Staged on Wednesday, 30 June 1999 inside Washington’s MCI Center (now Capital One Arena), the 1999 draft tipped off the post-Jordan era with a lockout-shortened season backdrop, a 58-pick, two-round format and a European sleeper who would become its greatest player.
1. Significance & Setting
- First draft of the new millennium cycle – and the first ever held in the nation’s capital.
- Lockout hang-over – the 1998-99 season had ended only 17 days earlier (25 June Finals), forcing rookies straight into a condensed off-season and 50-game 1999-2000 schedule.
- No sure-fire superstar – media labelled it “role-player heavy”, yet nine future All-Stars and three Sixth-Man of the Year winners were selected .
- Duke record – first time four players from one school went in the first round: Brand, Langdon, Maggette, Avery.
2. First-Round Snapshot (top 20)
Table
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| Pick | Team | Player | Pos. | School/Club | Career Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Bulls | Elton Brand | PF/C | Duke | Co-Rookie of the Year (2000), 2× All-Star, 20-10 anchor for Clippers & Sixers; 19 000 pts / 9 000 reb club . |
| 2 | Vancouver Grizzlies | Steve Francis | PG | Maryland | Co-ROY 2000, 3× All-Star, 18 ppg / 6 apg peak; trade demand from Vancouver became template for rookie leverage . |
| 3 | Charlotte Hornets | Baron Davis | PG | UCLA | 2× All-Star, 2007 “We Believe” leader; career 16.1 ppg, 7.2 apg, playoff triple-double machine . |
| 4 | L.A. Clippers | Lamar Odom | SF/PF | Rhode Island | 2011 Sixth-Man of Year, 2× champion with Lakers; prototype point-forward who averaged 15-9-5 over 16 seasons . |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors→Pacers | Jonathan Bender | PF | HS (Miss.) | Traded same night for Antonio Davis; flashes of 7-foot wing skill but chronic knee issues ended career early. |
| 6 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Wally Szczerbiak | SF | Miami (OH) | 2002 All-Star, 40.6 % career 3PT; perfect floor-spacer alongside Kevin Garnett. |
| 7 | Washington Wizards | Richard Hamilton | SG | UConn | 3× All-Star, 2004 Finals MVP runner-up, champion 2004; NBA’s mask icon and mid-range marathon runner . |
| 8 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Andre Miller | PG | Utah | 16 000 pts / 8 000 ast club; 2010 league leader in assists, renowned iron-man (only missed 3 games 2002-2014). |
| 9 | Phoenix Suns | Shawn Marion | SF/PF | UNLV | 4× All-Star, 2011 champion; 15-9-2-2-1 career averages, unique release and small-ball 4 pioneer . |
| 10 | Atlanta Hawks | Jason Terry | SG/PG | Arizona | 2009 Sixth-Man of Year, 2011 champion; 2 282 career threes (4th when he retired) . |
| 13 | Seattle→Orlando | Corey Maggette | SF | Duke | Free-throw machine – led NBA in FT made 2003-04; averaged 20+ ppg three times despite shaky jumper . |
| 16 | Chicago Bulls | Ron Artest (Metta World Peace) | SF | St. John’s | 2004 All-Star, 2004 DPOY, 2010 champion; defensive tone-setter and cultural lightning-rod . |
| 24 | Utah Jazz | Andrei Kirilenko | SF/PF | Russia | 2004 All-Star, 5× All-Defence; 5×5 game icon (points-rebounds-assists-steals-blocks). |
3. Second-Round & International Steals
- Manu Ginóbili (57, Spurs) – Hall-of-Fame 2022, 4× champion, 2× All-Star, 2008 Sixth-Man; arguably greatest draft steal ever.
- Jeff Foster (21, Pacers) – 12-year Indy enforcer, elite offensive rebounder (career 3.3 ORB per 36).
- Chris Herren (33, Nuggets) – story chronicled in ESPN 30-for-30; now nationwide motivational speaker on addiction recovery .
4. Trades & Night-Of Drama
- Jonathan Bender swap – Toronto immediately flipped No. 5 to Indiana for Antonio Davis + fillers, signalling Raptors’ “win-now” message to Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady .
- Steve Francis refusal – Francis publicly balked at Vancouver relocation/travel; he was traded to Houston that December for Michael Dickerson + three picks, setting precedent for rookie leverage.
- Frederic Weis over Artest – New York chose French 7-footer Weis at 15, passing on Queens-native Ron Artest; Weis never played an NBA minute while Artest became DPOY and 2010 champion—a Garden what-if still debated .
5. Long-Term Outcomes
- Nine All-Stars from one class (tied for most in 1990s) .
- Three Sixth-Man winners: Odom, Terry, Ginóbili – only 1999 can claim that trio.
- Global footprint – Kirilenko, Ginóbili and Pablo Prigioni (undrafted but class of ’99) accelerated European pipeline that produced Dirk, Pau, Giannis era.
- Re-draft reality – every major “re-draft” article slots Ginóbili No. 1 and Marion No. 2, proving scouting patience > lottery sizzle.
6. Legacy & Influence
The 1999 draft never produced a top-75 all-time player at the top, yet it re-engineered roster construction:
- Versatility over positions – Marion, Odom, Kirilenko foreshadowed position-less basketball.
- Sixth-Man as weapon – Terry & Ginóbili turned bench scoring into championship strategy.
- Rookie leverage blueprint – Francis’ refusal warned small-markets to sell vision, not geography.
- Second-round goldmine – No. 57 Ginóbili remains the gold standard for international stash-and-develop.
Two decades on, the “no-superstar” draft is quietly remembered as the no-waste draft—nine All-Stars, three Sixth-Men, four rings for Manu, one mask for Rip, and one giant European step toward the global NBA we watch today.