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 17 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 17th Overall NBA Draft Picks
| PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
| Trey Murphy III | Memphis Grizzlies | Virginia | 2021 | ||
| Aleksej Pokusevski | Minnesota Timberwolves | Olympiacos B.C. (Greece) | 2020 | ||
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Brooklyn Nets | Virginia Tech | 2019 | ||
| Donte DiVincenzo | Milwaukee Bucks | Villanova | 2018 | ||
| D.J. Wilson | Milwaukee Bucks | Michigan | 2017 | ||
| Wade Baldwin IV | Memphis Grizzlies | Vanderbilt | 2016 | ||
| Rashad Vaughn | Milwaukee Bucks | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2015 | ||
| James Young | Boston Celtics | Kentucky | 2014 | ||
| Dennis Schroder | Atlanta Hawks | Basketball Lowen Braunschweig (Germany) | 2013 | ||
| Tyler Zeller | Dallas Mavericks | North Carolina | 2012 | ||
| Iman Shumpert | New York Knicks | Georgia Tech | 2011 | ||
| Kevin Seraphin | Chicago Bulls | Cholet Basket (France) | 2010 | ||
| Jrue Holiday | Philadelphia 76ers | California-Los Angeles | 2009 | ||
| Roy Hibbert | Toronto Raptors | Georgetown | 2008 | ||
| Sean Williams | New Jersey Nets | Boston College | 2007 | ||
| Shawne Williams | Indiana Pacers | Memphis | 2006 | ||
| Danny Granger | Indiana Pacers | New Mexico | 2005 | ||
| Josh Smith | Atlanta Hawks | Oak Hill Academy | 2004 | ||
| Zarko Cabarkapa | Phoenix Suns | KK Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro) | 2003 | ||
| Juan Dixon | Washington Wizards | Maryland | 2002 | ||
| Michael Bradley | Toronto Raptors | Villanova | 2001 | ||
| Desmond Mason | Seattle SuperSonics | Oklahoma State | 2000 | ||
| Cal Bowdler | Atlanta Hawks | Old Dominion | 1999 | ||
| Rasho Nesterovic | Minnesota Timberwolves | Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna (Italy) | 1998 | ||
| Johnny Taylor | Orlando Magic | Tennessee-Chattanooga | 1997 | ||
| Jermaine O’Neal | Portland Trail Blazers | Eau Claire | 1996 | ||
| Bob Sura | Cleveland Cavaliers | Florida State | 1995 | ||
| Aaron McKie | Portland Trail Blazers | Temple | 1994 | ||
| Greg Graham | Charlotte Hornets | Indiana | 1993 | ||
| Doug Christie | Seattle SuperSonics | Pepperdine | 1992 | ||
| Victor Alexander | Golden State Warriors | Iowa State | 1991 | ||
| Jerrod Mustaf | New York Knicks | Maryland | 1990 | ||
| Shawn Kemp | Seattle SuperSonics | Trinity Valley Community College | 1989 | ||
| Eric Leckner | Utah Jazz | Wyoming | 1988 | ||
| Ronnie Murphy | Portland Trail Blazers | Jacksonville | 1987 | ||
| Harold Pressley | Sacramento Kings | Villanova | 1986 | ||
| Uwe Blab | Dallas Mavericks | Indiana | 1985 | ||
| Jeff Turner | New Jersey Nets | Vanderbilt | 1984 | ||
| Leo Rautins | Philadelphia 76ers | Syracuse | 1983 | ||
| Brook Steppe | Kansas City Kings | Georgia Tech | 1982 | ||
| Kevin Loder | Kansas City Kings | Alabama State | 1981 | ||
| Larry Drew | Detroit Pistons | Missouri | 1980 | ||
| Lee Johnson | Houston Rockets | Texas A&M-Commerce | 1979 | ||
| Rod Griffin | Denver Nuggets | Wake Forest | 1978 | ||
| Bo Ellis | Washington Bullets | Marquette | 1977 | ||
| Sonny Parker | Golden State Warriors | Texas A&M | 1976 | ||
| Tom Boswell | Boston Celtics | South Carolina | 1975 | ||
| Glenn McDonald | Boston Celtics | Long Beach State | 1974 | ||
| Steve Downing | Boston Celtics | Indiana | 1973 | ||
| Chris Ford | Detroit Pistons | Villanova | 1972 | ||
| Collis Jones | Milwaukee Bucks | Notre Dame | 1971 | ||
| Mike Price | New York Knicks | Illinois | 1970 | ||
| Bob Greacen | Milwaukee Bucks | Rutgers | 1969 | ||
| Loy Petersen | Chicago Bulls | Oregon State | 1968 | ||
| Phil Jackson | New York Knicks | North Dakota | 1967 | ||
| Hank Finkel | Los Angeles Lakers | Dayton | 1966 | ||
| Ron Watts | Boston Celtics | Wake Forest | 1965 | ||
| Brian Generalovich | New York Knicks | Pittsburgh | 1964 | ||
| Ken Saylors | St. Louis Hawks | Arkansas Tech | 1963 | ||
| Don Nelson | Chicago Zephyrs | Iowa | 1962 | ||
| Al Butler | Boston Celtics | Niagara | 1961 | ||
| Ralph Davis | Cincinnati Royals | Cincinnati | 1960 | ||
| Jim Hickaday | Philadelphia Warriors | Memphis | 1959 | ||
| Arlen Bockhorn | Cincinnati Royals | Dayton | 1958 | ||
| Jerry Paulson | Cincinnati Royals | Manhattan | 1957 | ||
| Bob Schafer | Philadelphia Warriors | Villanova | 1955 | ||
| Richie Guerin | New York Knicks | Iona | 1954 | ||
| Ray Ragelis | Rochester Royals | Northwestern | 1951 |