With the 2012 NBA Draft coming up, everyone is talking about probable number 1 draft pick Anthony Davis.
Fear The Brow! Anthony Davis Trademarks His Facial Hair!
But the big question this year is “Who’s number 2?” With a loaded draft this year, things can go any number of ways and the Charlotte Bobcats will have many options to go to for their pick.
NBA Draftees Must Remember To Be Fake To Succeed!
So in honor of this number 2 debacle, we’ve compiled a list of great number 2 picks in NBA draft history.
Check it out!
[pagebreak]
First on the list is the savage forward Kevin Durant. Picked in 2007 by the then Seattle Sonics, now Oklahoma City Thunder, after Greg Oden was pegged as the next Shaquille O’Neal. Oden flopped, and Durant quickly established himself as a dominant player. The 3x all star has also won 3 scoring consecutive titles, averaging 26.3 points per game. This year, he led OKC to the NBA Finals, only to lose to the dominant Miami Heat. This will certainly not be the last we see of KD!
[pagebreak]
Alonzo Mourning was drafted by Charlotte Hornets after Shaquille O’Neal. Zo was a 7 time all star and had a career 8.5 rebounds per game. He led NBA in blocked shots with 3.91 per game in 1999.
[pagebreak]
Dave Bing was drafted by the Detroit Pistons and eclipsed the number 1 pick, Cazzie Russell. Bing made 7 all star teams. He averaged 20.3 points per game in his career and is hall of fame player. Detroit loved him so much that in 2009 he was elected mayor of Detroit and still holds office.
[pagebreak]
Gary Payton was drafted by the Seattle Sonics after Derrick Coleman in 1990. Payton made a whopping 9 all star teams. He is the only player in NBA history to accumulate 20,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals in a career.
[pagebreak]
Jason Kidd was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1994 after Glenn Robinson. Kidd is a 10 x all star with astronomical numbers. He has over 100 career triple doubles and is now the only player in NBA history with 15,000 points, 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds. The superstar point guard finally got a ring last year with his original team, when the Mavs beat the Heat in 2011.
[pagebreak]
Rick Barry was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors in 1965 after Fred Hetzel. Barry became an 8 time all star. He averaged 24.8 points per game and is no doubt a hall of famer.
He boasts a staggering 115 40 point games in a regular season professional career; 70 in the NBA and 45 in ABA. He is third in professional basketball history, after Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan for this.
Barry has also had fifteen 50+ point games, including a 55 point game in the NBA finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. He is fifth in NBA history for 50 point games.
[pagebreak]
Isiah Thomas was drafted by the Detroit Pistons after Mark Aguirre. Thomas was a 12 time all star. He averaged 9.3 assists per game. He has two rings and made the hall of fame in his first year of eligibility.
[pagebreak]
Bob Pettit was drafted by the Milwaukee Hawks in 1954 after Frank Selvy. Pettit became an all star in all 11 seasons that he played. During his tenure, he averaged 16.2 rebounds per game and 26.4 points per game. He easily reached the hall of fame.
In 1960, Pettit averaged 20.3 rebounds per game, making him one of only five players to ever break the 20 rpg barrier and in the next season, he shattered that with 31.1 points per game.
[pagebreak]
Jerry West was drafted by Lakers in 1960 after Oscar Robertson. West of West Virginia made 14 all star appearances. He averaged 27 points per game. West was once credited with 44 points with 12 rebounds, 12 assists and (unofficially counted) 10 blocked shots… a quadruple double.
West is universally seen as one of the greatest clutch players in NBA history. Hear that LeBron?
[pagebreak]
Bill Russell tops this list without a doubt. Drafted in 1956 by the St Louis Hawks after Sihugo Green, Russell annihilated the league. He has 11 championships with the Boston Celtics in 13 seasons. He is a five time MVP with 12 all star appearances and career averaged… 22.5 rebounds per game.
Russell’s 51 rebounds in a single game is the second highest performance ever, only trailing Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record of 55.
Russell is universally seen as one of the best NBA players ever.
