1997 NBA draft
The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto Raptors they were not allowed to select first in this draft. Although the Boston Celtics had the second-worst record in the 1996–97 season and the best odds (36 percent) of winning the lottery with two picks, the Spurs lost David Robinson and Sean Elliott to injury early in the season, finished with the third-worst record, and subsequently won the lottery. Leading up to the draft, there was no doubt that Tim Duncan would be selected at No. 1 by the Spurs as he was considered the best prospect in a long time, and the rest of the draft was regarded with some skepticism.[1] The Celtics had the third and sixth picks, selecting Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer, both of whom were traded in the next two years.
| 1997 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 25, 1997 |
| Location | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) |
| Network(s) | TNT |
| Overview | |
| 57 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) |
The Washington Wizards forfeited their 1997 first-round pick in connection with the signing of Juwan Howard. (Washington would have had the 17th pick.) Thus, the draft only had 28 first-round selections and 57 selections overall.
Draft selections
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| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | 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 |
| x | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
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- 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.
- Tim Duncan is a United States citizen by birth, as are all natives of the U.S. Virgin Islands, he has represented the United States internationally.[2]
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1997 NBA Draft but have played in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Aluma | C |  Nigeria |
Liberty (Sr.) |
| Pat Burke | C |  Ireland |
Auburn (Sr.) |
| Marlon Garnett | G |  United States |
Santa Clara (Sr.) |
| Troy Hudson | G | United States |
Southern Illinois (Jr.) |
| Damon Jones | G | United States |
Houston (Jr.) |
| Mikki Moore | F/C | United States |
Nebraska (Sr.) |
| Ira Newble | F | United States |
Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) |
| Fabricio Oberto | C |  Argentina |
Atenas (Argentina) |
| Mike Penberthy | G | United States |
The Master's (Sr.) |
| Michael Stewart | F/C | United States |
California (Sr.) |
References
- Peter May. May 21, 2007. "Luck of draw went Spurs' way in '97 with Duncan - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe
- "Virgin Islands". CIA World Factbook. August 12, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
External links
- "Official website". Archived from the original on 2001-02-15. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - 1997 NBA Draft at Basketball-reference