The Chicago Bulls selected guard Derrick Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Rose joined the Bulls after spending one year at the University of Memphis. The Tigers reached the national championship game in Rose’s only year with the team.
Rose would go on to win Rookie of the Year honors for the 2008-09 NBA season and made the All-Star team in his second year.
Top Ten Picks in the 2008 NBA Draft
With the second pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat selected Kansas State forward Michael Beasley. At number three, the Minnesota Timberwolves took USC guard O.J. Mayo. The then-Seattle SuperSonics selected UCLA guard Russell Westbrook fourth overall, while the Memphis Grizzlies rounded out the top five with the selection of UCLA forward Kevin Love.
The Grizzlies later sent the draft rights to Love to the Timberwolves in exchange for the rights to Mayo.
The top 10 picks in the 2008 NBA Draft included:
- New York Knicks – Danilo Gallinari (SF, Italy)
- Los Angeles Clippers – Eric Gordon (SG, Indiana)
- Milwaukee Bucks – Joe Alexander (SF, West Virginia)
- Charlotte Bobcats – D.J. Augustin (PG, Texas)
- New Jersey Nets – Brook Lopez (C, Stanford)
The Phoenix Suns took Brook’s twin brother, Robin, with the 15th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Other notable players selected in the first round include center Roy Hibbert, power forward Serge Ibaka, small forward Nicolas Batum, and point guard George Hill.
2008 NBA Draft Notes
Rose, along with Mayo, Westbrook, Brook Lopez, and Beasley were named to the 2008-09 NBA All-Rookie First Team. Notable players selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft include Nikola Pekovic, Mario Chalmers, DeAndre Jordan, Omer Asik and Goran Dragic.
Players who went unselected in the 2008 NBA Draft include Gary Forbes, Timofey Mozgov, Anthony Morrow and Greg Stiemsma.
Download: 2008 NBA Draft