2002 NBA draft

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 secured rights to air the 2003 draft. 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]

Number 2 pick Jay Williams violated his contract by riding a motorcycle, and nearly lost his life in an accident that shattered his pelvis, severed a main nerve in his leg, and tore three ligaments in his left knee including his ACL. Although he underwent intense rehabilitation, Williams never played a game in the NBA again. When it became clear Williams would not be returning to the Bulls because of his injuries, he was waived. The Bulls could have voided Williams' contract because it prohibited riding a motorcycle. Instead, the Bulls executed a $3 million buyout of the contract in 2004 instead of having him walk away with nothing.[6]

The draft was relatively weak outside of the top prospects. Several top players had promising careers end 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. As of 2022, Udonis Haslem is the only remaining active player from the 2002 class, though he went undrafted.