1997 NBA draft
The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, at Charlotte Coliseum 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.
| 1997 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 25, 1997 |
| Location | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) |
| Network(s) | TNT |
| Overview | |
| 57 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) |
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.
Draft selections
| 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 has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
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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 |  Nigeria |
Liberty (Sr.) |
| Pat Burke | C |  Ireland |
Auburn (Sr.) |
| Marlon Garnett | G |  United States |
Santa Clara (Sr.) |
| Troy Hudson | G | United States |
Southern Illinois (Jr.) |
| Damon Jones | G | United States |
Houston (Jr.) |
| Mikki Moore | F/C | United States |
Nebraska (Sr.) |
| Ira Newble | F | United States |
Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) |
| Mike Penberthy | G | United States |
The Master's (Sr.) |
| Michael Stewart | F/C | United States |
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.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- 1997 NBA Draft at Basketball-reference