Held on Monday, June 22, 1987 inside Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum and televised nationally on TBS, the 1987 draft delivered three of the league’s 50 Greatest Players, introduced Europe to the lottery, and supplied the supporting cast that would define the Jordan era
. It was also the last seven-round draft (161 picks) before the modern two-round format was adopted in 1989
Format & Context
- Lottery: 7 teams; San Antonio won the coin-flip and took David Robinson No. 1.
- Expansion flavour: Charlotte Hornets (entered 1988) swapped picks; Orlando scouted but would not debut until 1989.
- International wave: Lithuanian guard Šarūnas Marčiulionis (6th rd, 127) became the first Soviet-block player ever drafted, paving the way for Divac, Petrovic and the global 1990s .
First-Round Highlights & Instant Impact
| Pick | Team | Player | College | Career Resume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spurs | David Robinson | Navy | 2× MVP, 2× champion, 10× All-Star, 1989-90 Rookie of the Year (after two-year Navy commitment) . |
| 3 | Bulls→Sonics→Bulls | Scottie Pippen | Cent. Arkansas | 6× champion, 7× All-NBA, 8× All-Defence—Jordan’s indispensable wing-man . |
| 5 | Knicks | Mark Jackson | St. John’s | 1987-88 ROY, still 4th all-time in assists (10,334); turned NYK into playoff contenders overnight . |
| 11 | Cavs | Kevin Johnson | California | 3× All-Star, 4× 20-10 seasons; mayor of Sacramento post-retirement . |
| 12 | Bullets | Muggsy Bogues | Wake Forest | 5-3 giant-heart; 14 seasons, still shortest player in NBA history . |
| 14 | Warriors | Tim Hardaway | UTEP | 5× All-Star, creator of the “UTEP Two-Step” crossover; 15,373 pts, 7,095 ast . |
| 18 | Suns | Horace Grant | Clemson | 4× champion, prototype power-forward defender; goggles became 90s fashion . |
Second-Round & Later Steals
- Reggie Lewis (22, Celtics) – Boston’s next franchise player before tragic death in 1993; averaged 20.8 ppg in final season .
- Šarūnas Marčiulionis (127, Warriors) – Euro-pioneer who averaged 18.9 ppg and finished runner-up for 1992 Sixth-Man Award .
- Olden Polynice (8, Bulls→Sonics) – 1,074 games, reliable double-double threat and defensive anchor for 90s Seattle front-court .
Trades & Sliding Dominoes
- Scottie Pippen swap: Seattle picked Pippen 5th, immediately dealt him to Chicago for Olden Polynice + picks, one of the most lopsided trades ever, enabling the Bulls’ dynasty .
- Dennis Hopson over Pippen/KJ: New Jersey chose Hopson 3rd—he lasted only 3 productive seasons, a cautionary tale still cited in war-rooms today .
- Charlotte trade-back: Hornets swapped No. 8 for future picks, ultimately landing Phoenix’s 1988 first-rounder that became Rex Chapman.
Legacy & Influence
- Three Hall-of-Famers (Robinson, Pippen, Miller) and six additional All-Stars give 1987 one of the highest hit-rates (9 of 23 first-rounders) of any 1980s draft.
- Global gateway: Marčiulionis & Divac (1989) opened the Baltic pipeline; by 2025, 25 % of NBA rosters hail from Europe.
- Last seven-rounder: The 161-pick marathon was pruned to three rounds in 1988 and two in 1989, making 1987 the final deep-dive draft: a relic beloved by draftniks for hidden-gem stories.
From Robinson’s naval-delayed debut to Pippen’s six-ring masterpiece and Jackson’s assist record, the 1987 NBA Draft did more than stock rosters, it supplied the supporting cast, international spark and historical footnotes that helped transform the league into the modern, global entertainment giant fans enjoy today.