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 19 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 19th Overall NBA Draft Picks
| PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
| Kai Jones | New York Knicks | Texas | 2021 | ||
| Saddiq Bey | Brooklyn Nets | Villanova | 2020 | ||
| Luka Samanic | San Antonio Spurs | KK Olimpija (Slovenia) | 2019 | ||
| Kevin Huerter | Atlanta Hawks | Maryland | 2018 | ||
| John Collins | Atlanta Hawks | Wake Forest | 2017 | ||
| Malik Beasley | Denver Nuggets | Florida State | 2016 | ||
| Jerian Grant | Washington Wizards | Notre Dame | 2015 | ||
| Gary Harris | Chicago Bulls | Michigan State | 2014 | ||
| Sergey Karasev | Cleveland Cavaliers | B.C. Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia) | 2013 | ||
| Andrew Nicholson | Orlando Magic | St. Bonaventure | 2012 | ||
| Tobias Harris | Charlotte Bobcats | Tennessee | 2011 | ||
| Avery Bradley | Boston Celtics | Texas | 2010 | ||
| Jeff Teague | Atlanta Hawks | Wake Forest | 2009 | ||
| JJ Hickson | Cleveland Cavaliers | North Carolina State | 2008 | ||
| Javaris Crittenton | Los Angeles Lakers | Georgia Tech | 2007 | ||
| Quincy Douby | Sacramento Kings | Rutgers | 2006 | ||
| Hakim Warrick | Memphis Grizzlies | Syracuse | 2005 | ||
| Dorell Wright | Miami Heat | South Kent School | 2004 | ||
| Sasha Pavlovic | Utah Jazz | KK Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro) | 2003 | ||
| Ryan Humphrey | Utah Jazz | Notre Dame | 2002 | ||
| Zach Randolph | Portland Trail Blazers | Michigan State | 2001 | ||
| Jamaal Magloire | Charlotte Hornets | Kentucky | 2000 | ||
| Quincy Lewis | Utah Jazz | Minnesota | 1999 | ||
| Pat Garrity | Milwaukee Bucks | Notre Dame | 1998 | ||
| Scot Pollard | Detroit Pistons | Kansas | 1997 | ||
| Walter McCarty | New York Knicks | Kentucky | 1996 | ||
| Randolph Childress | Detroit Pistons | Wake Forest | 1995 | ||
| Tony Dumas | Dallas Mavericks | Missouri-Kansas City | 1994 | ||
| Acie Earl | Boston Celtics | Iowa | 1993 | ||
| Don MacLean | Detroit Pistons | California-Los Angeles | 1992 | ||
| Labradford Smith | Washington Bullets | Louisville | 1991 | ||
| Dee Brown | Boston Celtics | Jacksonville | 1990 | ||
| Kenny Payne | Philadelphia 76ers | Louisville | 1989 | ||
| Rod Strickland | New York Knicks | DePaul | 1988 | ||
| Ken Norman | Los Angeles Clippers | Illinois | 1987 | ||
| Billy Thompson | Atlanta Hawks | Louisville | 1986 | ||
| Steve Harris | Houston Rockets | Tulsa | 1985 | ||
| Bernard Thompson | Portland Trail Blazers | Fresno State | 1984 | ||
| John Paxson | San Antonio Spurs | Notre Dame | 1983 | ||
| Rob Williams | Denver Nuggets | Houston | 1982 | ||
| Mike McGee | Los Angeles Lakers | Michigan | 1981 | ||
| John Duren | Utah Jazz | Georgetown | 1980 | ||
| Wiley Peck | San Antonio Spurs | Mississippi State | 1979 | ||
| Marty Byrnes | Phoenix Suns | Syracuse | 1978 | ||
| Rich Laurel | Portland Trail Blazers | Hofstra | 1977 | ||
| Bayard Forrest | Seattle SuperSonics | Grand Canyon | 1976 | ||
| Bill Willoughby | Atlanta Hawks | Dwight Morrow | 1975 | ||
| Don Smith | Philadelphia 76ers | Dayton | 1974 | ||
| Louie Nelson | Capital Bullets | Washington | 1973 | ||
| Sam Sibert | Kansas City-Omaha Kings | Kentucky State | 1972 | ||
| Fred Hilton | Buffalo Braves | Grambling | 1971 | ||
| Nate Archibald | Cincinnati Royals | Texas-El Paso | 1970 | ||
| Willie Norwood | Detroit Pistons | Alcorn State | 1969 | ||
| Ron Dunlap | Chicago Bulls | Illinois | 1968 | ||
| Bob Rule | Seattle SuperSonics | Colorado State | 1967 | ||
| Bill Melchionni | Philadelphia 76ers | Villanova | 1966 | ||
| John Clemens | New York Knicks | Ohio Wesleyan | 1965 | ||
| Jerry Sloan | Baltimore Bullets | Evansville | 1964 | ||
| Tom Bolyard | Baltimore Bullets | Indiana | 1963 | ||
| Charlie Hardnett | St. Louis Hawks | Grambling | 1962 | ||
| Jerry Graves | Chicago Packers | Mississippi State | 1961 | ||
| Bob McNeill | New York Knicks | Saint Joseph’s | 1960 | ||
| Jon Cincebox | Syracuse Nationals | Syracuse | 1959 | ||
| John Lee | New York Knicks | Yale | 1958 | ||
| Jim Spivey | Minneapolis Lakers | Southeastern Oklahoma State | 1957 | ||
| Guy Sparrow | New York Knicks | Detroit Mercy | 1955 | ||
| Werner Killen | Baltimore Bullets | Lawrence Tech | 1954 | ||
| Lew Hitch | Minneapolis Lakers | Kansas State | 1951 |