| 1990 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | June 27, 1990 |
| Location | Felt Forum,Madison Square Garden (New York City,New York)[1] |
| Network | TNT |
| Overview | |
| 54 total selections in2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Derrick Coleman (New Jersey Nets) |
| Hall of Famers | |
The1990NBA draft took place on June 27, 1990, in New York City, New York. One of the standouts of this draft isBasketball Hall of FamerGary Payton.[2][3] He became a nine-time All-Star, achieved theNBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1996, won an NBA Championship with theMiami Heat in 2006, holds many statistical records during his tenure with the since rebranded and relocatedSeattle SuperSonics, and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2013.
The top pick of the draft was Syracuse'sDerrick Coleman who was selected by theNew Jersey Nets. In total, 52 of the 54 players selected went on to play at least one competitive game in the NBA, and six players were at some point of their career selected to play in theNBA All-Star Game. One player who had been projected to be a lottery pick as well as possibly the number one by media outlets and draft analysts was Loyola Marymount'sHank Gathers, who died of a heart condition in March 1990 after collapsing during a game.
| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least oneAll-Star Game andAll-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least oneAll-Star Game |
| x | Denotes player who has been selected for at least oneAll-NBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game |
These players were not selected in the 1990 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Askins | F |  United States | Alabama(Sr.) |
| Cedric Ball | SF | United States | Charlotte(Sr.) |
| David Benoit | SF | United States | Alabama(Sr.) |
| Matt Bullard | F | United States | Iowa(Sr.) |
| Rick Calloway | SG | United States | Kansas(Sr.) |
| Richard Coffey | SF | United States | Minnesota(Sr.) |
| Marty Conlon | PF/C |  Ireland | Providence(Sr.) |
| Michael Curry | SG/SF | United States | Georgia Southern(Sr.) |
| Dan Godfread | C | United States | Evansville(Sr.) |
| Andrés Guibert | PF/C |  Cuba | Cantera Instituto Manuel Fajardo(Cuba) |
| Tony Harris | SG | United States | New Orleans(Sr.) |
| Skeeter Henry | SG | United States | Oklahoma(Sr.) |
| Brian Howard | SF | United States | NC State(Sr.) |
| Kurk Lee | PG | United States | Towson(Sr.) |
| Ian Lockhart | SF |  The Bahamas | Tennessee(Sr.) |
| Tharon Mayes | SG | United States | Florida State(Sr.) |
| Chris Munk | PF | United States | USC(Sr.) |
| Melvin Newbern | SG | United States | Minnesota(Sr.) |
| Dan O'Sullivan | C/PF | United States | Fordham(Sr.) |
| Alan Ogg | C | United States | UAB(Sr.) |
| Anthony Pullard | PF | United States | McNeese State(Sr.) |
| Eldridge Recasner | G | United States | Washington(Sr.) |
| Larry Robinson | SF/SG | United States | Centenary(Sr.) |
| Irving Thomas | PF | United States | Florida State(Sr.) |
| Stephen Thompson | SG | United States | Syracuse(Sr.) |
| Andy Toolson | SG/SF | United States | BYU(Sr.) |
| Scott Williams | C/PF | United States | North Carolina(Sr.) |
For the eighth year in a row and the twelfth time in thirteen years, no college underclassman would withdraw their entry into the NBA draft. Not only that, but this would be the fifth year in a row where a player that qualified for the status of a "college underclassman" would be playing professional basketball overseas, with formerGrambling State University player Jesse Spinner going toAustria to play professionally for the Sefra Tyrolia. Including him, that expands the number of underclassmen for this year out to fourteen total players. Regardless, the followingcollege basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[5]
Kelvin Ardister – F,Idaho (junior) Herb Barthol – C,Cleveland State (junior)
Gabriel Estaba – F,South Alabama (junior) David Shon Henderson – G,Idaho (junior)Carl Herrera – F,Houston (junior)Sean Higgins – F,Michigan (junior)Chris Jackson – G,LSU (sophomore)Marcus Liberty – F,Illinois (junior)Kenny Miller – F,Barton County CC (junior)Jerrod Mustaf – F,Maryland (sophomore)Dennis Scott – F,Georgia Tech (junior)
Per Stumer – F,Loyola Marymount (junior)Kenny Williams – F,Elizabeth City State (sophomore)This would be the fifth 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 a player didn't go out to either Italy or France to play overseas professionally first.
| Player | Team | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Spinner | Sefra Tyrolia (Austria) | LeftGrambling State in 1988; playing professionally since the 1989–90 season | [6] |
The 1990 NBA draft is considered to be the thirteenth NBA draft to have utilized what's properly considered the "green room" experience for NBA prospects. The NBA's green room is a staging area where anticipated draftees often sit with their families and representatives, waiting for their names to be called on draft night. Often being positioned either in front of or to the side of the podium (in this case, being positioned within the nearbyJacob Javits Center[7]), once a player heard his name, he would walk to the podium to shake hands and take promotional photos with the NBA commissioner. From there, the players often conducted interviews with various media outlets while backstage. From there, the players often conducted interviews with various media outlets while backstage. However, once the NBA draft started to air nationally on TV starting with the1980 NBA draft, the green room evolved from players waiting to hear their name called and then shaking hands with these select players who were often called to the hotel to take promotional pictures with the NBA commissioner a day or two after the draft concluded to having players in real-time waiting to hear their names called up and then shaking hands withDavid Stern, the NBA's newest commissioner at the time.[8] The NBA compiled its list of green room invites through collective voting by the NBA's team presidents and general managers alike, which in this year's case belonged to only what they believed were the top 17 prospects at the time.[9] Despite the large amount of invites and them successfully avoiding any inviting prospects waiting into the second round (following the tragic passing of potential #1 pickHank Gathers), some notable absences from this group includeTyrone Hill fromXavier University,Jayson Williams fromSt. John's University, future Hall of FamerToni Kukoč,Antonio Davis fromUTEP, andCedric Ceballos fromCal State Fullerton. Even so, the following players were invited to attend this year's draft festivities live and in person.[7]
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Alaa Abdelnaby – PF/C,DukeDee Brown – SG,JacksonvilleWillie Burton – SG,MinnesotaDuane Causwell – C,TempleDerrick Coleman – PF/C,SyracuseKendall Gill – SG,IllinoisChris Jackson – PG,LSUAlec Kessler – PF,GeorgiaBo Kimble – SG,Loyola MarymountTravis Mays – PG,TexasGary Payton – PG,Oregon StateRumeal Robinson – PG,MichiganDwayne Schintzius – C,FloridaDennis Scott – SG/SF,Georgia TechLionel Simmons – SF,La SalleFelton Spencer – C,LouisvilleLoy Vaught – PF,Michigan
