Held on Wednesday, 27 June 1990 inside New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the 1990 NBA Draft trimmed itself to the sleek two-round, 54-pick format we still use today.
Vilified at the time for lacking a “marquee” franchise savior, it quietly produced a Defensive Player of the Decade, a 20-10 power-forward prototype, Europe’s next mega-star and a raft of 10-year role players who helped shape the 1990s stylistically and globally.
Significance & Setting
The 1990 NBA draft is significant for producing Gary Payton, a Hall of Fame player and one of the greatest defensive guards in NBA history, despite being considered a weak draft class at the time. It was also notable for the tragic death of Hank Gathers, who was a projected top pick, and for having Derrick Coleman as the first overall pick, who earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Key players and moments
- Gary Payton: Although not the first pick, Payton is the draft’s most significant success story, becoming a 9-time All-Star, an NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and eventually a Hall of Famer.
- Derrick Coleman: The top overall pick, Coleman had a strong rookie season, winning the Rookie of the Year award, though he is often considered to have not fully lived up to his potential.
- Hank Gathers: The draft class is also remembered for the tragic loss of Hank Gathers, who died of a heart condition during a game in March 1990, just before the draft took place.
- Other notable players: The draft included other solid players, such as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson), Dennis Scott, Kendall Gill, Tyrone Hill, Dee Brown, Jayson Williams, Toni Kukoc, Antonio Davis, and Cedric Ceballos.
What made the draft significant
- Contrasting outcomes: It stands out because the best player in the draft, Gary Payton, was the second overall pick, while the first pick, Derrick Coleman, had a good but not transcendent career.
- Early tragedy: The loss of Hank Gathers cast a shadow over the draft, as he was a projected lottery pick and the loss was a major event for college and professional basketball.
- “Weak” draft class: At the time, the draft was considered “weak” by many analysts due to the lack of consensus “blue-chip” prospects beyond Coleman and Payton, making the eventual success of players like Payton more remarkable.
First-Round Snapshot (top 15)
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos. | College | Career Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey Nets | Derrick Coleman | PF/C | Syracuse | Rookie of the Year 1991; 20-10-3 peak, 19 000 pts / 10 000 reb club; prototype skilled big who could run the break and shoot threes . |
| 2 | Seattle SuperSonics | Gary Payton | PG | Oregon St. | 9× All-Star, 1996 DPOY, 1996 Finals, 3rd all-time in assists (8 966) and 1st in steals when he retired; Hall-of-Fame 2013 . |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets | Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson) | PG | LSU | 19.2 ppg career high; career 90 % FT; cultural lightning-rod for anthem stance, later 3-pt specialist with Kings & Grizzlies. |
| 4 | Orlando Magic | Dennis Scott | SF | Georgia Tech | 267 threes in 1996 – first player ever to top 250 in a season; helped open the floor for Shaquille/Dennis 1995 Finals run. |
| 5 | Charlotte Hornets | Kendall Gill | SG | Illinois | 15 000 career pts; 1999 steals champ (2.7 pg); tenacious two-way wing. |
| 6 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Felton Spencer | C | Louisville | Serviceable rim-protector; 10-year journeyman, 1999 starter on Utah 60-win team. |
| 7 | Sacramento Kings | Lionel Simmons | SF | La Salle | “L-Train” averaged 18 ppg, 8 rpg, 4 apg first two seasons; foot injuries curtailed a promising versatile forward career. |
| 8 | L.A. Clippers | Bo Kimble | SG | Loyola Marymount | Tragic hype after Hank Gathers’ death; managed only 16 & 8 mpg first two seasons, out of league by 1993 – biggest lottery bust of the class . |
| 9 | Miami Heat | Willie Burton | SG | Minnesota | Career 11 ppg; memorable 53-point game vs Magic 1995; poster-child for streak-scoring wings. |
| 10 | Atlanta Hawks | Rumeal Robinson | PG | Michigan | Solid rookie year, later packaged in trades; career derailed by off-court issues. |
Second-Round & International Steals
The biggest steals from the 1990 NBA Draft were international prospect Toni Kukoč and second-round pick Cedric Ceballos. Kukoč, selected 29th overall, became a key player for the Chicago Bulls after coming over from Croatia. Ceballos, picked 48th, developed into an NBA All-Star with the Lakers.
International Steal
- Toni Kukoč: Selected 29th overall by the Chicago Bulls, Kukoč was an international sensation from Croatia who later became an integral part of the Bulls’ championship teams.
Second-Round Steals
- Cedric Ceballos: Drafted 48th overall by the Phoenix Suns, Ceballos went on to have an All-Star season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Other notable players: While Kukoč and Ceballos were the most prominent steals, other valuable players were drafted in the second round, such as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (31st overall).
Trades & Rumour-Mill
- Nets shopping No. 1: New Jersey reportedly turned down Lakers’ offer of Byron Scott + A.C. Green for the pick, electing to keep Coleman .
- Bo Kimble fall-out: Clipper fans never forgave the reach at No. 8; the disaster accelerated LA’s “lottery-rebuild” philosophy that landed Danny Manning and later Ron Harper.
- Kendall Gill swap: Charlotte packaged Gill to Seattle in 1994 for Eddie Johnson, illustrating how 1990 picks became trade chips for contending teams.
Long-Term Outcomes
- 19 players logged 10+ NBA seasons—remarkable depth for a 54-pick class .
- 4 players scored 10,000+ career points; only Gary Payton (20 000+) crossed the 20 K barrier.
- Six All-Star selections in the class; Payton owns nine of them.
- Two Hall-of-Famers: Payton (2013) and Kukoč (2021) .
- Defensive DNA: Payton, Davis, Gill and Coleman (peak) helped shift 1990s basketball toward switchable, athletic defenders, a blueprint for the modern wing.
Legacy & Influence
The 1990 draft will always wear the “no-superstar” label, yet it quietly seeded the decade’s identity:
The legacy of the 1990 NBA Draft is primarily defined by the presence of a lone perennial superstar and Hall of Famer, Gary Payton, and is often considered a weak class overall with a relative lack of impact players at the top.
Key Players and Legacy
- Gary Payton: Selected with the second pick by the Seattle SuperSonics, Payton is the undisputed standout of the draft. Known for his exceptional defense, earning the 1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, he was a nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA selection, and a crucial component of the Sonics’ successful run in the 90s, ultimately winning a championship with the Miami Heat in 2006. His successful career and numerous accolades cemented his place in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
- Derrick Coleman: The first overall pick by the New Jersey Nets, Coleman was a good player who won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, averaging a double-double in his first season (18.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game). While he had a solid career with the Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, he did not reach the superstar level expected of a number one pick and is a primary reason the draft is viewed as underwhelming at the very top.
- Toni Kukoč: Drafted in the second round (29th overall) by the Chicago Bulls, Kukoč was an accomplished international player from Yugoslavia who became a key contributor to the Bulls’ second “three-peat” championship run. He provided depth and skill as a forward/swingman, highlighting the value found in later rounds.
- Other Notable Draftees: The draft produced several other solid NBA players who made at least one All-Star appearance, including Antonio Davis, Tyrone Hill, Cedric Ceballos, and Jayson Williams.
Overall Influence
The primary influence of the 1990 draft is that it served as a stark contrast to the deeper, more star-studded drafts of other eras (such as 1984, 1996, and 2003). It demonstrated the inherent risk of top draft picks, as many players selected in the lottery did not live up to expectations. The draft’s legacy is largely about the individual brilliance of Gary Payton rather than the collective impact of the class as a whole, which produced only one perennial All-Star.
In short, the 1990 NBA Draft did not produce a Jordan or a Shaq—but it gave the league a defensive standard-bearer, a European pioneer, a stretch-big prototype and a decade’s worth of rotational bedrock. Sometimes the quietest classes echo the longest.