The 2008 NBA Draft 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 Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including international players from non-North American professional leagues. According to the NBA, 44 players, 39 collegiate players and five international players, filed as early-entry candidates for the 2008 NBA Draft.[1] These numbers do not include players who are automatically eligible for the draft. The Chicago Bulls, who had a 1.7 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 22.[2][3] The Bulls' winning of the lottery was the second-largest upset in NBA Draft Lottery history behind the Orlando Magic, who won it in 1993 with just a 1.5% chance.[4] The Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves obtained the second and third picks respectively.[3]
For the first time in draft history the first three draft picks were all freshmen.[5] The Chicago Bulls used the first overall pick to draft Chicago native Derrick Rose from the University of Memphis, who later went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, making him the first player to be drafted first overall and to win Rookie of the Year since LeBron James in 2003, and also became the youngest player to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2011 at age 22.[6] The Miami Heat used the second pick to draft Michael Beasley from Kansas State University, and the Minnesota Timberwolves used the third pick to draft O. J. Mayo from The University of Southern California.[7] The Seattle SuperSonics used their 4th overall pick to draft Russell Westbrook from The University of California, Los Angeles, who would go on to win the 2017 NBA MVP award and is widely considered the best player in this draft. With five players taken in the draft, the University of Kansas tied University of Connecticut (2006) and University of Florida (2007) for the record with the most players selected in the first two rounds of an NBA draft until the University of Kentucky (2012) broke the record with six players drafted.[5] Another record was set when twelve freshmen were drafted, ten of whom were drafted in the first round.[8] Of the players drafted, 29 are forwards, 19 are guards, and 12 are centers.
The 2008 NBA Draft was the final time that the Seattle SuperSonics made an NBA Draft appearance, as well as the final time that the Sonics appeared in official media publications. In early July, the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder made their first NBA Draft appearance in 2009.[9] This draft also marked the first time that an NBA D-League player was drafted.[10]
^"Final Draft Early Entry Candidate List". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
^"Chicago Bulls Win No. 1 Pick in NBA Draft Lottery". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 22, 2008. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
^ ab"Bulls to pick first in draft; Heat, Wolves round out Top 3". ESPN.com. May 21, 2008. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
^"Year-by-Year Lottery Probabilities". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
^ ab"Bulls go for Rose over Beasley in NBA draft; Mukendi Love swap places". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
^"Rookie of the Year Award". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
^"2008 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
^Thomsen, Ian (June 27, 2008). "After top two, lack of locks spreads uncertainty in volatile draft". SI.com. Time Inc. Archived from the original on June 30, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
^Pian Chan, Sharon (July 2, 2008). "Sonics, city reach settlement". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
^"Idaho's Mike Taylor Becomes First D-League Player Drafted By An NBA Team". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 26, 2008. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
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