2001 NBA re-draft: The way it should have been
The 2001 NBA draft is remembered most for one thing: It featured one of the worst top overall picks in draft history with the Washington Wizards selection Kwame Brown first overall.
Brown would go on to spend 12 seasons in the NBA, playing for seven different clubs in that span and averaging 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds for his career.
Making the selection even worse in hindsight is the fact that the next two picks, Tyson Chandler and Pau Gasol respectively, were also big men, but two who went on to have long, productive, championship-winning careers.
The 2001 class also features, along with the aforementioned Gasol, Tony Parker, who went 28th overall to the San Antonio Spurs, meaning the 2001 crop featured not one, but two of the best international players ever.
That year’s draft class was also rather deep, with other notable players taken that year including Joe Johnson, Richard Jefferson, Zach Randolph, Shane Battier and Gerald Wallace, as well as memorable Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson.
There was also a guy named Gilbert Arenas drafted that year, who some of you may remember for the way his career ended, but whose peak included a campaign in which he averaged over 29 points and six assists per contest.
It may not be the best draft class ever (far from it, actually), but it was a solid group overall, one that featured at least two players who make a strong case to be considered for the Hall of Fame one day.
Below, check out the 2001 NBA re-draft, with the players taken in the order we believe they should have gone in.