2008_NBA_draft

2008 NBA draft

2008 NBA draft

Basketball player selection


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]

Quick Facts General information, Sport ...

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]

Draft selections

PGPoint guard SGShooting guard SFSmall forward PFPower forward CCenter
* Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team
+ Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game
# Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game
~ Denotes player who has been selected as Rookie of the Year
Derrick Rose was selected 1st overall by the Chicago Bulls.
Russell Westbrook was selected 4th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics.
Kevin Love was selected 5th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies (traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves).
Eric Gordon was selected 7th by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Brook Lopez was selected 10th by the New Jersey Nets.
Roy Hibbert was selected 17th overall by the Toronto Raptors (traded to the Indiana Pacers).
JaVale McGee was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards.
Serge Ibaka was selected 24th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics.
DeAndre Jordan was selected 35th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Goran Dragić was selected 45th overall by the San Antonio Spurs (traded to the Phoenix Suns).
More information Round, Pick ...
  1. Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules.

^ a: The franchise relocated to become the Oklahoma City Thunder in July 2008.[9]
^ b: Eric Gordon was born in the United States to a Bahamian mother. He had previously represented the United States when playing for Team U.S.A. in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. However, Gordon was permitted by FIBA on August 7, 2023 to play for The Bahamas instead, starting with the 2024 Olympics Pre-Qualifying Tournament for the Americas.
^ c: Anthony Randolph was born in West Germany to American parents and was raised in the United States. He became a naturalized citizen of Slovenia in 2017 and he has represented Slovenia internationally.[11][12]
^ d: Roy Hibbert was born in the United States to a Jamaican father and a Trinidadian mother. He had represented the United States internationally at youth level in 2007.[13] Since 2010, he has represented Jamaica internationally.[14]
^ e: Kosta Koufos was born and raised in the United States to Greek parents. He has represented Greece internationally.[15]
^ f: Serge Ibaka, who was born in Congo, became a naturalized citizen of Spain in 2011.[16] He has represented Spain internationally since 2011.[17]
^ g: Donté Greene was born in West Germany to American parents. He has represented the United States internationally at youth level.[18]
^ h: James Gist was born in Turkey to American parents.[19]

Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 2008 NBA Draft but have played in the NBA.

More information Player, Position ...

Eligibility

Early entrants

College underclassmen

The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[20]

International players

The following international players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[20]

Automatically eligible entrants

Players who do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:

  • They have no remaining college eligibility.
  • If they graduated from high school in the U.S., but did not enroll in a U.S. college or university, four years have passed since their high school class graduated.
  • They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA, anywhere in the world, and have played under the contract.

Players who meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:

  • They are at least 22 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In term of dates players born on or before December 31, 1986, were automatically eligible for the 2008 draft.
  • They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA within the United States, and have played under that contract.
More information Player, Team ...

Draft Lottery

The first 14 picks in the draft belonged to teams that had missed the playoffs; the order was determined through a lottery. The lottery determined the three teams that would obtain the first three picks on the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the second-round picks were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. As it is commonplace in the event of identical win–loss records, the NBA performed a random drawing to break the ties on April 18, 2008.[25]

The lottery was held on May 20, 2008, in Secaucus, New Jersey.[25] The Chicago Bulls, who had the ninth-worst record, won the lottery with just a 1.7% chance to win. The Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves, with the worst and third-worst records, respectively, won the second and third picks.

Below were the chances for each team to get specific picks in the 2008 draft lottery, rounded to three decimal places:[26][27]

^ Denotes the actual lottery results
More information Team, 2007–08 record ...

Trades involving draft picks

Draft-day trades

The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.

Pre-draft trades

Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams.

See also


References

General
  • "2008 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  • "2008 NBA Draft Board". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
Specific
  1. "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.
  2. "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.
  3. "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.
  4. "Year-by-Year Lottery Probabilities". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
  5. "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.
  6. "Rookie of the Year Award". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  7. "2008 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. 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.
  9. Pian Chan, Sharon (July 2, 2008). "Sonics, city reach settlement". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
  10. "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.
  11. Hu, Janny (January 28, 2009). "Warriors' Randolph trying to fit in". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  12. "Randolph joins Slovenia for EuroBasket". Eurohoops.net. June 23, 2017. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  13. Powell, Camille (December 22, 2007). "Fast Friends, Big Rivals". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  14. Williams, Gordon (January 19, 2011). "Jamaica's Hibbert working hard to reach the top". Sports Jamaica. Jamaica Gleaner. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  15. Aubrey, Daniel (August 9, 2007). "Greek Star Koufos Keeps Feet On The Ground". FIBA Europe. FIBA. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  16. "Serge Ibaka to boost talented Spain". ESPN.com. July 26, 2011. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  17. "Pau Show as Spain Down France". FIBA Europe. FIBA. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  18. Lidz, Franz (January 22, 2007). "Greener Pastures". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  19. "Adanalı Fener'e doğru" [Fener to Adana]. Milliyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Demirören-Karacan. April 28, 2011. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  20. "2008 Underclassmen". The Draft Review. June 29, 2008. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  21. "Basketball: Breakers sign Australian guard". NZ Herald. April 6, 2007. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  22. Krabbendam, Robert (April 11, 2007). "Letter: Krabbendam speaks". Collegiate Times. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  23. "Martin Going Pro". Loyola Marymount Lions. July 6, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  24. "Idaho's Mike Taylor Becomes First NBA D-League Player Drafted By An NBA Team". Our Sports Central. June 27, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  25. "Ties Broken for NBA Draft 2008 Order of Selection". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 18, 2008. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  26. "Results of the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 20, 2008. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  27. "2008 NBA Draft Lottery odds". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 20, 2008. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  28. Schuhmann, John (June 26, 2008). "The Deals of the Draft". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  29. "Wolves Acquire Love, Miller from Memphis". NBA.com/Timberwolves. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 26, 2008. Archived from the original on May 24, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  30. "Pacers Announce Two Trades; Acquire Seven Players". NBA.com/Pacers. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 9, 2009. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  31. "Cavaliers Acquire Draft Rights to Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun". NBA.com/Cavaliers. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 26, 2008. Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  32. "Johnson Trade to Atlanta Completed". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. August 19, 2005. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  33. "Bobcats Acquire 20th Pick in 2008 NBA draft". NBA.com/Bobcats. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 25, 2008. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  34. "Nets Acquire Devin Harris and Two First Round Draft Pics in Eight Player Trade with Dallas". NBA.com/Nets. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 19, 2008. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  35. "Suns Trade Kurt Thomas to Seattle". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 20, 2007. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  36. "Lakers Acquire Gasol from Grizzlies". NBA.com/Lakers. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 1, 2008. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  37. "Wolves Acquire Ricky Davis from Boston, Szczerbiak, Olowokandi & Jones to Celtics". NBA.com/Timberwolves. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. January 26, 2006. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  38. "Heat Acquire Antoine Walker, Jason Williams & James Posey". NBA.com/Heat. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. August 8, 2005. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
  39. "Grizzlies Acquire Draft Rights to Alexander Johnson from Portland". NBA.com/Grizzlies. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 28, 2006. Archived from the original on January 15, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  40. "Knicks Acquire Randolph, Dickau and Jones". NBA.com/Knicks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  41. "Hawks Acquire Mike Bibby from Sacramento". NBA.com/Hawks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 16, 2008. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  42. "Jazz Trade 60th Pick". NBA.com/Jazz. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  43. "Raptors Acquire Draft Rights to Giorgos Printezis". NBA.com/Raptors. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  44. "Sonics Acquire Green, Szczerbiak and West in Trade With Boston". NBA.com/Thunder. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  45. "Celtics Acquire Telfair and Ratliff". NBA.com/Celtics. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  46. "Suns Trade Milt Palacio". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. September 17, 2002. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  47. "Sonics Acquire Russell and Watson in Four-Team Deal". NBA.com/Thunder. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. January 23, 2006. Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  48. "Magic close book on Donovan by hiring Van Gundy". ESPN.com. June 8, 2007. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  49. "Hornets Acquire Wells and James from Rockets". NBA.com/Hornets. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 21, 2008. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  50. "Hornets Trade Kirk Snyder To Houston". NBA.com/Hornets. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 14, 2006. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  51. "Trail Blazers Land Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge". NBA.com/Blazers. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 28, 2006. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  52. "Phoenix Acquires James Jones from Indiana". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. August 25, 2005. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.


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