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2002 NBA draft
Basketball player selection
Basketball player selection
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | 2002 NBA draft |
| image | 2002 NBA draft logo.webp |
| sport | Basketball |
| date | June 26, 2002 |
| location | The Theater at Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York) |
| network | TNT |
| league | NBA |
| overall | 57 |
| rounds | 2 |
| first | Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) |
| hofnum | {{Collapsible list |
| title | 1 |
| 1 | C Yao Ming}} |
| prev | [2001](2001-nba-draft) |
| next | [2003](2003-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. This was the last draft that was broadcast on TNT, as ESPN obtained the rights for the 2003 draft via its incoming deal (which it retains to this day). The NBA announced that about 42 college and high school players, and five international players, had filed as early-entry candidates for the draft. 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. The Bulls and Warriors were second and third, respectively. As punishment for salary-cap violations during the 2001-02 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.
Two months after the conclusion of his rookie season, number-two pick Jay Williams nearly lost his life in a motorcycle crash that shattered his pelvis, severed a main nerve in his leg and tore three ligaments in his left knee, including his ACL. Despite intense rehabilitation, Williams never played a game in the NBA again. When it became clear Williams could not return to the Bulls because of his injuries, the team waived him. The Bulls could have voided Williams' contract because it prohibited riding a motorcycle. However, the franchise bought out his contract for $3 million in 2004 instead of having him walk away with nothing.
The draft class was relatively weak outside of the top prospects. Several players selected early had promising careers that ended 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. Three players selected in this draft - including Yao, second-round pick Carlos Boozer and Rookie of the Year Amar'e Stoudemire - would be named to the All-NBA Team during their careers. Caron Butler was the only other player to become an All-Star. First-round pick Tayshaun Prince was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Team four times.
As of the end of the 2022–23 NBA season, Udonis Haslem was the last remaining active draft-eligible player from the 2002 class, though he went undrafted (he made his NBA debut the following season). He stopped playing after the 2022–23 season.
Nine of the players selected in this draft never played in an NBA game throughout their professional basketball careers. Three of those players were the sole selection of the draft from their respective teams: Peter Fehse (Seattle's only pick), Marcus Taylor (Minnesota's only pick) and Mladen Šekularac (Dallas' only pick).
Draft selections
| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
|---|
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School or club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | ^* | C | China | Houston Rockets | Shanghai Sharks (China) |
| 1 | 2 | PG | United States | Chicago Bulls | Duke (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 3 | SF/SG | United States | Golden State Warriors | Duke (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 4 | PF/C | United States | Memphis Grizzlies | Kansas (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 5 | PF/C | Georgia (country) | Denver Nuggets | Benetton Treviso (Italy) | |
| 1 | 6 | PG | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Memphis (Fr.) | |
| 1 | 7 | C/PF | Brazil | New York Knicks (traded to Denver) | Vasco da Gama (Brazil) | |
| 1 | 8 | PF/C | United States | Los Angeles Clippers (from Atlanta) | Maryland (So.) | |
| 1 | 9 | *~ | PF/C | United States | Phoenix Suns | Cypress Creek HS (Orlando, Florida) |
| 1 | 10 | + | SF | United States | Miami Heat | Connecticut (So.) |
| 1 | 11 | PF/C | United States | Washington Wizards | Indiana (So.) | |
| 1 | 12 | C/PF | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Fresno State (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 13 | PF | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Tennessee (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 14 | SG | United States | Indiana Pacers | Oregon (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 15 | SF/PF | Houston Rockets (from Toronto) | Benetton Treviso (Italy) | ||
| 1 | 16 | SG/SF | Philadelphia 76ers (traded to Golden State) | Union Olimpija (Slovenia and Adriatic League) | ||
| 1 | 17 | PG | United States | Washington Wizards (from New Orleans) | Maryland (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 18 | C | United States | Orlando Magic (traded to Utah) | Stanford (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 19 | PF | United States | Utah Jazz (traded to Orlando) | Notre Dame (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 20 | SG | United States | Toronto Raptors (from Seattle via New York, traded to Los Angeles Lakers) | Missouri (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 21 | SF | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Northeast Mississippi CC (So.) | |
| 1 | 22 | SG | United States | Phoenix Suns (from Boston) | Stanford (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 23 | SF | United States | Detroit Pistons | Kentucky (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 24 | C/PF | New Jersey Nets | Partizan Belgrade (Sinalco Superleague and Adriatic League) | ||
| 1 | 25 | PG | United States | Denver Nuggets (from Dallas, traded to New York) | Illinois (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 26 | SF/SG | United States | San Antonio Spurs (traded to Philadelphia) | Miami (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 27 | SF | United States | Los Angeles Lakers (traded to Toronto) | Fresno State (Jr.) | |
| 1 | 28 | PG | United States | Sacramento Kings (traded to Atlanta) | Gonzaga (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 29 | Forfeited pick | Minnesota Timberwolves (forfeited their first-round pick due to salary cap violations) | |||
| 2 | 30 | # | PG | United States | Golden State Warriors | Cincinnati (Sr.) |
| 2 | 31 | SG | United States | Chicago Bulls | Virginia (Jr.) | |
| 2 | 32 | PF | Memphis Grizzlies | Illinois (Sr.) | ||
| 2 | 33 | SF | United States | Denver Nuggets | Tennessee (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 34 | C | Netherlands | Milwaukee Bucks (from Houston) | UCLA (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 35 | * | PF | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Duke (Jr.) |
| 2 | 36 | # | PG | New York Knicks | Partizan Belgrade (Sinalco Superleague and Adriatic League) | |
| 2 | 37 | C | Australia | Atlanta Hawks | Virtus Bologna (Italy) | |
| 2 | 38 | PG | United States | Houston Rockets (from Miami) | Fresno State (So.) | |
| 2 | 39 | # | SG | United States | Washington Wizards (from Phoenix via Denver) | Alabama (Jr.) |
| 2 | 40 | PG | Spain | Washington Wizards | FC Barcelona (Spain) | |
| 2 | 41 | C | Los Angeles Clippers | Opel Skyliners (Germany) | ||
| 2 | 42 | SG | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Shaw (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 43 | # | C | United States | Portland Trail Blazers (from Toronto via Chicago) | Arkansas State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 44 | PF | United States | Chicago Bulls (from Indiana) | Maryland (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 45 | # | PF | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | USC (Sr.) |
| 2 | 46 | SF | United States | Memphis Grizzlies (from Orlando) | UCLA (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 47 | C | United States | Utah Jazz (traded to Orlando) | California (Fr.) | |
| 2 | 48 | PF | United States | Milwaukee Bucks (from New Orleans, traded to Memphis) | Texas (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 49 | # | PF | Germany | Seattle SuperSonics | Halle (Germany) |
| 2 | 50 | PF | LTU | Boston Celtics | Wake Forest (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 51 | # | SF | Portland Trail Blazers | Ourense (Spain) | |
| 2 | 52 | # | PG | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Michigan State (So.) |
| 2 | 53 | SF | United States | Miami Heat (from Detroit via Toronto and Houston) | La Salle (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 54 | SG | United States | New Jersey Nets | Marshall (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 55 | # | SG | Dallas Mavericks | FMP Železnik (Sinalco Superleague and Adriatic League) | |
| 2 | 56 | PF | San Antonio Spurs (from L.A. Lakers) | TAU Cerámica (Spain) | ||
| 2 | 57 | PF | United States | |||
| Libya | San Antonio Spurs (traded to Philadelphia) | San Diego State (Sr.) | ||||
| 2 | 58 | PF | United States | Sacramento Kings | Central Connecticut (Sr.) |
Notable undrafted players
These eligible players were not selected in this draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Position | Nationality | School or club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| PG | United States | Oklahoma State (Sr.) | |
| PG | United States | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) | |
| SG | United States | UTSA (Sr.) | |
| PF/SF | United States | Wyoming (Sr.) | |
| PF | United States | Iowa (Sr.) | |
| SG/SF | COC Ribeirão Preto (Brazil) | ||
| PG/SG | United States | Temple (Sr.) | |
| PG/SG | United States | NC State (Sr.) | |
| PG/SG | United States | Auburn (Sr.) | |
| PG/SG | United States | Wingate (Sr.) | |
| PF | United States | Florida (Sr.) | |
| SF | United States | Tulane (Sr.) | |
| SG | LTU | Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania) | |
| C | COD | ||
| Leuven Bears (Belgium) | |||
| PG | United States | Bowling Green (Sr.) | |
| PG | United States | Arkansas (Sr.) | |
| PG/SG | United States | Fordham (So.) | |
| SG | Hawaii (Sr.) | ||
| PF/SF | United States | Arizona State (Sr.) | |
| PG | BYU–Hawaii (Fr.) |
Early entrants
College underclassmen
This year would mark a bit of a step down in terms of the number of underclassmen entering the NBA draft when compared to last year. While it would be the second time the number of underclassmen would exceed the number of draft picks available in the NBA, this year only saw a total of 72 underclassmen from college and overseas declare their initial entry into the NBA draft. However, it would exceed the amount of withdrawn players with 24 players doing exactly that, leaving a total of 48 eligible underclassmen available for the draft this year. The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.
- USA Lee Benson – F, Brown Mackie (freshman)
- USA Rodney Bias – F, Alabama (sophomore)
- USA Cordell Billups – G, Pierce (Washington) (sophomore)
- USA Carlos Boozer – F, Duke (junior)
- USA Curtis Borchardt – C, Stanford (junior)
- USA Caron Butler – F, Connecticut (sophomore)
- USA Mike Dunleavy Jr. – F, Duke (junior)
- USA Drew Gooden – F, Kansas (junior)
- USA Rod Grizzard – G, Alabama (junior)
- USA Marcus Haislip – F, Tennessee (junior)
- USA Rashid Hardwick – C, Eastern Oklahoma State (freshman)
- USA Adam Harrington – G, Auburn (junior)
- USA Casey Jacobsen – G, Stanford (junior)
- USA Chris Jefferies – F, Fresno State (junior)
- USA Jared Jeffries – F, Indiana (sophomore)
- NGR Muhammed Lasege – C, Louisville (sophomore)
- USA Tito Maddox – G, Fresno State (sophomore)
- USA Kei Madison – F, Okaloosa-Walton (sophomore)
- USA Roger Mason Jr. – G, Virginia (junior)
- USA Smush Parker – G, Fordham (sophomore)
- USA Travis Robinson – F, Jacksonville (junior)
- USA Kareem Rush – G, Missouri (junior)
- USA Jamal Sampson – F/C, California (freshman)
- USA Jerry Sanders – F, Northern Illinois (sophomore)
- USA Eddie Shelby – G, Dixie State (sophomore)
- USA Bobby Smith – G, Robert Morris (junior)
- USA Melvin Steward – G, Eastern New Mexico (junior)
- USA Marcus Taylor – G, Michigan State (sophomore)
- USA Terrell Taylor – G, Creighton (junior)
- USA Dajuan Wagner – G, Memphis (freshman)
- USA Adrian Walton – G, Fordham (freshman)
- USA Joseph Ward – F, Fort Hays State (junior)
- USA Omar Weaver – F/G, Riverside CC (freshman)
- USA Chris Wilcox – F, Maryland (sophomore)
- USA Troy Wiley – F, Rhode Island (junior)
- USA Frank Williams – G, Illinois (junior)
- USA George Williams – F, Houston (junior)
- USA Jay Williams – G, Duke (junior)
- USA Qyntel Woods – G/F, Northeast Mississippi CC (sophomore)
High school players
This would be the eighth 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. It would also mark the first time a player directly out of high school would win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award with Amar'e Stoudemire earning the honor one year before LeBron James would enter the NBA. The following high school players successfully applied for early draft entrance.
- USA DeAngelo Collins – F, Inglewood High School (Inglewood, California)
- USA Lenny Cooke – G, Mott Adult High School (Flint, Michigan)
- LIT Giedrius Rinkevicius – C, Bridgton Academy (Bridgton, Maine)
- USA Amar'e Stoudemire – F, Cypress Creek High School (Orlando, Florida)
International players
The following international players successfully applied for early draft entrance.
- GER Peter Fehse – F, Halle (Germany)
- BRA Nenê Hilario – F, Vasco de Gama (Brazil)
- FRY Nenad Krstic – Partizan (FR Yugoslavia)
- FRY Mladen Šekularac – F, FMP (FR Yugoslavia)
- GEO Nikoloz Tskitishvili – F, Benetton Treviso (Italy)
References
References
- [http://www.nba.com/draft2023/handbook.html NBA.com: 2023 Draft Handbook]
- NBA.com. [http://www.nba.com/draft2023/earlyentry_final.html Twenty-Four Early Entry Candidates Withdraw from Draft 2023]. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- NBA.com. [http://www.nba.com/news/draft_ties_020424.html Ties Broken for NBA Draft Order of Selection]. April 24, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- "Cavaliers Win NBA Draft Lottery 2024". NBA.com.
- Lago, Joe. [https://www.espn.com/nbadraft/story?id=1399515 Draft record set with 17 foreign-born picks]. June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- Nance, Roscoe. [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/bulls/2004-02-02-williams-buyout_x.htm Bulls, Jay Williams agree to contract buyout]. February 2, 2004. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
- The Knicks traded #7 pick along with [[Marcus Camby]] and [[Mark Jackson (basketball). Mark Jackson]] to the Nuggets for [[Antonio McDyess]], #25 pick and a 2003 second-round pick.
- "NBA Restores Timberwolves' 2005 Draft Pick". NBA.com.
- (August 4, 2007). "2002 Underclassmen".
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