Draft NBA : Where Legends Rise… and Busts Are Born

The NBA Draft

The NBA Draft is one of the most anticipated events of the year, marking the start of the offseason for countless basketball fans. Picture it: hundreds of young prospects college standouts, international talents all hoping to hear their name called by the league’s commissioner. Some of them will become legends. Others will disappear as quickly as they showed up. The ceremony, heavy with hope and suspense, is a key moment in the NBA calendar.

How does the Draft work?

The NBA Draft is the annual process (late June) where teams select eligible players, mostly from the NCAA or overseas leagues. The selection order is largely determined by the Draft Lottery:

• Teams that missed the playoffs enter a lottery for the 1st pick.
• The remaining teams pick in reverse order of their regular-season record (from worst to best among playoff teams).

Every franchise dreams of finding a hidden gem the next superstar. But nothing is guaranteed. Some years, the No. 1 pick becomes exactly what he was meant to be. Other years, a highly touted prodigy completely fails to deliver (the infamous busts).

Its place in the NBA and basketball culture

The Draft is a dive into the future, but also into the unknown. How will these young players explosive in the NCAA, or already dominating Europe (hello Luka Dončić) perform in the big league? Where will they be selected? Journalists pump out mock drafts trying to predict the order, and those predictions spark debates and drama all year long.

Because the Draft represents the eternal renewal of the league. Rookies are the future faces of the NBA. Behind every Draft class, you might be discovering your next favorite player.

And some classes are simply iconic like 2003: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh. In the top 6 alone, you’ve got one of the most dominant Big Threes ever assembled.

Top 5 Best Rookies of All Time

Magic Johnson (1979, Lakers) : A magical rookie season: he wins the NBA title in his very first year and becomes the 1980 Finals MVP. Almost unheard of.

Larry Bird (1979, Celtics) : Drafted in 1978 but joining Boston in 1979, he instantly transforms the franchise, wins Rookie of the Year, and launches the Celtics back into dominance.

Tim Duncan (1997, Spurs) : Already incredibly polished as a rookie, he becomes an All-Star right away and leads San Antonio to a championship by 1999.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969, Bucks) : Still known as Lew Alcindor at the time. As a rookie, he averages 28.8 points per game and wins Finals MVP in his second season.

Michael Jordan (1984, Bulls) : Averages over 28 points in his debut season and kicks off the legend. Even without a Year-1 title, we all know how the story ends.

Top 5 Biggest Busts in NBA History

It’s tough, but it’s part of the game. Some players become instant legends, others are drafted very high, loaded with expectations… and never deliver.

• Kwame Brown (1st pick, 2001 — Wizards) A No. 1 pick handpicked by Michael Jordan himself. Never lived up to the status. And Pau Gasol was on the board that year… tough.
• Darko Miličić (2nd pick, 2003 — Pistons) Drafted right after LeBron and before Carmelo, Bosh, and D-Wade. Nothing more needs to be said.
• Anthony Bennett (1st pick, 2013 — Cavaliers) Dominant in high school, dominant in college — expectations were sky-high. Total NBA failure: only four seasons, four different teams. Meanwhile, a less imposing kid physically named Giannis got drafted 15th that same year.
• Hasheem Thabeet (2nd pick, 2009 — Grizzlies) A bust is defined by expectations and by the talent drafted after him. And behind Thabeet? Absolute monsters. Five All-Stars and two MVPs: James Harden and Stephen Curry — two guys who, you know, slightly impacted the league.
• Greg Oden (1st pick, 2007 — Blazers) Huge potential, compared to Shaquille O’Neal, but derailed by injuries. Drafted ahead of Kevin Durant, he never got to show what he could’ve been. A bust, yes — but unlike the others, this one is a true “what if” story.

Anecdote: The worst draft decision ever

In 1984, the Blazers decided to pass on Michael Jordan to draft Sam Bowie. MJ ended up going 3rd overall behind Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston) and Bowie (Portland). Taking Olajuwon makes sense but Jordan had dominated the NCAA and would dominate the league right away, averaging 28 points per game as a rookie. Pure madness. A draft decision that changed the history of a franchise and of the sport itself.
And that story perfectly shows the impact of the Draft: it’s the moment that defines the faces of the league and the success (or failure) of entire franchises.