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 6 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 6th Overall NBA Draft Picks
| PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
| Josh Giddey | Oklahoma City Thunder | NBA Global Academy (Australia) | 2021 | ||
| Onyeka Okongwu | Atlanta Hawks | Southern California | 2020 | ||
| Jarrett Culver | Phoenix Suns | Texas Tech | 2019 | ||
| Mo Bamba | Orlando Magic | Texas | 2018 | ||
| Jonathan Isaac | Orlando Magic | Florida State | 2017 | ||
| Buddy Hield | New Orleans Pelicans | Oklahoma | 2016 | ||
| Willie Cauley-Stein | Sacramento Kings | Kentucky | 2015 | ||
| Marcus Smart | Boston Celtics | Oklahoma State | 2014 | ||
| Nerlens Noel | New Orleans Pelicans | Kentucky | 2013 | ||
| Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers | Weber State | 2012 | ||
| Jan Vesely | Washington Wizards | KK Partizan (Serbia) | 2011 | ||
| Ekpe Udoh | Golden State Warriors | Baylor | 2010 | ||
| Jonny Flynn | Minnesota Timberwolves | Syracuse | 2009 | ||
| Danilo Gallinari | New York Knicks | Olimpia Milano (Italy) | 2008 | ||
| Yi Jianlian | Milwaukee Bucks | Guangdong Southern Tigers (China) | 2007 | ||
| Brandon Roy | Minnesota Timberwolves | Washington | 2006 | ||
| Martell Webster | Portland Trail Blazers | Seattle Preparatory School | 2005 | ||
| Josh Childress | Atlanta Hawks | Stanford | 2004 | ||
| Chris Kaman | Los Angeles Clippers | Central Michigan | 2003 | ||
| Dajuan Wagner | Cleveland Cavaliers | Memphis | 2002 | ||
| Shane Battier | Memphis Grizzlies | Duke | 2001 | ||
| DerMarr Johnson | Atlanta Hawks | Cincinnati | 2000 | ||
| Wally Szczerbiak | Minnesota Timberwolves | Miami (OH) | 1999 | ||
| Robert Traylor | Dallas Mavericks | Michigan | 1998 | ||
| Ron Mercer | Boston Celtics | Kentucky | 1997 | ||
| Antoine Walker | Boston Celtics | Kentucky | 1996 | ||
| Bryant Reeves | Vancouver Grizzlies | Oklahoma State | 1995 | ||
| Sharone Wright | Philadelphia 76ers | Clemson | 1994 | ||
| Calbert Cheaney | Washington Bullets | Indiana | 1993 | ||
| Tom Gugliotta | Washington Bullets | North Carolina State | 1992 | ||
| Doug Smith | Dallas Mavericks | Missouri | 1991 | ||
| Felton Spencer | Minnesota Timberwolves | Louisville | 1990 | ||
| Stacey King | Chicago Bulls | Oklahoma | 1989 | ||
| Hersey Hawkins | Los Angeles Clippers | Bradley | 1988 | ||
| Kenny Smith | Sacramento Kings | North Carolina | 1987 | ||
| William Bedford | Phoenix Suns | Memphis | 1986 | ||
| Joe Kleine | Sacramento Kings | Arkansas | 1985 | ||
| Mel Turpin | Washington Bullets | Kentucky | 1984 | ||
| Russell Cross | Golden State Warriors | Purdue | 1983 | ||
| Trent Tucker | New York Knicks | Minnesota | 1982 | ||
| Orlando Woolridge | Chicago Bulls | Notre Dame | 1981 | ||
| Mike O’Koren | New Jersey Nets | North Carolina | 1980 | ||
| James Bailey | Seattle SuperSonics | Rutgers | 1979 | ||
| Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | Indiana State | 1978 | ||
| Kenny Carr | Los Angeles Lakers | North Carolina State | 1977 | ||
| Adrian Dantley | Buffalo Braves | Notre Dame | 1976 | ||
| Lionel Hollins | Portland Trail Blazers | Arizona State | 1975 | ||
| Scott Wedman | Kansas City-Omaha Kings | Colorado | 1974 | ||
| Ed Ratleff | Houston Rockets | Long Beach State | 1973 | ||
| Russell Lee | Milwaukee Bucks | Marshall | 1972 | ||
| Fred Brown | Seattle SuperSonics | Iowa | 1971 | ||
| Jim Ard | Seattle SuperSonics | Cincinnati | 1970 | ||
| Bingo Smith | San Diego Rockets | Tulsa | 1969 | ||
| Otto Moore | Detroit Pistons | Texas-Pan American | 1968 | ||
| Al Tucker | Seattle SuperSonics | Oklahoma Baptist | 1967 | ||
| Walt Wesley | Cincinnati Royals | Kansas | 1966 | ||
| Jim Washington | St. Louis Hawks | Villanova | 1965 | ||
| Barry Kramer | San Francisco Warriors | New York University | 1964 | ||
| Tom Hoover | Philadelphia 76ers | Villanova | 1963 | ||
| Leroy Ellis | Los Angeles Lakers | St. John’s (NY) | 1962 | ||
| Ben Warley | Syracuse Nationals | Tennessee State | 1961 | ||
| Lenny Wilkens | St. Louis Hawks | Providence | 1960 | ||
| John Richter | Boston Celtics | North Carolina State | 1959 | ||
| Dave Gambee | St. Louis Hawks | Oregon State | 1958 | ||
| Lennie Rosenbluth | Philadelphia Warriors | North Carolina | 1957 | ||
| Ron Sobie | Ft. Wayne Zollner Pistons | DePaul | 1956 | ||
| Johnny Horan | Ft. Wayne Zollner Pistons | Dayton | 1955 | ||
| Johnny Kerr | Syracuse Nationals | Illinois | 1954 | ||
| Jim Neal | Syracuse Nationals | Wofford | 1953 | ||
| Bill Stauffer | Boston Celtics | Missouri | 1952 | ||
| Ed Smith | New York Knicks | Harvard | 1951 | ||
| Irwin Dambrot | New York Knicks | City College of New York | 1950 | ||
| Ron Livingstone | Baltimore Bullets | Wyoming | 1949 | ||
| Walter Budko | Baltimore Bullets | Columbia | 1948 | ||
| Francis Crossin | Philadelphia Warriors | Pennsylvania | 1947 |