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The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA) can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted. College players who have finished their four-year college eligibility are automatically eligible for selection, while the underclassmen have to declare their eligibility and give up their remaining college eligibility. International players who are at least 22 years old are automatically eligible for selection, while the players younger than 22 have to declare their eligibility. Players who are not automatically eligible but have declared their eligibility are often called "early-entrants" or "early-entry candidates". The Draft usually takes place at the end of June, during the NBA off-season. The Draft consists of two rounds with a total of sixty players to be selected.

In the past, high school players were also eligible to be selected. However, starting in the 2006 Draft, high school players were not eligible to enter the draft directly after graduating high school. The rules now state that high school players will gain eligibility for draft selection one year after their high school graduation and they must also be at least 19 years old as of the end of the calendar year of the draft. Contrary to popular belief, they do not necessarily have to have at least one year of college basketball (as some players have chosen to use that year to play professionally in Europe for example).

NBA Draft Lottery[link]

The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the NBA to determine the draft order. The teams who missed the playoffs in the previous season participate in a lottery process to determine the draft order. The lottery winner would get the first selection in the draft. In the current rules, 14 non-playoff teams participate in the Draft Lottery. The lottery is weighted so that the team with the worst record has the best chance of obtaining higher draft picks. The lottery process determines the first three picks of the draft. The rest of the first-round order of picks is in reverse order of the teams' win-loss record. The lottery does not determine the draft order in the second round of the draft. The term "lottery pick" denotes a draft pick whose position is determined through the lottery, while the non-playoff teams involved in the process are often called "lottery teams". The Draft Lottery system was first used in the 1985 Draft.

Draft selection process[link]

All players must be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year of the draft, and a player who completed basketball eligibility at an American high school must also be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class. Restrictions exist on players signing with sports agents and on declaring for, then withdrawing, from drafts—although most of them are enforced by the NCAA rather than the NBA.

In the early years of the draft, teams would select players until they ran out of prospects. The 1960 draft went 21 rounds. By 1974, it had stabilized to 10 rounds, which held up until 1985, when the draft was shortened to seven rounds. By agreement with the National Basketball Players Association, the drafts from 1989 onward have been limited to two rounds, which gives undrafted players the chance to try out for any team.^[1]

Globalization of the draft[link]

The NBA draft has been dominated by collegiate players since the draft was put in place in 1950. In more recent years high school seniors have also had a large impact on the draft. These include players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Amar'e Stoudemire. However, because of the new age requirement put in place in 2005, high school seniors are no longer eligible for the draft. During the same stretch that high school players were making a large impact on the draft, another group of players started to make their presence felt in the draft.

Selecting foreign players[link]

Foreign players have made a large impact on how teams are now drafting. When the draft began, foreign players were not selected. As the years progressed, things began to change and a few international players were selected. The first foreign player, in the sense of being a national of a country other than the U.S., to be chosen first overall in the draft was Bahamian Mychal Thompson in 1978. However, Thompson's selection was not a true harbinger of the game's globalization, as he had spent much of his childhood in Florida, and had played college basketball at Minnesota. One of the first foreign players selected in the draft to play in the NBA was Manute Bol out of the Sudan in 1983 in the 5th round by the San Diego Clippers. Bol's selection was later deemed ineligible by the NBA. Two years later Bol was drafted again by the NBA this time out of Division II University of Bridgeport in 1985 as the 31st pick overall in the second round. Although Bol did not have a stellar career, he is known for being one of the tallest players ever to play the game at 7 feet and 7 inches. He holds the record for being the tallest player ever to hit a 3 point field goal. The following two years saw two players born outside the U.S. selected first overall—Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984 and Jamaica-born American Patrick Ewing in 1985. However, like Thompson before them, both had played U.S. college basketball—Olajuwon at Houston and Ewing at Georgetown—and Ewing had also played high school basketball in the U.S.

By the 1997 Draft, the number of foreign players being drafted dramatically increased. The top pick in that draft, Tim Duncan, became the third international player picked number 1 overall—although his designation as "international" is a matter of semantics, as he is a native of the United States Virgin Islands and, like all USVI natives, is a U.S. citizen by birth. He also had played U.S. college basketball at Wake Forest. Including Duncan, 12 international players were selected in the two rounds of the draft—although half of them, including Duncan and the next two such players picked, had played college basketball. The 1998 draft saw another foreign player picked first overall, Nigerian Michael Olowokandi, but like Duncan he had played college basketball, in his case at Pacific. In 2001 the highest drafted foreign player, Pau Gasol, was selected 3rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks. That would all change the following season when Yao Ming became the first foreign player without U.S. college experience to be selected number 1 overall. Not only was the first overall pick an international player, but five more picks in the first round alone were also from overseas. In total, the 2002 draft produced 17 international players, with only three of them (all second-round picks) having U.S. college experience.

International players selected number 1 overall[link]

As noted earlier, four international players had gone first overall before 2002, although all had played college basketball in the U.S., and one of them was in fact a U.S. citizen by birth. It was not until 2002 that an international player without college experience went first overall—Yao Ming. His selection was not only a watershed moment for the NBA, it also had a large impact in Yao's homeland of China. Hannah Beech (2003) writes "Yao has single-handedly transformed his countrymen from nameless, faceless millions into mighty men who can jam with the very best." ^[2] Yao has helped the NBA grow into a worldwide product. Beech (2003) goes on to write "Ratings for NBA games broadcast on Chinese TV have never been higher than this year as the nation keeps track of its new favorite team, Yao's Houston Rockets." ^[2] For his career Yao is averaging a solid 19.0 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, 1.89 blocks per game, and is shooting 82.6 percent from the free throw line.

2001 Draft[link]

From the 2001 draft to the 2006 Draft there were a total of 6 foreign players selected. This trend shows how NBA teams are expanding the way they are selecting players in the draft. Players like Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Tony Parker, Nenê and Luol Deng are changing the landscape of the NBA to include a wide array of players from all over the globe.

2002, 2005 and 2006 Drafts[link]

The 2002, 2005 and 2006 Drafts saw international players picked first overall. In 2002 the Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming from China first in the draft. Also in 2005, the Milwaukee Bucks picked Andrew Bogut, from Australia by way of the University of Utah, #1. The next year, the Toronto Raptors made Andrea Bargnani the second foreign player without U.S. college experience to be selected number 1 overall.

Other notable past NBA drafts[link]

Some of the most noted NBA draft years are 1984, 1996, and 2003. Each of those is often referred to as one of, if not the, best NBA Draft ever, though the 2003 Draft was too recent to accurately compare. The 2000 NBA Draft has been regarded as the worst in history, with Sports Illustrated calling its first round "a horrible group of players."^[3] The 1986 Draft was notable for the number of solid and even outstanding players selected in later rounds, partly because of drug problems that claimed the life of second overall pick Len Bias and affected the careers of several other first-round picks.^[4][5]

See also[link]

• Draft bust
• Expansion draft
• Haywood v. National Basketball Association
• Mock draft
• NBA Draft Lottery
• NBA first overall draft pick
• NBA territorial pick
• WNBA Draft

References[link]

General

Specific

External links[link]

• NBA.com: NBA Draft History
• Basketball-Reference.com: NBA Draft Index.
• TheDraftReview.com: NBA Draft Index

Harrison Barnes
Barnes playing in the Carrier Classic game in November 2011
College	North Carolina
Conference	ACC
Sport	Basketball
Position	Small Forward
Jersey #	40
Class	Sophomore
Height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Nationality	American
Born	(1992-05-30) May 30, 1992 (age 20) Ames, Iowa
High school	Ames

Harrison Bryce-Jordan Barnes^[1] (born May 30, 1992) is an American college basketball player. He is a sophomore at North Carolina and was one of the top rated basketball players in the recruiting class of 2010. Barnes is sometimes known by the nickname "Black Falcon."^[2]

High school career[link]

Barnes (right) with Kyrie Irving while playing for the United States.

Harrison Barnes was rated as the number 1 player in the class of 2010 by Scout.com^[3] and in the ESPNU 100.^[4] He was rated as the number 2 player by Rivals.com.^[5] In his junior year, Barnes led Ames High School to an Iowa 4A state championship where he had 24 points and 8 rebounds, capping off a 26-0 season.^[6] In his senior year, Barnes led Ames to a 27-0 season and a second straight Iowa 4A state championship becoming Iowa's big-school class's first team to go undefeated in consecutive seasons. In the finals he scored 19 points against Southeast Polk. He averaged 26.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 3.0 assists during his senior year and was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team.^[7] Barnes capped off his Ames High School career as their all-time leading scorer with 1,787 points.^[8] Barnes played in the 4th annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic where he scored 18 points for Skip To My Lou.^[9] On January 20, 2010, it was announced that Barnes was selected to the 2010 Junior National Select Team. The team played at the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon on April 10.^[10] He was also selected to play in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game where he led the West team to a 107-104 victory. He scored a team high 18 points and was named co-MVP with Jared Sullinger.^[11] He also played in the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic where he was named co-MVP with Kyrie Irving.^[12] On March 10, 2010, Barnes won the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award, which goes to the nation's top player.^[13]

AAU[link]

Barnes played for the "Howard Pulley Panthers" on the AAU circuit alongside current Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson, who was one of the nation's top football prospects in the class of 2010.^[14]

SLAM Magazine[link]

Barnes was the 2010 high school diary keeper for SLAM Magazine.

College recruitment[link]

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Harrison Barnes Small Forward	Ames, IA	Ames HS	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Nov 13, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 98

Barnes considered offers from Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and UCLA.^[15][16] Barnes unofficially visited Kansas twice, for Late Night in the Phog in October 2008 and a spring game against Tennessee.^[17] Barnes took official visits to North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA, and Oklahoma, but he did not take an official visit to Iowa State; since he only lives a mile from campus, he chose to unofficially visit instead.^[18] On November 13, 2009, Barnes Skyped coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels, making UNC his future alma mater.^[16]

College career[link]

Barnes had 21 points in his North Carolina debut in an exhibition game in the Bahamas against the Commonwealth Bank Giants. UNC won the game 130-87.^[19] Overall, Barnes averaged 22 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for UNC in the Bahamas.^[20] On November 1, 2010, Barnes was named a preseason All-American by the AP. He is the first freshman to ever receive this honor.^[21] Barnes had 14 points and 4 rebounds in his North Carolina debut vs. Lipscomb.^[22] He recorded his first career double double on December 11, 2010, scoring 19 points and snatching 10 rebounds in a 96-91 victory over Long Beach State University.^[23]

Barnes' previous career high of 26 points came against Boston College on February 1, 2011. He surpassed this mark on March 12, 2011 in an ACC tournament game against Clemson, scoring 40 points while also grabbing 8 rebounds. Additionally, Barnes's 40 point performance set the record for points by a Freshman in an ACC Tournament game.^[24] On April 18, 2011, Barnes announced that he would return to North Carolina for his sophomore season.

Barnes is the ninth UNC Tar Heel to earn ACC Rookie of Year recognition, and the fourth to do so under Coach Roy Williams. During his freshman year at UNC, he became the 14th Tar Heel to earn Freshman All-American honors and also became the 11th freshman to earn first-team All-ACC Tournament honors. Barnes scored the most points, as a freshman, in the ACC tournament since Phil Ford scored 78 points in 1975. He then went on to the NCAA tournament where he scored 84 points, the most points of any UNC freshman in history.

College statistics[link]

Source^[25]

NBA career[link]

On March 29, 2012, Barnes announced that he was entering the 2012 NBA Draft along with Tyler Zeller, Kendall Marshall and John Henson.^[26]

Awards/Honors[link]

High school[link]

• 2010 Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award winner
• 2010 McDonald's All-American team selection
• 2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American team selection

College[link]

• 2010, 2011 Preseason All-American
• 2011 Second Team All-ACC
• 2011 All-ACC Freshman Team
• 2011 ACC Rookie of the Year^[27]
• 2012 Second Team All-American (NABC)
• 2012 First Team All-ACC

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Harrison Barnes

• North Carolina bio
• NBADraft.net Profile
• Scout.com Profile
• Rivals.com Profile
• DraftHype.com Profile

Bradley Beal (born June 28, 1993) is an American college basketball player. After his freshman season for the University of Florida Gators men's basketball team, Beal announced he would enter the 2012 NBA Draft.

High school[link]

Beal attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, Missouri. He competed in the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship for the USA, which won the championship with Beal averaging 18 points per game.^[1] During his senior year of high school, Beal averaged 32.5 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game. At the end of Beal's senior season, he was named the 2011 Mr. Show-Me Basketball which recognized him as the top high school basketball player in the state of Missouri.^[2] He was also named the 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year. According to ESPNU recruits, Beal was the fourth ranked recruit and second ranked shooting guard and he was also the fourth ranked recruit according to Rivals.com.^[3]

College career[link]

On November 30, 2009 Beal committed to the University of Florida.^[4]

In his first game at Florida, Beal started and recorded 14 points. Beal was named SEC Freshman of the Week on November 28, 2011. During the week of 11/21–11/28, Beal averaged 8.5 points, seven rebounds, two assists and 1.5 steals in two wins over Wright State and Jacksonville.^[5] Beal would go on to win five additional SEC Freshman of the Week honors and be named SEC All-Freshman Team and First-Team All-SEC.^[6] Beal finished the season second on the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game.

On April 13, 2012, Beal announced that he would forgo his sophomore season and enter the NBA Draft.^[7]

College statistics[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• ESPN.com- Bradley Beal recruiting profile
• Rivals.com- Bradley Beal recruiting profile