leg and tore three ligaments in his left knee, including his ACL. Despite intense rehabilitation, Williams never played a game in the NBA again. When it became clear Williams could not return to the Bulls because of his injuries, the team waived him. The Bulls could have voided Williams' contract because it prohibited riding a motorcycle. However, the franchise bought out his contract for $3 million in 2004 instead of having him walk away with nothing.[6]
The draft class was relatively weak outside of the top prospects. Several players selected early had promising careers that ended prematurely due to injury, including Yao Ming, Williams and Dajuan Wagner. Nevertheless, Yao was named a Hall of Famer—a selection predicated as much on his role in popularizing basketball in China as it was for his on-court play. Three players selected in this draft - including Yao, second-round pick Carlos Boozer and Rookie of the Year Amar'e Stoudemire - would be named to the All-NBA Team during their careers. Caron Butler was the only other player to become an All-Star.
As of the end of the 2022–23 NBA season, Udonis Haslem was the last remaining active draft-eligible player from the 2002 class, though he went undrafted (he made his NBA debut the following season).
Nine of the players selected in this draft never played in an NBA game throughout their professional basketball careers. Three of those players were the sole selection of the draft from their respective teams: Peter Fehse (Seattle's only pick), Marcus Taylor (Minnesota's only pick) and Mladen Šekularac (Dallas' only pick).
^NBA.com: 2002 Draft Handbook
^NBA.com. Twenty-Four Early Entry Candidates Withdraw from Draft 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
^NBA.com. Ties Broken for NBA Draft Order of Selection. April 24, 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
^"Cavaliers Win NBA Draft Lottery 2003". NBA.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
^Lago, Joe. Draft record set with 17 foreign-born picks. June 26, 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2002.
^Nance, Roscoe. Bulls, Jay Williams agree to contract buyout. February 2, 2004. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
The 2002NBAdraft was held on June 26, 2002, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took...
The 2003 NBAdraft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and...
The 2004 NBAdraft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm (EDT)...
Basketball Association (NBA) is the player who is selected first among all eligible draftees by a team during the league's annual draft. The first pick is...
The 2021 NBAdraft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn...
The NBAdraft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947, in which the teams in the league can draft players who...
The 2009 NBAdraft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association...
The 1984 NBAdraft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New...
The 2013 NBAdraft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting...
The 1996 NBAdraft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East...
The 2007 NBAdraft was held on June 28, 2007, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries...
The 2008 NBADraft was held on June 26, 2008, at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National...
The 2006 NBAdraft was held on June 28, 2006, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN...
The 2005 NBAdraft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting...
1986 NBAdraft was held on June 17, 1986. This draft holds the record for the most players (out of prospects chosen) who later debuted in the NBA, with...
The 1978 NBAdraft was the 32nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1978, at the Plaza Hotel in New...
The 1985 NBAdraft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBAdraft of the "lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased...
The 1991 NBAdraft took place on June 26, 1991, in New York City, New York. Larry Johnson was selected first overall; he won the 1992 NBA Rookie of the...
The 2001 NBAdraft 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...
The NBAdraft is a major annual event in which all the 30 franchises in the National Basketball Association select new players for their teams. Eligibility...
The 1999 NBAdraft was held on June 30, 1999, at the MCI Center (now Capital One Arena) in Washington, D.C. It was the first draft in which four players...
The 1981 NBAdraft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season...
The NBA high school draftees are players who have been drafted to the National Basketball Association (NBA) straight out of high school. The process of...
The expansion draft for the construction of the Charlotte Bobcats, recognized at the time as the 30th NBA franchise, was held on June 22, 2004. The Bobcats...
Hall of Fame, first overall pick in the 2002NBAdraft and eight-time NBA All-Star. Leandro Barbosa, Brazil – NBA champion with Golden State Warriors (2015)...
Basketball Association (NBA). Barnes was drafted in the second round of the 2002NBAdraft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He won an NBA championship with the...
The 1965 NBAdraft was the 19th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 6, 1965, before the 1965–66 season...
The 1967 NBAdraft was the 21st annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 3 and 4, 1967 before the 1967–68...