1991 NBA draft
The 1991 NBA draft took place on June 26, 1991, in New York City, New York. Dikembe Mutombo is regarded as the best overall pick in this draft, becoming one of the greatest defensive centers in the history of the league. He was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner and an eight-time All-Star, and played in the league for 18 seasons.[1]
| 1991 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 26, 1991 |
| Location | Felt Forum (New York City, New York) |
| Network(s) | TNT |
| Overview | |
| 54 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Larry Johnson (Charlotte Hornets) |
Larry Johnson won the 1992 NBA Rookie of the Year award and was a two-time All-Star, the first player to represent the Charlotte Hornets franchise at an All-Star game. However, early in his professional career ongoing back problems decreased his effectiveness and caused his numbers to decline dramatically. Due to his chronic back problems, he retired in 2001.
Other notable picks include Kenny Anderson, Steve Smith, Terrell Brandon, Dale Davis and Chris Gatling, who all made All-Star appearances, but with the exception of Brandon at two, each only appeared once.
The remaining picks in the first round failed to make an impact. Billy Owens was selected by the Sacramento Kings but refused to sign with them. He was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for high-scoring guard Mitch Richmond, a trade that has been regarded as one of the most lopsided in NBA history. Owens was solid but unspectacular in his career, while Richmond was a six-time All-Star and was the 1989 NBA Rookie of the Year.[2] Luc Longley was a three-time NBA Championship winner with the Chicago Bulls and held the record for playing the most NBA games by an Australian (broken by Andrew Bogut during the 2015–16 season).
As of 2011, two players are deceased: Bobby Phills and Bison Dele (drafted as Brian Williams before changing his name). Phills died in a car accident involving teammate David Wesley. Dele disappeared in the South Pacific in July 2002, with French authorities claiming that Dele's brother had killed Dele and his girlfriend and thrown them overboard the catamaran they were travelling on. Dele's brother committed suicide in September 2002.
This was the last draft held in New York City until 2001.
Draft
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| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| x | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
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- Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules.
Notable undrafted players
These eligible players were not selected in the 1991 NBA draft but have played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darrell Armstrong | PG |  United States |
Fayetteville State (Sr.) |
| John Crotty | PG | United States |
Virginia (Sr.) |
| Jay Guidinger | C | United States |
Minnesota–Duluth (Sr.) |
| Keith Owens | F | United States |
UCLA (Sr.) |
| Robert Pack | PG | United States |
USC (Sr.) |
| Lorenzo Williams | C | United States |
Stetson (Sr.) |
Notes
- ^ Brian Williams changed his name to Bison Dele in 1998.[3]
References
- "Dikembe Mutombo Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- Sports Illustrated
- "Bison Dele Bio". NBA. Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. Retrieved June 30, 2013.