The 2009 NBA draft 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 (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players.
The Los Angeles Clippers, who won the draft lottery on May 19, 2009, used their first overall draft pick to draft Blake Griffin from University of Oklahoma.[1][2] However, he missed the entire 2009–10 season due to surgery on his broken left kneecap, which he injured during the pre-season.[3] Tanzanian-born Hasheem Thabeet from University of Connecticut was drafted second by the Memphis Grizzlies. Thabeet became the first player born in Tanzania to be drafted by an NBA team.[4] James Harden was drafted 3rd by the Oklahoma City Thunder. This made him the first player to be drafted by the franchise as the Oklahoma City Thunder; the franchise moved from Seattle to OKC in 2008. The Sacramento Kings drafted Tyreke Evans 4th; he was named 2009–10 NBA Rookie of the Year, after he became the fourth NBA player in history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his rookie season, joining the elite club of Oscar Robertson (1960), Michael Jordan (1984) and LeBron James (2003). Spanish teenager Ricky Rubio was drafted 5th by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rubio became the fifth-highest-drafted international player who never played U.S. college basketball to be drafted in the NBA, tied with Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5th in 2002), and behind Yao Ming (1st in 2002), Andrea Bargnani (1st in 2006), Darko Miličić (2nd in 2003) and Pau Gasol (3rd in 2001).[5] Twenty-third pick Omri Casspi became the first Israeli player to be drafted in the first round, and later he became the first Israeli to play in the NBA.[6]
The 2009 draft marked the first time three sons of former NBA players were selected in the top 15 picks of the draft. Stephen Curry, son of Dell Curry, was drafted 7th by the Golden State Warriors. Gerald Henderson Jr., son of Gerald Henderson, was drafted 12th by the Charlotte Bobcats. Austin Daye, son of Darren Daye, was drafted 15th by the Detroit Pistons.[5] The draft also marked the first time a former high school player who skipped college to play professional basketball in Europe was selected in an NBA draft. Brandon Jennings, who skipped college to play professional basketball with Italian team Lottomatica Roma, was drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the draft.[7]
Of the 60 players drafted, four were freshmen, nine were sophomores, 12 were juniors, 22 were seniors, and 13 were international players without U.S. college basketball experience. The University of North Carolina's Tar Heels had the most players selected in the draft; three players were selected in the first round and one was selected in the second round. This marked the second time ever that four Tar Heels players were selected in the first two rounds of an NBA draft.[8] The Minnesota Timberwolves had the league-high four first-round draft picks and the first time in team history that the team held two top-10 draft picks.[9] The Timberwolves also had two second-round draft picks and became the team with the most draft picks in the 2009 draft with a total of six. The Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic were the only NBA teams who did not have a draft pick this year, although Houston acquired three drafted players' rights after the draft.[10]
From the players in this draft, there have been six players selected as All-Stars; out of these six, Curry and Harden have both won the NBA's regular season MVP award.[11] Nine players chosen in the 2009 draft have been on teams that have won an NBA championship: Danny Green, Roddy Beaubois, Stephen Curry, Austin Daye, Jrue Holiday, Jodie Meeks, Patty Mills, Jeff Ayres and Jeff Teague; of those, two have won multiple championships, Green, three times, and Curry, four times. Curry was named MVP of the NBA Finals in 2022.
^Cite error: The named reference clipperslottery was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Griffin top pick in NBA draft". ESPN.com. June 26, 2008. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
^"Clippers' Griffin has successful kneecap surgery". NBA.com. 20 January 2010. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
^"Thabeet signs with Grizzlies". ESPN.com. July 20, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
^ ab"Like fathers, like sons in NBA draft". ESPN.com. June 25, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
^Beck, Howard (July 18, 2009). "From Israel to the N.B.A., Missing the Hummus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
^Cite error: The named reference Jennings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Trio Of Tar Heels Go In First Round Of NBA Draft". North Carolina Tar Heels. CBS Interactive. June 25, 2009. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
^"Wolves Acquire the No. 5 Pick in 2009 NBA Draft". NBA.com/Timberwolves. June 24, 2009. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
^"Rockets Happy With Draft Night Haul". NBA.com/Rockets. June 26, 2009. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
^"NBA MVP & ABA Most Valuable Player Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
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