The 1991 NBA draft took place on June 26, 1991, in New York City, New York. Larry Johnson was selected first overall; he won the 1992 NBA Rookie of the Year award and as a two-time All-Star, was the first player to represent the Charlotte Hornets franchise at an All-Star game.
| 1991 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 26, 1991 |
| Location | Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York)[1] |
| Network(s) | TNT |
| Overview | |
| 54 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Larry Johnson (Charlotte Hornets) |
Dikembe Mutombo was selected fourth overall, and became 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.[2]
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.[3] 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.[3] 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 2024, three players are deceased: Bobby Phills, Bison Dele, and Dikembe Mutombo. 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. Mutombo died from brain cancer on September 30, 2024.
This was the last draft held in New York City until 2001.
Draft
edit
| 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 |
- ^ 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.
- ^ Croatia had declared independence just a day before the draft, but was not yet recognized by FIBA.
Notable undrafted players
edit
These eligible players were not selected in the 1991 NBA draft but have played at least one game in the NBA.
Early entrants
editCollege underclassmen
editFor the ninth year in a row and the thirteenth time in fourteen years, no college underclassman would withdraw their entry into the NBA draft. Not only that, but this would be the second time in NBA history (and the second time in three years) where an international player would be considered a direct underclassman to participate in an NBA draft, with Žan Tabak of the KK POP 84 of the Eastern Bloc nation known as SFR Yugoslavia (now since separated, with Tabak representing Croatia) being the first ever international underclassman to be taken directly from an overseas team without previously going to an American college or playing for any prior American institution (the first being fellow Yugoslavian Vlade Divac). In addition to that, this was also the sixth straight year where at least one player that previously played basketball collegiately would go play professionally overseas, with Richard Dumas from Oklahoma State University would play for Hapoel Holon B.C. in Israel, the Israeli born Nadav Henefeld from the University of Connecticut would play for the rivaling Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. in his home nation, and Stanley Roberts from Louisiana State University would play for Real Madrid Baloncesto in Spain. Including those four people, the total number of underclassmen would increase from ten to fourteen players. Regardless, the following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[4]
Kenny Anderson – G, Georgia Tech (sophomore)- Terrell Brandon – G, Oregon (junior)
- Tony Farmer – F, Nebraska (junior)
- Jerome Harmon – G, Louisville (junior)
- Donald Hodge – C, Temple (junior)
- Anderson Hunt – G, UNLV (junior)
- Raoul Hutchens – G, Whittier (junior)
- Ty Moseler – G, Waukesha County Tech (sophomore)
- Chancellor Nichols – F, James Madison (junior)
- Billy Owens – F, Syracuse (junior)
- Brian Williams – F/C, Arizona (junior)
International players
editThis would be the second time in NBA history where an international born and raised player would be considered an underclassman in an NBA draft, as well as the second time a player from the now-former nation of SFR Yugoslavia would enter the NBA draft as such a player. The following international player successfully applied for early draft entrance.[4]
/
Žan Tabak – C, Split (Yugoslavia)
Other eligible players
editThis would be the sixth year in a row with at least one player that previously played in college entering the NBA draft as an underclassman, as well as the first year where multiple underclassmen that went overseas to play professionally would play in the same nation as each other (albeit for different teams).
| Player | Team | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Dumas
|
Hapoel Holon (Israel) | Left Oklahoma State in 1990; playing professionally since the 1990–91 season | [5] |
 Nadav Henefeld
|
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) | Left UConn in 1990; playing professionally since the 1990–91 season | [6] |
| Stanley Roberts
|
Real Madrid (Spain) | Left LSU in 1990; playing professionally since the 1990–91 season | [7] |
Notes
edit- ^ Brian Williams changed his name to Bison Dele in 1998.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695.
- ^ "Dikembe Mutombo Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ a b "Sports Illustrated". Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ a b "1991 Underclassmen". The Draft Review. August 4, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Baldwin, Mike (December 8, 1991). "Dumas May Get a Chance". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: COLLEGE BASKETBALL; UConn's Henefeld Signs With Israeli Pro Team". The New York Times. August 11, 1990. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ Cress, Doug (May 13, 1991). "Roberts's Return Adds Beef to NBA Lottery". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Bison Dele Bio". NBA. Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. Retrieved June 30, 2013.