2001 NBA draft
Basketball player selection
title: "2001 NBA draft" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2001–02-nba-season", "nba-draft", "june-2001-sports-events-in-the-united-states", "2001-in-sports-in-new-york-city", "2000s-in-manhattan", "basketball-in-new-york-city", "sporting-events-in-new-york-city", "sports-in-manhattan"] description: "Basketball player selection" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_NBA_draft" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Basketball player selection ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox sports draft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | 2001 NBA draft |
| image | 2001 NBA draft logo.png |
| sport | Basketball |
| date | June 27, 2001 |
| location | The Theater at Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York) |
| network | TNT |
| league | NBA |
| overall | 57 |
| rounds | 2 |
| first | Kwame Brown (Washington Wizards) |
| hofnum | {{Collapsible list |
| title | 2 |
| 1 | PF Pau Gasol |
| 2 | PG Tony Parker}} |
| prev | 2000 |
| next | 2002 |
| :: |
| name = 2001 NBA draft | image = 2001 NBA draft logo.png | caption = | logo = | logosize = | sport = Basketball | date = June 27, 2001 | location = The Theater at Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York) | network = TNT | league = NBA | teams = | overall = 57 | rounds = 2 | first = Kwame Brown (Washington Wizards) | hofnum = {{Collapsible list | title = 2 |1 = PF Pau Gasol |2 = PG Tony Parker}} | prev = 2000 | next = 2002 The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001, in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizards, over players that have gone on to have more successful NBA careers, has been a source of great criticism by numerous media outlets. Several international players from this draft, Pau Gasol (Spain), Tony Parker (France) and Mehmet Okur (Turkey), became NBA All-Stars.
The Minnesota Timberwolves forfeited their first-round pick due to salary cap violations. It would be the first of two first rounders that would have to forfeit their picks during the early 2000s.
Eight of the players selected in this draft would never play in an NBA game in their professional basketball careers. Both of the players drafted by the New York Knicks (Michael Wright and Eric Chenowith) were among this group.
The final remaining active player from this draft was Joe Johnson, who retired from the NBA following the 2022 season. Thus, no active players remain from this class.
Draft selections
::data[format=table]
| G | Guard | PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | F | Forward | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :: |
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Kwame_Brown_cropped.jpg" caption="[[Kwame Brown]] was selected 1st overall by the [[Washington Wizards]]."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Tyson_Chandler_cropped.jpg" caption="[[Tyson Chandler]] was selected 2nd overall by the [[Los Angeles Clippers]] (traded to the [[Chicago Bulls]])."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Pau_gasol_zz.jpg" caption="[[Pau Gasol]] was selected 3rd overall by the [[Atlanta Hawks]] (traded to the [[Vancouver Grizzlies]])."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Joe_Johnson_Atlanta_Hawks_2008-9_season.jpg" caption="Joe Johnson]] was selected 10th overall by the [[Boston Celtics]]."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Zach_Randolph_profile_view.jpg" caption="[[Zach Randolph]] was selected 19th overall by the [[Portland Trail Blazers]]."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Gerald_Wallace_Nets.jpg" caption="[[Gerald Wallace]] was selected 25th overall by the [[Sacramento Kings]]."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Parker_khomar.JPG" caption="[[Tony Parker]] was selected 28th overall by the [[San Antonio Spurs]]."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/ArenasWizards.jpg" caption="[[Gilbert Arenas]] was selected 31st overall by the [[Golden State Warriors]]."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Brian_Scalabrine_of_the_Boston_Celtics_at_NBA_Media_Day_2007.png" caption="[[Brian Scalabrine]] was selected 34th overall by the [[New Jersey Nets]]."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Mehmo.jpg" caption="[[Mehmet Okur]] was selected 38th overall by the [[Detroit Pistons]]."] ::
::data[format=table]
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the draft but have played at least one game in the NBA. ::data[format=table]
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| PG | FIU (Sr.) | ||
| G | United States | Michigan State (Sr.) | |
| G | United States | McNeese State (Sr.) | |
| PG | United States | Penn State (Sr.) | |
| SG/SF | United States | Texas (Jr.) | |
| SF | United States | Mississippi State (Sr.) | |
| SF | Atenas de Córdoba (Argentina) | ||
| PG | United States | William Paterson (Sr.) | |
| SF | United States | Meridian CC (Fr.) | |
| PF/SF | TAU Cerámica (Spain) | ||
| PG | United States | Iowa (Sr.) | |
| G | United States | Hofstra (Sr.) | |
| PF | United States | Iowa State (Sr.) | |
| C | Znicz Pruszków (Poland) | ||
| C | Partizan (Serbia) | ||
| PG | United States | Rice (Sr.) | |
| :: |
Early entrants
College underclassmen
This year would officially mark the very first year where the number of underclassmen that declared their entry into the NBA draft would exceed the number of selections made with 75 players that fit the underclassmen criteria declaring their initial entry for the NBA draft. However, it would also mark the largest number of dropped players yet with 23 of those players either coming from college or overseas deciding to withdraw from the draft for one reason or another. The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.
- USA Gilbert Arenas – G, Arizona (sophomore)
- USA Brandon Armstrong – G, Pepperdine (junior)
- USA Malcolm Battles – F, Point Mark (junior)
- USA Tavorris Bell – F, Rhode Island (junior)
- USA Preston Bennett – F, Grayson (freshman)
- USA Michael Bradley – F, Villanova (junior)
- USA Jamison Brewer – G, Auburn (sophomore)
- USA Kedrick Brown – F, Okaloosa-Walton CC (sophomore)
- USA SirValiant Brown – G, George Washington (sophomore)
- USA Nick Burwell – G, Orange Coast (sophomore)
- USA Jason Collins – C, Stanford (junior)
- USA Omar Cook – G, St. John's (freshman)
- HAI Samuel Dalembert – C/F, Seton Hall (sophomore)
- USA Maurice Evans – G, Texas (junior)
- NGR Benjamin Eze – F, Southern Idaho (freshman)
- USA Alton Ford – F, Houston (freshman)
- USA Joseph Forte – G, North Carolina (sophomore)
- USA Jerry Green – G, UC Irvine (junior)
- USA Eddie Griffin – F, Seton Hall (freshman)
- USA Rob Griffin – F, Kentucky Wesleyan (junior)
- USA Trenton Hassell – G, Austin Peay (junior)
- USA Kirk Haston – F, Indiana (junior)
- USA Draper Housley – G, Lee College (sophomore)
- USA Steven Hunter – C/F, DePaul (sophomore)
- USA Richard Jefferson – F, Arizona (junior)
- USA Joe Johnson – F/G, Arkansas (sophomore)
- USA D. A. Layne – G, Georgia (junior)
- USA Zach Marbury – G, Rhode Island (sophomore)
- USA Jamario Moon – F, Meridian (freshman)
- USA Troy Murphy – F, Notre Dame (junior)
- USA Zach Randolph – F, Michigan State (freshman)
- USA Jason Richardson – G, Michigan State (sophomore)
- USA Kenny Satterfield – G, Cincinnati (sophomore)
- USA Bobby Simmons – F, DePaul (junior)
- USA Will Solomon – G, Clemson (junior)
- USA Clifton Terry – F, Kennedy–King (sophomore)
- USA Gerald Wallace – F/G, Alabama (freshman)
- USA Rodney White – F, Charlotte (freshman)
- USA Michael Wright – F, Arizona (junior)
High school players
This would be the seventh straight year in a row where at least one high school player would declare their entry into the NBA draft directly out of high school after previously only allowing it one time back in 1975. This year would also mark the year with the highest amount of players coming directly out of high school yet with six players deciding to make the jump into an opportunity at the NBA (though only five of them would get it). Not only that, but it marked the first time that a high schooler would be taken as the #1 pick of the NBA draft. The following high school players successfully applied for early draft entrance.
- USA Kwame Brown – F, Glynn Academy (Brunswick, Georgia)
- USA Tyson Chandler – F/C, Dominguez High School (Compton, California)
- MLI Ousmane Cisse – F, St. Jude Educational Institute (Montgomery, Alabama)
- USA Eddy Curry – C/F, Thornwood High School (South Holland, Illinois)
- SEN DeSagana Diop – C, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
- USA Tony Key – C, Centennial High School (Compton, California)
International players
The following international players successfully applied for early draft entrance.
- RUS Denis Ershov – C, Pulkovo Saint Petersburg (Russia)
- GRE Antonis Fotsis – F, Panathinaikos (Greece)
- SPA Pau Gasol – F, FC Barcelona (Spain)
- SPA Raül López – G, Real Madrid (Spain)
- FRA Tony Parker – G, Paris Basket Racing (France)
- BIH Vladimir Radmanović – F, FMP (FR Yugoslavia)
Other eligible players
::data[format=table]
| Player | Team | Note | Ref. | LIT Robertas Javtokas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania) | Left Arizona in 2000; playing professionally since the 2000–01 season | |||
| :: |
References
References
- "Biggest Bust of the 00s". AOL News.
- "NBA Restores Timberwolves' 2005 Draft Pick". NBA.com.
- Dalembert was born in {{HTI but grew up and spent his childhood in Canada, where he later became a citizen in 2007.
- Parker was born in Belgium but represents France in international competitions.
- "NBA Restores Timberwolves' 2005 Draft Pick". NBA.com.
- "Michael Wright Stats". ESPN.
- "Eric Chenowith Stats". ESPN.
- (1979-04-07). "Kyle Hill Stats". ESPN.
- (1982-10-20). "Ousmane Cisse Stats". ESPN.
- "Andre Hutson Stats". ESPN.
- "Maurice Jeffers Stats". ESPN.
- (September 2017)
- "Bryan Bracey Stats". ESPN.
- (August 4, 2007). "2001 Underclassmen".
- (March 16, 2000). "NCAA Tournament Notebook". The Washington Post.
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