2013 NBA draft | |
---|---|
General information | |
Sport | Basketball |
Date(s) | June 27, 2013 |
Location | Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York) |
Network(s) | ESPN |
Overview | |
60 total selections in 2 rounds | |
League | NBA |
First selection | Anthony Bennett (Cleveland Cavaliers) |
The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.[1] National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. State Farm was the presenting sponsor.[2] The lottery took place on May 21, 2013. This was the first draft for New Orleans under their new Pelicans name after playing as the New Orleans Hornets previously. It would also be the last draft for the Charlotte Bobcats under their old name, as they resumed playing under their old Hornets moniker that they last used in 2002 once the 2013–14 NBA season was over. Anthony Bennett, the first pick in the draft, had a very limited amount of media outlets considering him as a potential #1 pick in the draft.[3] He bounced around the league and then was finally released by the Brooklyn Nets in January 2017 after averaging just 5.2 PPG.[4]
The highlight of the draft was the Milwaukee Bucks’ selection of Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th overall pick, eventually becoming the best player of this class with two NBA MVP awards, one Defensive Player of the Year award, and an NBA championship in 2021. Another player from this draft, Rudy Gobert, won four Defensive Player of the Year awards. Michael Carter-Williams won the Rookie of the Year award that season but had an otherwise lackluster career. The draft also included the first Canadian number one overall selection (Anthony Bennett), the first Canadian pair of lottery picks (Bennett and Kelly Olynyk), the first Iranian draft choice (Arsalan Kazemi), the first New Zealander first round pick (Steven Adams), and the final first round draft selections announced by then-NBA commissioner David Stern, the last of which included a visit by Hakeem Olajuwon, the first pick Stern ever announced from the 1984 NBA draft. He was replaced by current commissioner Adam Silver beginning with the 2014 NBA draft.