This June marks the nine-year anniversary of the 1998 NBA Draft. Hindsight offers a better picture of which teams were most successful in that draft.

The 1998 NBA was an odd draft in that the first pick, Michael Olowokandi, ended up a huge disappointment, while several later picks, including Al Harrington (25th pick), Ruben Patterson (31st pick), Rashard Lewis (32nd pick) and Cuttino Mobley (41st pick) turned out to be steals. It just goes to show you never really know which players will turn into gold and which players will end up as tin.

Most experts thought Mike Bibby would be the number one pick until late in workouts when Michael Olowokandi impressed with his combination of size and mobility. The "Kandi Man" put up excellent numbers at Pacific University, but the big question surrounding him was the lack of competition he faced there.

Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter, teammates at North Carolina University and fourth and fifth picks in the 1998 NBA Draft, were swapped for one another shortly after being drafted. Both have had stellar careers so far, though Vince Carter was Rookie of the Year.

Another trade that took place on Draft day was perhaps one of the most one-sided deals in NBA history. The Dallas Mavericks drafted Robert "Tractor" Traylor with the 6th overall pick and traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks for the 9th pick, Dirk Nowitzki. Traylor didn't amount to much, while Nowitzki became one of the league's top players.

Paul Pierce was selected tenth overall by the Boston Celtics and ended up being one of the top players in the draft. He was slated to go in the top three and most had him going second overall to the Vancouver Grizzlies. However, he slipped drastically because of being deemed out of shape during the Draft Camps.

Another intriguing thing about this draft was the selection of Rashard Lewis (32nd overall, Seattle SuperSonics). Lewis bypassed his high school year to become eligible for the Draft. Seeing as how Lewis was from Texas, he was thought to go in the first round with one of the Houston Rockets' three picks. Most experts had him being taken by the Rockets with pick number 15. Yet, he slipped out of the first round and was the last player taken from the Green Room (The Green Room is a seating area at the Draft that is reserved for players projected to be drafted with the first fifteen picks). Rashard Lewis was in tears as they called his name, but Seattle has been the beneficator of other teams' mistakes, despite the fact that they also passed on him in the first round and opted for Vladimir Stepania instead.

Some noteworthy players who went undrafted are: PG Earl Boykins, PG Anthony Carter; PG Mike James; PG Sarunas Jasikevicius and C Brad Miller.

Here's an outlook on the 1998 NBA Draft:

1. Michael Olowokandi - LA Clippers

• Career averages: 8.3 ppg, 6.9 rbpg
• Best season: (2001-2002) 11.1 ppg, 8.9 rbpg, 1.8 bspg
• Injuries and lack of work ethic have been the story of the "Kandi man's" career. He has played for three teams and currently plays for the Boston Celtics.

2. Mike Bibby - Vancouver Grizzlies

• Career averages: 16.8 ppg, 6.3 apg
• Best season: (2004-2005) 19.6 ppg, 6.8 apg, 4.2 rbpg
• Bibby has established himself as an above-average point guard who has the capability to put up All Star calibar numbers on any given night. He currently plays for his second team, the Sacramento Kings.

3. Raef LaFrentz - Denver Nuggets

• Career averages: 10.8 ppg, 6.5 rbpg, 1.7 bspg
• Best season: (2000-2001) 12.9 ppg, 7.8 rbpg, 2.6 rbpg
• LaFrentz has had a solid career as a big man with an outside shot. He never evolved into much more than a role player, but has been a commodity for the four teams he's played for. He currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers.

4. Antawn Jamison - Toronto Raptors (traded on draft day to Golden State)

• Career averages: 19.4 ppg, 7.6 rbpg
• Best season: (2000-2001) 24.9 ppg, 8.7 rbpg
• Jamison is a former All Star and Sixth Man of the Year Award winner (2004-2005 with the Dallas Mavericks). He currently plays for his third team, the Washington Wizards.

5. Vince Carter - Golden State Warriors (traded on draft day to Toronto)

• Career averages: 24.0 ppg, 5.4 rbpg, 4.0 apg
• Best season: (2000-2001) 27.6 ppg, 5.6 rbpg, 3.9 apg
• Carter was the Rookie of the Year for the season. Since then, he's been selected to the All Star team eight times and currently plays for his second team, the New Jersey Nets.

6. Robert "Tractor" Traylor - Dallas Mavericks (traded on draft day to Milwaukee)

• Career averages: 4.8 ppg, 3.7 rbpg
• Best season: (2000-2001) 5.7 ppg, 4.3 rbpg
• Traylor was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft day in exchange for the number 9 pick, Dirk Nowitzki, in what is considered to be one of the most lopsided deals of all time. Traylor has not played for an NBA team since the 2004-2005 season, when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

7. Jason Williams - Sacramento Kings

• Career averages: 11.7 ppg, 6.5 apg
• Best season: (2002-2003) 12.1 ppg, 8.3 apg, 2.2 topg
• Jason Williams overcame his early bouts of turnover proneness to evolve into one of the more efficient point guards in the NBA. Injuries have been a problem for him throughout his career, and he currently plays for his third team, the Miami Heat.

8. Larry Hughes - Philadelphia 76ers

• Career averages: 15.2 ppg, 4.6 rbpg, 1.6 spg
• Best season: (2004-2005) 22.1 ppg, 6.3 rbpg, 4.7 apg, 2.9 spg
• Hughes has been riddled with injuries throughout his career and was sort of a late bloomer. He currently plays for his fourth team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

9. Dirk Nowitzki - Milwaukee Bucks (traded on draft day to the Dallas Mavericks)

• Career averages: 22.2 ppg, 8.6 rbpg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 26.6 ppg, 9.0 rbpg. 1.9 topg
• Nowitzki is a six-time All Star, was third in the running for league MVP in 2005 and 2006, and is considered a franchise player.

10. Paul Pierce - Boston Celtics

• Career averages: 23.6 ppg, 6.6 rbpg, 3.9 apg, 1.7 spg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 26.8 ppg, 6.7 rbpg, 4.8 apg
• Most experts had Pierce being selected as high as the number two pick. Rumors that he was out of shape caused him to fall dramatically. The Celtics were rewarded with a five-time NBA All Star.

Other significant picks:

11. Bonzi Wells - Detroit Pistons

21. Ricky Davis - Charlotte Hornets

25. Al Harrington - Indiana Pacers

31. Ruben Patterson - Seattle SuperSonics

32. Rashard Lewis - Seattle SuperSonics

• Career statistics: 16.3 ppg, 5.8 rbpg, 1.5 threes made per game
• Best season: (2004-2005) 20.5 ppg, 5.5 rbpg, 2.4 threes made per game

39. Rafer Alston - Milwaukee Bucks

41. Cuttino Mobley - Houston Rockets

Also, check out:

"Looking Back to the 2006 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2005 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2004 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2003 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2002 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2001 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2000 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 1999 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 1997 NBA Draft."