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 9 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 9th Overall NBA Draft Picks
| PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
| Davion Mitchell | Sacramento Kings | Baylor | 2021 | ||
| Deni Avdija | Washington Wizards | Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. (Israel) | 2020 | ||
| Rui Hachimura | Washington Wizards | Gonzaga | 2019 | ||
| Kevin Knox II | New York Knicks | Kentucky | 2018 | ||
| Dennis Smith Jr. | Dallas Mavericks | North Carolina State | 2017 | ||
| Jakob Poeltl | Toronto Raptors | Utah | 2016 | ||
| Frank Kaminsky | Charlotte Hornets | Wisconsin | 2015 | ||
| Noah Vonleh | Charlotte Hornets | Indiana | 2014 | ||
| Trey Burke | Minnesota Timberwolves | Michigan | 2013 | ||
| Andre Drummond | Detroit Pistons | Connecticut | 2012 | ||
| Kemba Walker | Charlotte Bobcats | Connecticut | 2011 | ||
| Gordon Hayward | Utah Jazz | Butler | 2010 | ||
| DeMar DeRozan | Toronto Raptors | Southern California | 2009 | ||
| D.J. Augustin | Charlotte Bobcats | Texas | 2008 | ||
| Joakim Noah | Chicago Bulls | Florida | 2007 | ||
| Patrick O’Bryant | Golden State Warriors | Bradley | 2006 | ||
| Ike Diogu | Golden State Warriors | Arizona State | 2005 | ||
| Andre Iguodala | Philadelphia 76ers | Arizona | 2004 | ||
| Michael Sweetney | New York Knicks | Georgetown | 2003 | ||
| Amar’e Stoudemire | Phoenix Suns | Cypress Creek | 2002 | ||
| Rodney White | Detroit Pistons | North Carolina-Charlotte | 2001 | ||
| Joel Przybilla | Houston Rockets | Minnesota | 2000 | ||
| Shawn Marion | Phoenix Suns | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1999 | ||
| Dirk Nowitzki | Milwaukee Bucks | DJK Wurzburg (Germany) | 1998 | ||
| Tracy McGrady | Toronto Raptors | Mount Zion Christian Academy | 1997 | ||
| Samaki Walker | Dallas Mavericks | Louisville | 1996 | ||
| Ed O’Bannon | New Jersey Nets | California-Los Angeles | 1995 | ||
| Eric Montross | Boston Celtics | North Carolina | 1994 | ||
| Rodney Rogers | Denver Nuggets | Wake Forest | 1993 | ||
| Clar. Weatherspoon | Philadelphia 76ers | Southern Mississippi | 1992 | ||
| Stacey Augmon | Atlanta Hawks | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1991 | ||
| Willie Burton | Miami Heat | Minnesota | 1990 | ||
| Tom Hammonds | Washington Bullets | Georgia Tech | 1989 | ||
| Rony Seikaly | Miami Heat | Syracuse | 1988 | ||
| Derrick McKey | Seattle SuperSonics | Alabama | 1987 | ||
| Brad Sellers | Chicago Bulls | Ohio State | 1986 | ||
| Charles Oakley | Cleveland Cavaliers | Virginia Union | 1985 | ||
| Otis Thorpe | Kansas City Kings | Providence | 1984 | ||
| Dale Ellis | Dallas Mavericks | Tennessee | 1983 | ||
| Cliff Levingston | Detroit Pistons | Wichita State | 1982 | ||
| Rolando Blackman | Dallas Mavericks | Kansas State | 1981 | ||
| Michael Brooks | San Diego Clippers | La Salle | 1980 | ||
| Larry Demic | New York Knicks | Arizona | 1979 | ||
| Reggie Theus | Chicago Bulls | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1978 | ||
| Tom LaGarde | Denver Nuggets | North Carolina | 1977 | ||
| Armond Hill | Atlanta Hawks | Princeton | 1976 | ||
| Gene Short | New York Knicks | Jackson State | 1975 | ||
| Tom McMillen | Buffalo Braves | Maryland | 1974 | ||
| Dwight Jones | Atlanta Hawks | Houston | 1973 | ||
| Bob Nash | Detroit Pistons | Hawaii | 1972 | ||
| Stan Love | Baltimore Bullets | Oregon | 1971 | ||
| George Johnson | Baltimore Bullets | Stephen F. Austin | 1970 | ||
| Jojo White | Boston Celtics | Kansas | 1969 | ||
| Ron Williams | San Francisco Warriors | West Virginia | 1968 | ||
| Mel Daniels | Cincinnati Royals | New Mexico | 1967 | ||
| Matt Guokas | Philadelphia 76ers | Saint Joseph’s | 1966 | ||
| Will Frazier | San Francisco Warriors | Grambling | 1965 | ||
| Les Hunter | Detroit Pistons | Loyola-Chicago | 1964 | ||
| Jerry Harkness | New York Knicks | Loyola-Chicago | 1963 | ||
| John Rudometkin | New York Knicks | Southern California | 1962 | ||
| Gary Phillips | Boston Celtics | Houston | 1961 | ||
| Jay Arnette | Cincinnati Royals | Texas | 1960 | ||
| Joe Ruklick | Philadelphia Warriors | Northwestern | 1959 | ||
| Vern Hatton | Cincinnati Royals | Kentucky | 1958 | ||
| Dick Duckett | Cincinnati Royals | St. John’s (NY) | 1957 | ||
| Walter Devlin | Philadelphia Warriors | George Washington | 1955 | ||
| Ed Kalafat | Minneapolis Lakers | Minnesota | 1954 | ||
| Clyde Lovellette | Minneapolis Lakers | Kansas | 1952 | ||
| Don Sunderlage | Philadelphia Warriors | Illinois | 1951 | ||
| Joe McNamee | Rochester Royals | San Francisco | 1950 | ||
| Jack Kerris | Chicago Stags | Loyola-Chicago | 1949 | ||
| Chuck Hanger | Minneapolis Lakers | California | 1948 | ||
| Dick O’Keefe | Washington Capitols | Santa Clara | 1947 |