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 29 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 29th Overall NBA Draft Picks
PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
Day’Ron Sharpe | Phoenix Suns | North Carolina | 2021 | ||
Malachi Flynn | Toronto Raptors | San Diego State | 2020 | ||
Keldon Johnson | San Antonio Spurs | Kentucky | 2019 | ||
Dzanan Musa | Brooklyn Nets | KK Cedevita (Croatia) | 2018 | ||
Derrick White | San Antonio Spurs | Colorado | 2017 | ||
Dejounte Murray | San Antonio Spurs | Washington | 2016 | ||
Chris McCullough | Brooklyn Nets | Syracuse | 2015 | ||
Josh Huestis | Oklahoma City Thunder | Stanford | 2014 | ||
Archie Goodwin | Oklahoma City Thunder | Kentucky | 2013 | ||
Marquis Teague | Chicago Bulls | Kentucky | 2012 | ||
Cory Joseph | San Antonio Spurs | Texas | 2011 | ||
Daniel Orton | Orlando Magic | Kentucky | 2010 | ||
Toney Douglas | Los Angeles Lakers | Florida State | 2009 | ||
DJ White | Detroit Pistons | Indiana | 2008 | ||
Alando Tucker | Phoenix Suns | Wisconsin | 2007 | ||
Mardy Collins | New York Knicks | Temple | 2006 | ||
Wayne Simien | Miami Heat | Kansas | 2005 | ||
David Harrison | Indiana Pacers | Colorado | 2004 | ||
Josh Howard | Dallas Mavericks | Wake Forest | 2003 | ||
Steve Logan | Golden State Warriors | Cincinnati | 2002 | ||
Trenton Hassell | Chicago Bulls | Austin Peay | 2001 | ||
Mark Madsen | Los Angeles Lakers | Stanford | 2000 | ||
Leon Smith | San Antonio Spurs | Martin Luther King | 1999 | ||
Nazr Mohammed | Utah Jazz | Kentucky | 1998 | ||
Serge Zwikker | Houston Rockets | North Carolina | 1997 | ||
Travis Knight | Chicago Bulls | Connecticut | 1996 | ||
Cory Alexander | San Antonio Spurs | Virginia | 1995 | ||
Antonio Lang | Phoenix Suns | Duke | 1994 | ||
Sherron Mills | Minnesota Timberwolves | Virginia Commonwealth | 1993 | ||
P.J. Brown | New Jersey Nets | Louisiana Tech | 1992 | ||
George Ackles | Miami Heat | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1991 | ||
Toni Kukoc | Chicago Bulls | Universo Treviso Basket (Italy) | 1990 | ||
Dyron Nix | Charlotte Hornets | Tennessee | 1989 | ||
Vinny Del Negro | Sacramento Kings | North Carolina State | 1988 | ||
Lester Fonville | Portland Trail Blazers | Jackson State | 1987 | ||
Johnny Newman | Cleveland Cavaliers | Richmond | 1986 | ||
Mike Brittain | San Antonio Spurs | South Carolina | 1985 | ||
Stuart Gray | Indiana Pacers | California-Los Angeles | 1984 | ||
Larry Micheaux | Chicago Bulls | Houston | 1983 | ||
Scott Hastings | New York Knicks | Arkansas | 1982 | ||
Eddie Johnson | Kansas City Kings | Illinois | 1981 | ||
Louis Orr | Indiana Pacers | Syracuse | 1980 | ||
Tony Price | Detroit Pistons | Pennsylvania | 1979 | ||
John Long | Detroit Pistons | Detroit Mercy | 1978 | ||
Alonzo Bradley | Indiana Pacers | Texas Southern | 1977 | ||
Dennis Johnson | Seattle SuperSonics | Pepperdine | 1976 | ||
Jim Blanks | Houston Rockets | Gardner-Webb | 1975 | ||
Phil Smith | Golden State Warriors | San Francisco | 1974 | ||
Derrek Dickey | Golden State Warriors | Cincinnati | 1973 | ||
Chuck Terry | Milwaukee Bucks | Long Beach State | 1972 | ||
Isaiah Wilson | Detroit Pistons | Baltimore | 1971 | ||
Joe DePre | Phoenix Suns | St. John’s (NY) | 1970 | ||
Willie Scott | Baltimore Bullets | Alabama State | 1969 | ||
Donald Sidle | San Francisco Warriors | Oklahoma | 1968 | ||
Richard Moore | San Diego Rockets | Hiram Scott | 1967 | ||
Donnie Freeman | Philadelphia 76ers | Illinois | 1966 | ||
Jim King | Detroit Pistons | Oklahoma State | 1965 | ||
Frank Corace | Philadelphia 76ers | La Salle | 1964 | ||
Dave Downey | San Francisco Warriors | Illinois | 1963 | ||
Reggie Harding | Detroit Pistons | Eastern | 1962 | ||
Jack Egan | Philadelphia Warriors | Saint Joseph’s | 1961 | ||
Carl Cole | Syracuse Nationals | Eastern Kentucky | 1960 | ||
Lee Harman | St. Louis Hawks | Oregon State | 1959 | ||
Tommy Kearns | Syracuse Nationals | North Carolina | 1958 | ||
Rayford Wells | New York Knicks | Lenoir-Rhyne | 1957 | ||
Dick Howard | Ft. Wayne Zollner Pistons | Case Western | 1955 | ||
Phil Martin | Milwaukee Hawks | Toledo | 1954 | ||
Bob Payne | Minneapolis Lakers | Oregon State | 1951 |