Looking Back to the 2002 NBA Draft
Yao Ming, Jay Williams, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer & the Top 10
This June marks the five-year anniversary of the 2002 NBA Draft. Hindsight offers a better picture of which teams were most successful in that draft.
Below you'll find an anotated list of some of the hottest picks of the 2002 draft - who was hot, who cooled off, who has gone on to fame and fortune. Some are now household names, others fall into the "where are they now?" category and have fallen off the charts. Let's take a look at the picks and misses of a season now 5 years on the record books.
In 2002, there was a lot of hype surrounding 7-6 center, Yao Ming's rookie season.
1. Yao Ming - Houston Rockets
- Career stats: 18.3 ppg, 8.9 rbpg, 1.9 bspg, 52% FG, 82% FT
- Rookie season stats: 13.5 ppg, 8.2 rbpg, 1.8 bspg, 50% FG, 81% FT
- Best season: (2006-2007) 24.8 ppg, 9.4 rbpg, 2.0 bspg, 51% FG, 86% FT
- Yao has been a starter on the West All-Star team every year he's been in the NBA. There are doubts that he deserved the honor until recently , but because fans can vote globally for All Star starters, it is thought that Chinese fans dominate the ballots and vote for their local hero. Irregardless, Yao Ming continues to develop and has emerged as one of the top post players in the league.
Some dissented, feeling that point guard, Jay Williams, who was impressive during his campaign at Duke, should be picked first.
2. Jay Williams - Chicago Bulls
- Career stats: 9.5 ppg, 2.6 rbpg, 4.7 apg, 1.2 spg
- Rookie season stats: (same as "career")
- Best season: (same as "career")
- Jay Williams only played one season in the NBA. He is still trying to make a comeback after a horrible motorcycle accident the summer after his rookie season. Scouts say he seems to have lost much of his quickness as a result of the accident, and that was the biggest thing he had going for him.
3. Mike Dunleavy, Jr. - Golden State Warriors
- Career stats: 10.8 ppg, 4.7 rbpg
- Rookie season stats: 5.7 ppg, 2.6 rbpg
- Best season: (2004-2005) 13.4 ppg, 5.5 rbpg
- Dunleavy was thought by some to be a poor-man's Larry Bird at best. He hasn't really done much in his career and currently plays for the Indiana Pacers.
4. Drew Gooden - Memphis Grizzlies
- Career stats: 12.1 ppg, 7.9 rbpg
- Rookie season stats: 12.1 ppg, 5.8 rbpg
- Best season: (2004-2005) 14.4 ppg, 9.2 rbpg, 0.9 spg, 0.9 bspg
- Gooden played only one season for the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Orlando Magic. He's a talented forward who has often been criticized for his soft play. He currently plays for his third team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
5. Nikoloz Tskitishvili - Denver Nuggets
- Career stats: 3.0 ppg, 1.8 rbpg
- Rookie season stats: 3.9 ppg, 2.2 rbpg
- Best season: (2002-2003) 3.9 ppg, 2.2 rbpg
- Tskitishvili was very raw upon being drafted. There was a lot of draw to him, because of his athleticism, size, mobility and soft touch. Part of his mobility was attributed to his experience with ballet. Nevertheless, Tskitishvili has never really found a niche in the NBA, despite showing dominant performances in past Summer Pro Leagues.
7. Maybyner "Nene" Hilario - New York Knicks (traded immediately to Denver)
- Career stats: 10.8 ppg, 6.2 rbpg, 1.3 spg
- Rookie season stats: 10.5 ppg, 6.1 rbpg, 1.6 spg
- Best season: (2003-2004) 11.8 ppg, 6.5 rbpg, 1.5 spg
- Simply goes by "Nene" now. This Brazilian has been plagued with injuries throughout his career. Yet, the Nuggets still have high hopes for him and even signed him to a $10 million a year contract this summer.
The success of 9th overall pick, Amare Stoudemire, who bypassed college to jump directly to the NBA was another story worth telling.
9. Amare Stoudemire - Phoenix Suns
- Career stats: 20.0 ppg, 9.1 rbpg
- Rookie season stats: 13.5 ppg, 8.8 rbpg, 1.1 bspg
- Best season: (2004-2005) 26.0 ppg, 8.9 rbpg, 1.6 bspg, 56% FG
- Stoudemire bypassed his college career to make himself eligible for the NBA Draft. Rumor has it that he only worked out for the Phoenix Suns due to an injury. Some speculate that he wanted to play for Phoenix and therefore faked that injury. Irregardless, Stoudemire has been a star for the Phoenix Suns.
10. Caron Butler - Miami Heat
- Career stats: 15.3 ppg, 5.8 rbpg, 1.6 spg
- Rookie season stats: 15.4 ppg, 5.1 rbpg, 1.8 spg
- Best season: (2006-2007) 19.1 ppg, 7.5 rbpg, 3.7 apg, 2.1 spg
- Butler was expected to go much sooner in this draft, but rumors got spread that he was overweight and some suspect those rumors made him slip. Butler was traded after two seasons with the Heat to the LA Lakers as part of the multi-player deal that landed the Heat Shaquille O'Neal. He was then traded after only one season to the Washington Wizards, where he has thrived. He was named to his first All-Star appearance.
23. Tayshaun Prince - Detroit Pistons
- Career stats: 12.1 ppg, 4.4 rbpg
- Rookie season stats: 3.3 ppg, 1.1 rbpg
- Best season: (2004-2005) 14.7 ppg, 5.3 rbpg, 0.9 bspg
24. Nenad Krstic - New Jersey Nets
- Career stats: 12.5 ppg, 6.0 rbpg
- Rookie season stats: 10.0 ppg, 5.4 rbpg
- Best season: (2005-2006) 13.5 ppg, 6.4 rbpg
The Cleveland Cavaliers nabbed a sleeper in Carlos Boozer with the 35th pick. Boozer played for the Cavs for two seasons and signed with the Utah Jazz after an impressive sophomore season. This move is still fairly controversial, as the Cavs claim that Boozer gave them his word that he would not sign with another team. He signed a six-year deal with the Jazz in 2004 worth $68 million.
35. Carlos Boozer - Cleveland Cavaliers
- Career stats: 15.6 ppg, 9.7 rbpg, 0.9 spg, 54% FG
- Rookie season stats: 10.0 ppg, 7.5 rbpg, 54% FG
- Best season: (2006-2007) 21.0 ppg, 11.7 rbpg, 56% FG
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 2001 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2000 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1999 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1998 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1997 NBA Draft"
