The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including international players from non-North American professional leagues. According to the NBA, 44 players, 39 collegiate players and 5 international players, filed as early-entry candidates for the 2008 NBA Draft. These numbers do not include players who are automatically eligible for the draft. The Chicago Bulls, who had a 1.7 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA Draft Lottery on May 22. The Bulls' winning of the lottery was the second-largest upset in NBA Draft Lottery history behind the Orlando Magic, who won it in 1993 with just a 1.5% chance. The Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves obtained the second and third picks respectively.

For the first time in draft history the first three draft picks were all freshmen. The Chicago Bulls used the first overall pick to draft Chicago native Derrick Rose from the University of Memphis, who later went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, making him the first player to be drafted first overall and to win Rookie of the Year since LeBron James in 2003. The Miami Heat used the second pick to draft Michael Beasley from Kansas State University, and the Minnesota Timberwolves used the third pick to draft O. J. Mayo from University of Southern California. With five players taken in the draft, the University of Kansas tied University of Connecticut (2006) and University of Florida (2007) for the record with the most players selected in the first two rounds of an NBA draft. Another record was set when twelve freshmen were drafted, ten of whom were drafted in the first round. Of the players drafted, 29 are forwards, 19 are guards, and 12 are centers.

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).

Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Born in Chicago, Rose learned the game of basketball from his three older brothers. In high school, he won two state championships and was rated by scouts as the top point guard prospect in the country after graduation.^{[citation needed]} He played for the University of Memphis Tigers and reached the NCAA national championship game in 2008. Shortly after, Rose declared for the 2008 NBA Draft and was selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls. In his first year of professional basketball, Rose was voted the Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-Rookie Team. In his second season, Rose was selected as an NBA All-Star for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game; he was also named a starter for the U.S. team at the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Since being drafted, Rose has led the Bulls to the NBA Playoffs every year. In 2011, he received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the youngest player ever to win this award. He joined Michael Jordan as the only Chicago Bulls players to win the honor.

Michael Paul Beasley, Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous. Beasley played college basketball for Kansas State University for one year before declaring for the NBA draft on April 14, 2008. He is regarded as one of the greatest freshman college basketball players of the 2000s.

Beasley was born in Frederick, Maryland. While growing up in Maryland, Beasley played for one of the country's most successful AAU youth teams at the time, the PG Jaguars. Beasley won multiple national championships with this team alongside future fellow blue-chip recruits Kevin Durant (Texas) and Chris Braswell (UNC Charlotte). Beasley later moved on to play AAU ball for DC Assault's 17 & Under team, playing alongside such players as former KSU teammate Ron Anderson, Nolan Smith (Duke), Chris Wright (Georgetown), Austin Freeman (Georgetown), and Julian Vaughn (Georgetown). During this time Beasley also attended a number of high schools including Bowie High School (Bowie, Maryland), National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Maryland), The Pendleton School (a section of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida), Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia), and Notre Dame Preparatory School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)). As a high school senior he averaged 28 points and 16 rebounds per game.

Brook Lopez (born April 1, 1988) is a 7'0" American basketball player who plays for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA. He is the twin brother of fellow basketball player Robin Lopez, who plays for the Phoenix Suns. Lopez was selected 10th overall by the Nets in the 2008 NBA Draft, after playing two years for Stanford in the Pacific-10 Conference of the NCAA.

Brook Lopez was born in North Hollywood, Los Angeles to Deborah Ledford and his now-estranged father Heriberto Lopez, a native of Cuba.^{[citation needed]} He was born into a life of basketball and art, as his grandfather played at the University of Colorado. Lopez moved from Hollywood to Oak Harbor, Washington while in second grade to be near his older brother, Alex, who was playing basketball at the University of Washington at the time. He moved to his current hometown of Fresno, California a year later, where he attended San Joaquin Memorial High School. While there, he played with his twin brother Robin Lopez, as well as Quincy Pondexter, a fellow NBA player. Both teammates played with Lopez on their successful AAU team, the Elite Basketball Organization (EBO), along with Derrick Jasper and Tre'Von Willis, both of UNLV. Brook along with his brother Robin committed to Stanford University early in 2005. The Lopez twins were the second twin combination at Stanford since Jason Collins and Jarron Collins. Both Brook and Robin competed in the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game against several current NBA players including Kevin Durant and Greg Oden.