The Washington Wizards took center Kwame Brown with the top overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Brown’s lackluster averages of 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds during his rookie season was a preview of things to come. Brown never reached his perceived potential and is widely regarded as one of the biggest busts in draft history.
Top Ten Picks of the 2001 NBA Draft
With the second overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected Duke guard Jay Williams. Duke teammate and forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. went third overall to the Golden State Warriors. At number four, the Memphis Grizzlies took Kansas forward Drew Gooden. The Denver Nuggets rounded out the top five with the selection of Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
The Los Angeles Clippers selected future All-Star Tyson Chandler with the second overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. However, the Clippers traded Chandler to the Chicago Bulls. With the third overall pick, the Atlanta Hawks took Pau Gasol, who was then traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies. Gasol would go on to win Rookie of the Year honors.
The Chicago Bulls picked Eddy Curry with the fourth overall pick. The Golden State Warriors rounded out the top five with the selection of swingman Jason Richardson.
The rest of the top 10 picks in the 2001 NBA Draft included:
- Vancouver Grizzlies – Shane Battier (F, Duke)
- New Jersey Nets – Eddie Griffin (F, Seton Hall)
- Cleveland Cavaliers – DeSagana Diop (C, Oak Hill Academy)
- Detroit Pistons – Rodney White (SF, Charlotte)
- Boston Celtics – Joe Johnson (SG, Arkansas)
Notable players taken outside the top 10 in the 2001 NBA Draft include Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins, Zach Randolph, Brendan Haywood, Gerald Wallace and Samuel Dalembert. With the last pick in the first round, the San Antonio Spurs selected future All-Star point guard Tony Parker.
The most notable players selected in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft were Gilbert Arenas and Mehmet Okur. Earl Watson, Jarron Collins and Brian Scalabrine were also taken in the second round.
Notes from the 2001 NBA Draft
Gasol, Battier, Richardson, Parker and Andrei Kirilenko were all named to the All-Rookie First team for the 2001-02 season. Kirilenko was drafted in 1999 but didn’t make his NBA debut until 2001. Notable players that went unselected in the 2001 NBA Draft include Carlos Arroyo, Andres Nocioni and Maurice Evans.
Download: 2001 NBA Draft