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 27 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 27th Overall NBA Draft Picks
| PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
| Cam Thomas | Brooklyn Nets | Louisiana State | 2021 | ||
| Udoka Azubuike | Utah Jazz | Kansas | 2020 | ||
| Mfiondu Kabengele | Brooklyn Nets | Florida State | 2019 | ||
| Robert Williams III | Boston Celtics | Texas A&M | 2018 | ||
| Kyle Kuzma | Brooklyn Nets | Utah | 2017 | ||
| Pascal Siakam | Toronto Raptors | New Mexico State | 2016 | ||
| Larry Nance Jr. | Los Angeles Lakers | Wyoming | 2015 | ||
| Bogdan Bogdanovic | Phoenix Suns | KK Partizan (Serbia) | 2014 | ||
| Rudy Gobert | Denver Nuggets | Cholet Basket (France) | 2013 | ||
| Arnett Moultrie | Miami Heat | Mississippi State | 2012 | ||
| JaJuan Johnson | New Jersey Nets | Purdue | 2011 | ||
| Jordan Crawford | New Jersey Nets | Xavier | 2010 | ||
| DeMarre Carroll | Memphis Grizzlies | Missouri | 2009 | ||
| Darrell Arthur | New Orleans Hornets | Kansas | 2008 | ||
| Arron Afflalo | Detroit Pistons | California-Los Angeles | 2007 | ||
| Sergio Rodriguez | Phoenix Suns | CB Estudiantes (Spain) | 2006 | ||
| Linas Kleiza | Portland Trail Blazers | Missouri | 2005 | ||
| Sasha Vujacic | Los Angeles Lakers | Pallalcesto Amatori Udine (Italy) | 2004 | ||
| Kendrick Perkins | Memphis Grizzlies | Clifton J. Ozen | 2003 | ||
| Chris Jefferies | Los Angeles Lakers | Fresno State | 2002 | ||
| Jamaal Tinsley | Memphis Grizzlies | Iowa State | 2001 | ||
| Primoz Brezec | Indiana Pacers | KK Olimpija (Slovenia) | 2000 | ||
| Jumaine Jones | Atlanta Hawks | Georgia | 1999 | ||
| Vladimir Stepania | Seattle SuperSonics | KK Olimpija (Slovenia) | 1998 | ||
| Jacque Vaughn | Utah Jazz | Kansas | 1997 | ||
| Brian Evans | Orlando Magic | Indiana | 1996 | ||
| Mario Bennett | Phoenix Suns | Arizona State | 1995 | ||
| Brooks Thompson | Orlando Magic | Oklahoma State | 1994 | ||
| Malcolm Mackey | Phoenix Suns | Georgia Tech | 1993 | ||
| Byron Houston | Chicago Bulls | Oklahoma State | 1992 | ||
| Pete Chilcutt | Sacramento Kings | North Carolina | 1991 | ||
| Elden Campbell | Los Angeles Lakers | Clemson | 1990 | ||
| Kenny Battle | Detroit Pistons | Illinois | 1989 | ||
| Shelton Jones | San Antonio Spurs | St. John’s (NY) | 1988 | ||
| Nate Blackwell | San Antonio Spurs | Temple | 1987 | ||
| Dennis Rodman | Detroit Pistons | Southeastern Oklahoma State | 1986 | ||
| Dwayne McClain | Indiana Pacers | Villanova | 1985 | ||
| Ron Anderson | Cleveland Cavaliers | Fresno State | 1984 | ||
| John Garris | Cleveland Cavaliers | Boston College | 1983 | ||
| Fred Roberts | Milwaukee Bucks | Brigham Young | 1982 | ||
| Howard Wood | Utah Jazz | Tennessee | 1981 | ||
| John Stroud | Houston Rockets | Mississippi | 1980 | ||
| Reggie Carter | New York Knicks | St. John’s (NY) | 1979 | ||
| Wayne Radford | Indiana Pacers | Indiana | 1978 | ||
| Glenn Williams | Milwaukee Bucks | St. John’s (NY) | 1977 | ||
| Phil Hicks | Houston Rockets | Tulane | 1976 | ||
| Walter Luckett | Detroit Pistons | Ohio | 1975 | ||
| Leon Benbow | Chicago Bulls | Jacksonville | 1974 | ||
| Tom Ingelsby | Atlanta Hawks | Villanova | 1973 | ||
| Dennis Wuycik | Boston Celtics | North Carolina | 1972 | ||
| Richard Fisher | Portland Trail Blazers | Colorado State | 1971 | ||
| Fred Taylor | Phoenix Suns | Texas-Pan American | 1970 | ||
| Eldo Garrett | Los Angeles Lakers | Southern Illinois | 1969 | ||
| Pat Frink | Cincinnati Royals | Colorado | 1968 | ||
| Bill Turner | San Francisco Warriors | Akron | 1967 | ||
| John Block | Los Angeles Lakers | Southern California | 1966 | ||
| Warren Rustand | San Francisco Warriors | Arizona | 1965 | ||
| Jim Davis | Detroit Pistons | Colorado | 1964 | ||
| Nate Cloud | New York Knicks | Delaware | 1963 | ||
| Cliff Luyk | New York Knicks | Florida | 1962 | ||
| Frank Burgess | Los Angeles Lakers | Gonzaga | 1961 | ||
| Ben Warley | Los Angeles Lakers | Tennessee State | 1960 | ||
| Paul Neumann | Syracuse Nationals | Stanford | 1959 | ||
| Johnny Cox | New York Knicks | Kentucky | 1958 | ||
| George Brown | Minneapolis Lakers | Wayne State (MI) | 1957 | ||
| Ed Cole | New York Knicks | Creighton | 1955 | ||
| Don Lance | Minneapolis Lakers | Rice | 1954 | ||
| Fred Diute | Rochester Royals | St. Bonaventure | 1951 |