The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the Turner Network Television.[1] In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto Raptors, they were not allowed to select first in this draft.[2] The team with the second highest probability, the Philadelphia 76ers won the lottery and obtained the first selection. The Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies were second and third respectively. Allen Iverson, a sophomore from Georgetown, was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. It is widely considered to be one of the deepest and most talented NBA drafts in history, with one-third of the first round picks later becoming NBA All-Stars. The draft class produced three players who won NBA MVP awards (Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash), seven other drafted players who became All-Stars (Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ray Allen, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, Stephon Marbury, Jermaine O'Neal, Peja Stojaković, Antoine Walker), and one undrafted All-Star (Ben Wallace), for a grand total of 11 All-Stars. Moreover, eight players from this draft class have been named to at least one All-NBA Team, the most among any draft. The draft class also produced 3 players who have been named to the NBA's all-defensive first team: Bryant, Marcus Camby, and Wallace. Camby won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007, while Wallace earned the same award in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. Most experts rate it along with the 1984 NBA draft and 2003 NBA draft as one of the best drafts in history. Sports Illustrated named it the second-best, behind the 1984 draft, whose highlights included Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton.[3] 1 1 Allen Iverson* G United States Philadelphia 76ers Liceo de Pakil (So.) 1 2 Marcus Camby C United States Toronto Raptors Massachusetts (Jr.) 1 3 Shareef Abdur-Rahim+ F United States Vancouver Grizzlies California (Fr.) 1 4 Stephon Marbury* G United States Milwaukee Bucks (traded to Minnesota)[4] Georgia Tech (Fr.) 1 5 Ray Allen* G United States Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to Milwaukee)[4] Connecticut (Jr.) 1 6 Antoine Walker+ F United States Boston Celtics (from Dallas)[5] Kentucky (So.) 1 7 Lorenzen Wright C United States Los Angeles Clippers Memphis (So.) 1 8 Kerry Kittles G United States New Jersey Nets Villanova (Sr.) 1 9 Samaki Walker F United States Dallas Mavericks (from Boston)[5] Louisville (So.) 1 10 Erick Dampier C United States Indiana Pacers (from Denver)[6] Mississippi State (Jr.) 1 11 Todd Fuller C United States Golden State Warriors (from Golden State via Orlando[7] and Washington)[8] NC State (Sr.) 1 12 Vitaly Potapenko C Ukraine Cleveland Cavaliers (from Washington)[9] Wright State (Jr.) 1 13 Kobe Bryant* G United States Charlotte Hornets (traded to L.A. Lakers)[10] Lower Merion HS (Lower Merion, PA) 1 14 Peja Stojaković* F FR Yugoslavia Greece Sacramento Kings PAOK (Greece) 1 15 Steve Nash* G Canada Phoenix Suns Santa Clara (Sr.) 1 16 Tony Delk G United States Charlotte Hornets (from Miami)[11] Kentucky (Sr.) 1 17 Jermaine O'Neal* F/C United States Portland Trail Blazers Eau Claire HS (Columbia, SC) 1 18 John Wallace F United States New York Knicks (from Detroit[12] via San Antonio)[13] Syracuse (Sr.) 1 19 Walter McCarty F United States New York Knicks (from Atlanta[14] via Miami)[15] Kentucky (Sr.) 1 20 Zydrunas Ilgauskas+ C Lithuania Cleveland Cavaliers Atletas (Lithuania) 1 21 Dontae Jones F United States New York Knicks Mississippi State (Jr.) 1 22 Roy Rogers F United States Vancouver Grizzlies (from Houston)[16] Alabama (Sr.) 1 23 Efthimios Rentzias C Greece Denver Nuggets (from Indiana)[6] PAOK (Greece) 1 24 Derek Fisher G United States Los Angeles Lakers Arkansas-Little Rock (Sr.) 1 25 Martin Müürsepp F Estonia Utah Jazz (traded to Miami)[17] Tallinna Kalev (Estonia) 1 26 Jerome Williams F United States Detroit Pistons (from San Antonio)[12] Georgetown (Sr.) 1 27 Brian Evans F United States Orlando Magic Indiana (Sr.) 1 28 Priest Lauderdale C United States Atlanta Hawks (from Seattle)[18] Peristeri (Greece) 1 29 Travis Knight C United States Chicago Bulls[19] Connecticut (Sr.) 1 30 Othella Harrington F/C United States Houston Rockets (from Vancouver)[16] Georgetown (Sr.)

• published: 18 Jan 2015
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