By Jon Teitel
jon.teitel@hotmail.com
June 15th, 2006
NBA Draft:
Top Early Entry Picks
Even though it seems like a recent trend,
there's nothing new about underclassmen going pro. Since the
mid-seventies, stars like Adrian Dantley, Bernard King, and Magic Johnson
failed to complete four years of college basketball. In fact, in every
Draft of the last 30 years, at least one early entrant has gone on to have a
lengthy and successful NBA career. Here is our ranking of the top
underclassman to come out of each NBA Draft since 1976. To think that
this list does not even include Larry Bird or Dwyane Wade, you realize just
how much underclassmen have shaped the NBA landscape for decades.
Year
Name
School/grade
Team
Rd.
1976
Adrian Dantley
Notre Dame/JR
Buffalo
1
1977
Bernard King
Tennessee/JR
New York
1
1978
Reggie Theus
UNLV/JR
Chicago
1
1979
Magic Johnson
Michigan State/SO
Los Angeles
1
1980
Jeff Ruland
Iona/JR
Golden St
2
1981
Isiah Thomas
Indiana/SO
Detroit
1
1982
Dominique Wilkins
Georgia/JR
Utah
1
1983
Clyde Drexler
Houston/JR
Portland
1
1984
Michael Jordan
North Carolina/JR
Chicago
1
1985
Karl Malone
Louisiana Tech/JR
Utah
1
1986
John Williams
Louisiana State/SO
Washington
1
1987
Derrick McKey
Alabama/JR
Seattle
1
1988
Rod Strickland
DePaul/JR
New York
1
1989
Shawn Kemp
Trinity Valley
CC/FR
Seattle
1
1990
Dennis Scott
Georgia Tech/JR
Orlando
1
1991
Kenny Anderson
Georgia Tech/SO
New Jersey
1
1992
Shaquille O’Neal
Louisiana State/JR
Orlando
1
1993
Chris Webber
Michigan/SO
Orlando
1
1994
Jason Kidd
California/SO
Dallas
1
1995
Kevin Garnett
Farragut Academy/HS
Minnesota
1
1996
Kobe Bryant
Lower Merion/HS
Charlotte
1
1997
Chauncey Billups
Colorado/SO
Boston
1
1998
Paul Pierce
Kansas/JR
Boston
1
1999
Elton Brand
Duke/SO
Chicago
1
2000
Michael Redd
Ohio State/JR
Milwaukee
2
2001
Gilbert Arenas
Arizona/SO
Golden St
2
2002
Amare Stoudemire
Cypress Creek HS
Phoenix
1
2003
LeBron James
St.
Vincent-St. Mary’s HS
Cleveland
1
2004
Dwight Howard
SW
Atlanta Christian HS
Orlando
1
2005
Chris
Paul
Georgia Tech/SO
N.
Orleans
1
2006 N BA
Draft Home
|
Player Profiles & Ranking
|
2007 NBA
Draft
|
Daily Draft News
College
Basketball
Fan Shop
- COLLEGE -
Air Force Falcons
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alaska Seawolves
American Eagles
Arizona State Sun Devils
Arizona Wildcats
Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas State Indians
Army Black Knights
Auburn Tigers
Ball State Cardinals
Baylor Bears
Boise State Broncos
Boston College Eagles
Boston Terriers
Bowling Green St. Falcons
Bradley Braves
Brown Bears
Buffalo Bulls
BYU Cougars
Cal Golden Bears
Cal State Fullerton Titans
Cent. Michigan Chippewas
Central Missouri Mules
Chicago Maroons
Cincinnati Bearcats
Citadel Bulldogs
Clemson Tigers
Cleveland State Vikings
Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado State Rams
Connecticut Huskies
Dartmouth Big Green
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
Depaul Blue Demons
Duke Blue Devils
E. Tenn. St. Buccaneers
East Carolina Pirates
Eastern Illinois Panthers
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Emory Golden Eagles
Florida A&M Rattlers
Florida Gators
Florida State Seminoles
Fresno State Bulldogs
Furman Paladins
GA Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia Southern Eagles
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Grambling Tigers
GW Colonials
Harvard Crimson
Hawaii Warriors
Houston Cougars
Idaho State Bengals
Idaho Vandals
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois State Redbirds
Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana State Sycamores
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa State Cyclones
Jackson State Tigers
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
JU Dolphins
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas State Wildcats
Kent Golden Flashes
Kentucky Wildcats
La Salle Explorers
Long Beach State 49ers
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns
Louisiana-Monroe Indians
Louisville Cardinals
LSU Tigers
Maine Blackbears
Marquette Golden Eagles
Marshall Thundering Herd
Maryland Terrapins
McNeese State Cowboys
Memphis Tigers
Miami Hurricanes
Michigan State Spartans
Michigan Wolverines
Mid. Tenn. St. Blue Raiders
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota State Mavericks
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Missouri Tigers
Montana Grizzlies
Murray St. Racers
N. Dakota Fighting Sioux
Navy Midshipmen
NC State Wolfpack
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska-Kearney Lopers
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Mexico Lobos
New Mexico State Aggies
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Texas Mean Green
Northern Illinois Huskies
Northern Iowa Panthers
Northwestern Wildcats
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Ohio Bobcats
Ohio State Buckeyes
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Ole Miss Rebels
Oregon Ducks
Oregon State Beavers
Penn State Nittany Lions
Pennsylvania Quakers
Pitt Panthers
Portland State Vikings
Princeton Tigers
Purdue Boilermakers
Rice Owls
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
S. Miss. Golden Eagles
S.E. Missouri State Indians
San Diego State Aztecs
San Jose State Spartans
Seton Hall Pirates
SMU Mustangs
South Carolina Gamecocks
South Florida Bulls
Southeastern Louisiana Lions
Southern Illinois Salukis
St. Johns Red Storm
Stanford Cardinal
Syracuse Orange
TCU Horned Frogs
Temple Owls
Tennessee Volunteers
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas Longhorns
Texas State Bobcats
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Toledo Rockets
Troy Trojans
Tulane Green Wave
Tulsa Hurricane
Tuskegee Golden Tigers
UCF Golden Knights
UCLA Bruins
UMASS Minutemen
UNF Ospreys
UNLV Runnin Rebels
USC Trojans
Utah State Aggies
Utah Utes
UTEP Miners
Vanderbilt Commodores
Vermont Catamounts
Villanova Wildcats
Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia Tech Hokies
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Washington Huskies
Washington State Cougars
Weber State Wildcats
West Virginia Mountaineers
Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Kentucky Hilltopers
Western Michigan Broncos
Wichita State Shockers
William & Mary Tribe
Wisconsin Badgers
Wyoming Cowboys
Xavier Musketeers
Yale Bulldogs
Youngstown State Penguins
CHN HEADLINES
