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 28 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 28th Overall NBA Draft Picks
| PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
| Jaden Springer | Philadelphia 76ers | Tennessee | 2021 | ||
| Jaden McDaniels | Los Angeles Lakers | Washington | 2020 | ||
| Jordan Poole | Golden State Warriors | Michigan | 2019 | ||
| Jacob Evans | Golden State Warriors | Cincinnati | 2018 | ||
| Tony Bradley | Los Angeles Lakers | North Carolina | 2017 | ||
| Skal Labissiere | Sacramento Kings | Kentucky | 2016 | ||
| RJ Hunter | Boston Celtics | Georgia State | 2015 | ||
| C.J. Wilcox | Los Angeles Clippers | Washington | 2014 | ||
| Livio Jean-Charles | San Antonio Spurs | ASVEL Basket (France) | 2013 | ||
| Perry Jones III | Oklahoma City Thunder | Baylor | 2012 | ||
| Norris Cole | Chicago Bulls | Cleveland State | 2011 | ||
| Greivis Vasquez | Memphis Grizzlies | Maryland | 2010 | ||
| Wayne Ellington | Minnesota Timberwolves | North Carolina | 2009 | ||
| Donte Greene | Memphis Grizzlies | Syracuse | 2008 | ||
| Tiago Splitter | San Antonio Spurs | Saski Baskonia (Spain) | 2007 | ||
| Maurice Ager | Dallas Mavericks | Michigan State | 2006 | ||
| Ian Mahinmi | San Antonio Spurs | STB Le Havre (France) | 2005 | ||
| Beno Udrih | San Antonio Spurs | Olimpia Milano (Italy) | 2004 | ||
| Leandro Barbosa | San Antonio Spurs | Associacao Bauru Basketball Team (Brazil) | 2003 | ||
| Dan Dickau | Sacramento Kings | Gonzaga | 2002 | ||
| Tony Parker | San Antonio Spurs | Paris Basket Racing (France) | 2001 | ||
| Erick Barkley | Portland Trail Blazers | St. John’s (NY) | 2000 | ||
| Scott Padgett | Utah Jazz | Kentucky | 1999 | ||
| Corey Benjamin | Chicago Bulls | Oregon State | 1998 | ||
| Keith Booth | Chicago Bulls | Maryland | 1997 | ||
| Priest Lauderdale | Atlanta Hawks | Peristeri B.C. (Greece) | 1996 | ||
| Greg Ostertag | Utah Jazz | Kansas | 1995 | ||
| Deon Thomas | Dallas Mavericks | Illinois | 1994 | ||
| Lucious Harris | Dallas Mavericks | Long Beach State | 1993 | ||
| Marlon Maxey | Minnesota Timberwolves | Texas-El Paso | 1992 | ||
| Kevin Lynch | Charlotte Hornets | Minnesota | 1991 | ||
| Les Jepsen | Golden State Warriors | Iowa | 1990 | ||
| Sherman Douglas | Miami Heat | Syracuse | 1989 | ||
| Andrew Lang | Phoenix Suns | Arkansas | 1988 | ||
| Rickie Winslow | Chicago Bulls | Houston | 1987 | ||
| Larry Krystkowiak | Chicago Bulls | Montana | 1986 | ||
| Ken Johnson | Chicago Bulls | Michigan State | 1985 | ||
| Cory Blackwell | Seattle SuperSonics | Wisconsin | 1984 | ||
| Rod Foster | Phoenix Suns | California-Los Angeles | 1983 | ||
| Dave Magley | Cleveland Cavaliers | Kansas | 1982 | ||
| Gene Banks | San Antonio Spurs | Duke | 1981 | ||
| Craig Shelton | Atlanta Hawks | Georgetown | 1980 | ||
| Danny Salisbury | Golden State Warriors | Texas-Pan American | 1979 | ||
| Buster Matheney | Houston Rockets | Utah | 1978 | ||
| Kim Anderson | Portland Trail Blazers | Missouri | 1977 | ||
| Bob Carrington | Atlanta Hawks | Boston College | 1976 | ||
| Dan Roundfield | Cleveland Cavaliers | Central Michigan | 1975 | ||
| Aaron James | New Orleans Jazz | Grambling | 1974 | ||
| Patrick McFarland | New York Knicks | Saint Joseph’s | 1973 | ||
| Mike Ratliff | Kansas City-Omaha Kings | Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 1972 | ||
| Jim Rose | Boston Celtics | Western Kentucky | 1971 | ||
| Paul Ruffner | Chicago Bulls | Brigham Young | 1970 | ||
| Willie Taylor | Philadelphia 76ers | Le Moyne | 1969 | ||
| Fred Foster | Cincinnati Royals | Miami (OH) | 1968 | ||
| Sam Smith | Cincinnati Royals | Kentucky Wesleyan | 1967 | ||
| Gary Turner | Boston Celtics | Texas Christian | 1966 | ||
| Larry Lembo | New York Knicks | Manhattan | 1965 | ||
| Pete Spoden | Baltimore Bullets | Northern Iowa | 1964 | ||
| Nolen Ellison | Baltimore Bullets | Kansas | 1963 | ||
| Jerry Grote | St. Louis Hawks | Loyola-Marymount | 1962 | ||
| Chuck Osborne | Syracuse Nationals | Western Kentucky | 1961 | ||
| Ken Remley | Detroit Pistons | West Virginia Wesleyan | 1960 | ||
| Johnny Cox | New York Knicks | Kentucky | 1959 | ||
| Temple Tucker | Philadelphia Warriors | Rice | 1958 | ||
| Hank Nowak | St. Louis Hawks | Canisius | 1957 | ||
| John Miller | Minneapolis Lakers | Ohio State | 1955 | ||
| Burt Spice | Baltimore Bullets | Toledo | 1954 | ||
| Bob Schloss | Philadelphia Warriors | Georgia | 1951 |