The NBA draft is a player’s best opportunity to be drafted into the league. Since 1947, the NBA has drafted eligible players, typically from college to the league. Below, we are going to review the history of the number 12 draft pick in the NBA.
What is the NBA Draft?
The NBA draft is an annual ceremony, in which NBA teams, through a lottery system, select eligible players from college and the international stage to join their teams. College players who have completed all four years of their education are automatically eligible for the draft.
However, college players who have not completed all four years of their education, but are one-year removed from high school, must declare their eligibility for the draft. In declaring their eligibility, these underclassmen will effectively give up their remaining college eligibility.
For international players, any player older than 22 years old are automatically eligible for the draft. However, any international player younger than 22 years old must declare their eligibility.
How Does the Lottery System Work?
The NBA draft lottery system was revamped for the 2018 season. Looking at these new rules, the 14 NBA teams which did not make the playoffs will be eligible for the first 14 picks in the draft. Under the new system, the NBA Draft Lottery will ensure that the team with the worst overall record in the league will receive no worse than the fifth overall pick.
Similarly, in the new system, the three NBA teams with the worst regular-season records will each have a 14% chance of winning the lottery and the first overall pick. Once the first four teams with the worst records have been selected, the remaining ten teams will continue to pick in inverse order of their regular-season record.
How Does the NBA Draft Work?
Going a bit deeper, and speaking only of the new system, the NBA draft will be televised on ESPN, who will air the results live. Drawings will be conducted to determine the first four picks, with the remaining ten picks being doled out in inverse order of an NBA teams regular-season record.
The actual lottery procedure, however, takes place in a separate room before ESPN announces the results. In this room, a member of the media, an NBA official, and a representative of the accounting firm Ernst & Young are present to ensure no foul play or tampering with the machine.
In this separate room, fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1-14 will be placed in the lottery machine. The lottery machine used by the NBA is manufactured by Smart Play Company. This company also weighs, measures, and certifies the ping-pong balls before the drawing.
There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating NBA teams.
Once all 14 balls have been placed into the machine, they will be mixed for 20-seconds before the first ball is removed. Similarly, the balls will be mixed for another 10-seconds before the second ball is drawn. Again, the machine will be mixed for another 10-seconds for both the third and fourth picks.
Full History of all 12th Overall NBA Draft Picks
| PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
| Joshua Primo | San Antonio Spurs | Alabama | 2021 | ||
| Tyrese Haliburton | Sacramento Kings | Iowa State | 2020 | ||
| P.J. Washington | Charlotte Hornets | Kentucky | 2019 | ||
| Miles Bridges | LA Clippers | Michigan State | 2018 | ||
| Luke Kennard | Detroit Pistons | Duke | 2017 | ||
| Taurean Prince | Utah Jazz | Baylor | 2016 | ||
| Trey Lyles | Utah Jazz | Kentucky | 2015 | ||
| Dario Saric | Orlando Magic | KK Cibona (Croatia) | 2014 | ||
| Steven Adams | Oklahoma City Thunder | Pittsburgh | 2013 | ||
| Jeremy Lamb | Houston Rockets | Connecticut | 2012 | ||
| Alec Burks | Utah Jazz | Colorado | 2011 | ||
| Xavier Henry | Memphis Grizzlies | Kansas | 2010 | ||
| Gerald Henderson | Charlotte Bobcats | Duke | 2009 | ||
| Jason Thompson | Sacramento Kings | Rider | 2008 | ||
| Thaddeus Young | Philadelphia 76ers | Georgia Tech | 2007 | ||
| Hilton Armstrong | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | Connecticut | 2006 | ||
| Yaroslav Korolev | Los Angeles Clippers | PBC CSKA Moscow (Russia) | 2005 | ||
| Robert Swift | Seattle SuperSonics | Bakersfield | 2004 | ||
| Nick Collison | Seattle SuperSonics | Kansas | 2003 | ||
| Melvin Ely | Los Angeles Clippers | Fresno State | 2002 | ||
| Vladimir Radmanovic | Seattle SuperSonics | KK FMP (Serbia) | 2001 | ||
| Etan Thomas | Dallas Mavericks | Syracuse | 2000 | ||
| Aleksandar Radojevic | Toronto Raptors | Barton Community College | 1999 | ||
| Michael Doleac | Orlando Magic | Utah | 1998 | ||
| Austin Croshere | Indiana Pacers | Providence | 1997 | ||
| Vitaly Potapenko | Cleveland Cavaliers | Wright State | 1996 | ||
| Cherokee Parks | Dallas Mavericks | Duke | 1995 | ||
| Khalid Reeves | Miami Heat | Arizona | 1994 | ||
| George Lynch | Los Angeles Lakers | North Carolina | 1993 | ||
| Harold Miner | Miami Heat | Southern California | 1992 | ||
| Greg Anthony | New York Knicks | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1991 | ||
| Alec Kessler | Houston Rockets | Georgia | 1990 | ||
| Mookie Blaylock | New Jersey Nets | Oklahoma | 1989 | ||
| Harvey Grant | Washington Bullets | Oklahoma | 1988 | ||
| Muggsy Bogues | Washington Bullets | Wake Forest | 1987 | ||
| John Williams | Washington Bullets | Louisiana State | 1986 | ||
| Kenny Green | Washington Bullets | Wake Forest | 1985 | ||
| Tim McCormick | Cleveland Cavaliers | Michigan | 1984 | ||
| Darrell Walker | New York Knicks | Arkansas | 1983 | ||
| John Bagley | Cleveland Cavaliers | Boston College | 1982 | ||
| Kelly Tripucka | Detroit Pistons | Notre Dame | 1981 | ||
| Mike Woodson | New York Knicks | Indiana | 1980 | ||
| Jim Paxson | Portland Trail Blazers | Dayton | 1979 | ||
| George Johnson | Milwaukee Bucks | St. John’s (NY) | 1978 | ||
| Cedric Maxwell | Boston Celtics | North Carolina-Charlotte | 1977 | ||
| Terry Furlow | Philadelphia 76ers | Michigan State | 1976 | ||
| Frank Oleynick | Seattle SuperSonics | Seattle | 1975 | ||
| Brian Winters | Los Angeles Lakers | South Carolina | 1974 | ||
| Kevin Kunnert | Chicago Bulls | Iowa | 1973 | ||
| Julius Erving | Milwaukee Bucks | Massachusetts | 1972 | ||
| Dana Lewis | Philadelphia 76ers | Tulsa | 1971 | ||
| Al Henry | Philadelphia 76ers | Wisconsin | 1970 | ||
| Willie McCarter | Los Angeles Lakers | Drake | 1969 | ||
| Don Chaney | Boston Celtics | Houston | 1968 | ||
| Craig Raymond | Philadelphia 76ers | Brigham Young | 1967 | ||
| Dorie Murrey | Detroit Pistons | Detroit Mercy | 1966 | ||
| Tal Brody | Baltimore Bullets | Illinois | 1965 | ||
| Charles Nash | Los Angeles Lakers | Kentucky | 1964 | ||
| Jerry Smith | Detroit Pistons | Furman | 1963 | ||
| Chet Walker | Syracuse Nationals | Bradley | 1962 | ||
| Johnny Egan | Detroit Pistons | Providence | 1961 | ||
| Ron Johnson | Detroit Pistons | Minnesota | 1960 | ||
| Alan Seiden | St. Louis Hawks | St. John’s (NY) | 1959 | ||
| Lamar Sharrar | Philadelphia Warriors | West Virginia | 1958 | ||
| Jim Palmer | St. Louis Hawks | Dayton | 1957 | ||
| Chuck Mencel | Minneapolis Lakers | Minnesota | 1955 | ||
| Larry Costello | Philadelphia Warriors | Niagara | 1954 | ||
| Scotty Steagall | Indianapolis Olympians | Millikin | 1951 | ||
| Jack Nichols | Washington Capitols | Washington | 1948 |