2002 NBA draft

The 2002 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2002, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from non-North American leagues.[1] The draft was broadcast on TNT at 7:30 PM (EDT).This was the last time a draft was broadcast on TNT When ESPN got the license to air the NBA draft for the 2003 draft after ESPN picked up the NBA Licence from NBC before the 2002–03 season. The NBA announced that about 42 college and high school players, and five international players, had filed as early-entry candidates for the draft.[2] The Chicago Bulls and the Golden State Warriors both had a 22.5 percent probability of acquiring the first overall pick, but the Houston Rockets, with an 8.9 percent probability, won the NBA draft lottery on May 19.[3][4] The Bulls and Warriors were second and third, respectively. As punishment for salary-cap violations during the 2000–01 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves forfeited their first-round draft pick.

The 2002 draft set a record with 17 international selections, with six coming in the first round alone.[5]

Number 2 pick Jay Williams violated his contract by riding a motorcycle, and nearly lost his life in an accident that shattered his pelvis, severed a main nerve in his leg, and tore three ligaments in his left knee including his ACL. Although he underwent an intense rehabilitation program, Williams never played a game in the NBA again. When it became clear Williams would not be returning to the Bulls because of his injuries, he was waived. The Bulls could have voided Williams' contract, since riding a motorcycle was contractually prohibited. Instead the Bulls completed a $3 million buyout of the contract instead of having him walk away with nothing.[6]

The draft was notable for its relative weakness outside the top prospects, as well as the rampant injury concerns of those players. Top players had promising careers end prematurely due to injury, such as Yao Ming, Williams and Dajuan Wagner. Nevertheless, Yao was named a Hall of Famer—a selection predicated as much on his role in popularizing basketball in China as it was his actual on-court play. As of 2020, Nenê and Udonis Haslem are the only remaining active players from this draft, though Haslem went undrafted.