1997 NBA draft
| 1997 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Date(s) | June 25, 1997 |
| Time | 7:30 pm (EDT) |
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Network(s) (US) | TNT |
| First selection | Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs |
|
← 1996 NBA draft1998 → | |
The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although the Boston Celtics had the second-worst record in the 1996–97 season and the best odds (36 percent) of winning the lottery with two picks, the Spurs, usually a model of winning and consistency, lost David Robinson and Sean Elliott to injury early in the season, finished with the third-worst record, and subsequently won the lottery. Leading up to the draft, there was no doubt that Tim Duncan would be selected at No. 1 by the Spurs, and the rest of the draft was regarded with some skepticism.[1] The Celtics had the third and sixth picks, selecting Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer, both of whom were traded in the next two years.
The Washington Wizards forfeited their 1997 first-round pick in connection with the signing of Juwan Howard. (Washington would have had the 17th pick.) Thus, the draft only had 28 first-round selections and 57 selections overall.
| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| x | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who never played in the NBA regular season or playoffs |
Draft selections
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- ↑ Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules.
- ↑ Tim Duncan is a United States citizen by birth, as are all natives of the U.S. Virgin Islands, he has represented the United States internationally.[2]
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1997 NBA Draft but have played in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Aluma | C |  |
Liberty (Sr.) |
| Pat Burke | C |  |
Auburn (Sr.) |
| Marlon Garnett | G |   |
Santa Clara (Sr.) |
| Troy Hudson | G | |
Southern Illinois (Jr.) |
| Damon Jones | G | |
Houston (Jr.) |
| Mikki Moore | F/C | |
Nebraska (Sr.) |
| Ira Newble | F | |
Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) |
| Mike Penberthy | G | |
The Master's (Sr.) |
| Michael Stewart | F/C |  |
California (Sr.) |
References
- ↑ Peter May. May 21, 2007. "Luck of draw went Spurs' way in '97 with Duncan - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe
- ↑ "Virgin Islands". CIA World Factbook. August 12, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
External links
- "Official website". Archived from the original on 2001-02-15. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- 1997 NBA Draft at Basketball-reference