The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto Raptors, they were not allowed to select first in this draft. The team with the second-highest probability, the Philadelphia 76ers, won the lottery and obtained the first selection. The Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies were second and third, respectively. The Raptors won the first overall pick in 1996, but they had to give that up due to the expansion agreement with the league.
It is widely considered to be one of the deepest and most talented NBA drafts in history, with one-third of the first-round picks later becoming NBA All-Stars. The draft class produced three players who won a combined four NBA MVP awards (Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash), seven other drafted players who became All-Stars (Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ray Allen, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, Stephon Marbury, Jermaine O'Neal, Peja Stojaković, Antoine Walker), and one undrafted All-Star (Ben Wallace), for a grand total of 11 All-Stars. Moreover, eight players from this draft class have been named to at least one All-NBA Team, the most among any draft. The draft class also produced three players who have been named to the NBA's all-defensive first team: Bryant, Marcus Camby, and Wallace. Camby won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007, while Wallace earned the same award in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. Five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher was also selected in the draft.
The 76ers selected two future Major League Baseball players, Mark Hendrickson and Ryan Minor, with their second-round picks.
Most experts rate it along with the 1984 NBA draft and the 2003 NBA draft as one of the best drafts in history. Sports Illustrated named it the second-best, behind the 1984 draft, which included a draft class of Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Alvin Robertson, and John Stockton.
Key PGPoint guard SGShooting guard SFSmall forward PFPower forward CCenter
Draft selections
Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality NBA team School/Club team 1 1 ^~ SG/PG Philadelphia 76ers Georgetown (So.) 1 2 C Toronto Raptors Massachusetts (Jr.) 1 3+ F Vancouver Grizzlies California (Fr.) 1 4 * G Milwaukee Bucks (traded to Minnesota)The Bucks traded the draft rights of Stephon Marbury to the Timberwolves for Ray Allen and a future first-round pick on June 26, 1996. Georgia Tech (Fr.) 1 5 ^ SG Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to Milwaukee) Connecticut (Jr.) 1 6 + F Boston Celtics (from Dallas)The Mavericks traded the No. 6 pick and a future pick (#6 pick in 1997 NBA draft) to the Celtics for Eric Montross and a No. 9 pick on June 21, 1996.Kentucky (So.) 1 7 C Los Angeles Clippers Memphis (So.) 1 8 SG New Jersey Nets Villanova (Sr.) 1 9 F Dallas Mavericks (from Boston) Louisville (So.) 1 10 C Indiana Pacers (from Denver)The Pacers traded No. 23 pick along with Mark Jackson and Ricky Pierce to the Nuggets for No. 10 pick along with Jalen Rose and Reggie Williams on June 13, 1996. Mississippi State (Jr.) 1 11 C Golden State Warriors (from Golden State via OrlandoThe Magic traded No. 11 pick and Scott Skiles to the Bullets for No. 42 pick on July 29, 1994. and Washington)The Bullets traded No. 11 pick along with Tom Gugliotta, No. 13 pick in the 1998 NBA draft, and No. 7 pick in the 2000 NBA draft to the Warriors for Chris Webber on November 17, 1994. NC State (Sr.) 1 12 C Cleveland Cavaliers (from Washington)The Cavaliers traded Mark Price to the Wizards(then Bullets) for No. 12 pick on September 27, 1995. Wright State (Jr.) 1 13 ^ SG Charlotte Hornets (traded to L.A. Lakers)The Hornets traded the draft rights of Kobe Bryant to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac on July 1, 1996. Lower Merion HS (Lower Merion, Pennsylvania) 1 14 * F Sacramento Kings P.A.O.K. (Greece) 1 15 ^ PG Phoenix Suns Santa Clara (Sr.) 1 16 G Charlotte Hornets (from Miami)The Heat traded No. 16 pick along with Glen Rice, Khalid Reeves, and Matt Geiger for Alonzo Mourning, Pete Myers and LeRon Ellis on November 3, 1995. Kentucky (Sr.) 1 17 * F/C Portland Trail Blazers Eau Claire High School (Columbia, South Carolina) 1 18 F New York Knicks (from DetroitThe Pistons traded the No. 18 pick along with Dennis Rodman to the Spurs for the No. 26 pick along with Sean Elliott and David Wood on October 1, 1993. via San Antonio)The Spurs traded No. 18 pick along with J.R. Reid and Brad Lohaus to the Knicks for Charles Smith and Monty Williams on February 8, 1996. Syracuse (Sr.) 1 19 F New York Knicks (from AtlantaThe Hawks traded No. 19 pick along with Kevin Willis to the Heat for No. 45 pick along with Steve Smith and Grant Long on November 7, 1994. via Miami)The Heat sent No. 19 pick and $1 million to the Knicks for a right to pursue hiring Pat Riley on September 1, 1995. Kentucky (Sr.) 1 20 + C Cleveland Cavaliers Atletas Kaunas (Lithuania) 1 21 F New York Knicks Mississippi State (Jr.) 1 22 F Vancouver Grizzlies (from Houston)The Rockets traded No. 22 and No. 51 picks along with Pete Chilcutt, Tim Breaux and the No. 53 pick in the 1997 NBA draft to the Grizzlies for No. 30 and No. 42 picks along with No. 30 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft on June 19, 1996. Alabama (Sr.) 1 23 C Denver Nuggets (from Indiana) PAOK (Greece) 1 24 G Los Angeles Lakers Arkansas-Little Rock (Sr.) 1 25 F Utah Jazz (traded to Miami)The Jazz traded the draft rights of Martin Müürsepp to the Heat for a future draft pick (#23 in 2000 NBA draft) on June 26, 1996. Kalev (Estonia) 1 26 F Detroit Pistons (from San Antonio) Georgetown (Sr.) 1 27 F Orlando Magic Indiana (Sr.) 1 28 C Atlanta Hawks (from Seattle)The Hawks traded No. 45 and No. 47 picks to the Supersonics for No. 28 pick on June 25, 1996. Peristeri (Greece) 1 29 C Chicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls renounced the draft rights to Travis Knight on July 12, 1996. Connecticut (Sr.) 2 30 F/C Houston Rockets (from Vancouver) Georgetown (Sr.) 2 31 G Philadelphia 76ers Washington State (Sr.) 2 32 # G Philadelphia 76ers (from Toronto)The Raptors traded No. 32 pick along with No. 37 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Tony Massenburg and Ed Pinckney to the 76ers for Sharone Wright on February 22, 1996. Oklahoma (Sr.) 2 33 G Milwaukee Bucks West Florida (So.) 2 34 # G Dallas Mavericks West Virginia State (Sr.) 2 35 # C Seattle SuperSonics (from Minnesota)The Timberwolves traded No. 35 pick to the SuperSonics for Željko Rebrača on June 29, 1994. Arizona (Sr.) 2 36 # G Los Angeles Clippers Connecticut (Sr.) 2 37 G Denver Nuggets (from New JerseyThe Nets traded No. 37 pick along with No. 31 pick in the 1991 NBA draft to the Kings for Mike McGee on October 31, 1988. via Sacramento)The Kings traded No. 37 pick along with Šarūnas Marčiulionis to the Nuggets for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf on June 13, 1996. North Carolina (Jr.) 2 38 C Boston Celtics Tennessee (Sr.) 2 39 # F Phoenix Suns (from Denver,The Nuggets traded No. 39 pick to the Clippers for Winston Garland on June 26, 1991. via L.A. ClippersThe Clippers traded No. 39 pick along with No. 41 pick in the 1997 NBA draft and Olden Polynice to the Pistons for William Bedford and draft rights to Don MacLean on June 24, 1992. and Detroit)The Pistons traded No. 39 pick along with a No. 49 pick in the 1999 NBA draft to the Suns for Mark West on August 1, 1994. Iowa (Sr.) 2 40 # F Golden State Warriors Mississippi Valley State (Sr.) 2 41 F Sacramento Kings Texas Tech (Sr.) 2 42 G Houston Rockets (from Vancouver via Washington and Orlando)The Magic traded No. 42 pick along with Kenny Gattison to the Grizzlies for Jeff Turner on February 22, 1996. LSU (So.) 2 43 F Phoenix Suns Arizona (Sr.) 2 44 F Charlotte Hornets Drexel (Sr.) 2 45 # C Vogel represented Lebanon in international competitions later in his career. Seattle SuperSonics (from Miami via Atlanta) Colorado State (Sr.) 2 46 G Portland Trail Blazers Murray State (Sr.) 2 47 # G/F Seattle SuperSonics (from Atlanta) Arizona State (Sr.) 2 48 F Philadelphia 76ers (from Detroit)The Pistons traded No. 48 pick to the 76ers for Eric Leckner on July 25, 1994. Michigan State (Sr.) 2 49 C Orlando Magic (from New York via Minnesota and Vancouver) Marquette (Sr.) 2 50 # C Houston Rockets (from Cleveland)The Cavaliers traded No. 50 pick to the Rockets for Keith Hughes on June 26, 1991. Georgia (Sr.) 2 51 G Vancouver Grizzlies (from Houston) Western Kentucky (Sr.) 2 52 F Indiana Pacers Kentucky (Sr.) 2 53 F Nordgaard would later represent Poland in international competitions. Milwaukee Bucks (from L.A. LakersThe Lakers traded No. 53 pick along with No. 37 pick in the 1994 NBA draft and No. 50 pick in the 1995 NBA draft to the SuperSonics for Sedale Threatt on October 2, 1991. via Seattle)The SuperSonics traded No. 53 pick along with Eurelijus Žukauskas to the Bucks for Eric Snow on June 28, 1995. Wisconsin–Green Bay (Sr.) 2 54 F Utah Jazz Georgia (Sr.) 2 55 # G Washington Bullets (from San AntonioThe Hornets traded J.R. Reid to the Spurs for Sidney Green, a 1993 first-round pick (#20 overall), and a 1996 second-round pick (#55 overall) on December 9, 1992. via Charlotte)The Hornets traded a 1996 second-round pick (#55 overall), and a 1997 second-round pick (#48 overall) to the Wizards for Michael Adams on August 2, 1994. LSU (Jr.) 2 56 G Cleveland Cavaliers (from Orlando)The Magic traded No. 56 pick to the Cavaliers for Steve Kerr on December 3, 1992. Arizona (Sr.) 2 57 G Seattle SuperSonics Georgia Tech (Sr.) 2 58 # F Dallas Mavericks (from Chicago)The Mavericks traded Rodney McCray in a 3-team trade with the Bulls and the Warriors for a No. 19 pick in the 1994 draft, No. 58 pick in the 1996 draft on September 18, 1992. Arkansas (Jr.)
Notable undrafted players
The following are undrafted players of the 1996 NBA Draft but later played in the NBA. Player Pos. Nationality School/Club team G South Florida (Sr.) G Penn (Sr.) C Temple (Sr.) F/G Seton Hall (Sr.) F Texas Tech (Sr.) C Western Michigan (Sr.) F Long Beach State (Sr.) F/C Thomas More (Sr.) G Fenerbahçe (Turkey) G Wake Forest (Sr.) C Grand Canyon (Sr.) F Cincinnati (Sr.) F Little Rock (Sr.) G Nebraska (Sr.) ^ C/F Virginia Union (Sr.) G/F Davidson (Sr.)
Early entrants College underclassmen