| 1992 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 24, 1992 |
| Location | Memorial Coliseum (Portland, Oregon) |
| Network(s) | TNT |
| Overview | |
| 54 total selections in2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Shaquille O'Neal (Orlando Magic) |
The1992NBA draft took place on June 24, 1992, atMemorial Coliseum inPortland, Oregon. The draft is considered to be one of the deepest inNBA history. The top three picks (Shaquille O'Neal,Alonzo Mourning,Christian Laettner) were considered can't-miss prospects. All three are Hall of Famers (Naismith &FIBA); O'Neal and Mourning are (individual) player-inducted, whereas Laettner is team-inducted. Laettner made one All-Star game in his career and was an Olympic Gold Medalist on the1992 Dream Team, but did not live up to the lofty expectations set for him. The trio would end up playing together on the2005 Miami Heat. Two other players went on to become All-Stars (Tom Gugliotta once,Latrell Sprewell four times) and several others had solid careers (Jimmy Jackson,Robert Horry,Doug Christie,P.J. Brown,LaPhonso Ellis,Jon Barry,Walt Williams,Anthony Peeler, andClarence Weatherspoon).Harold Miner, who was given the nickname "Baby Jordan" because of his similarities toMichael Jordan, slipped to number 12 and, other than winning twoslam dunk contests, only had a brief, uneventful, and injury prone four-year career.
This was the first time the NBA draft was held outside ofNew York.[1] It is the only draft where the first three picks werecenters.
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| G | Guard | PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | F | Forward | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| ^ | Denotesplayer who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotesplayer who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game andAll-NBA Team |
| + | Denotesplayer who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| x | Denotesplayer who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
These players were not selected in the 1992 NBA draft but have played at least one game in the NBA.
For the tenth year in a row and the fourteenth time in fifteen years, no college underclassman would withdraw their entry into the NBA draft. Not only that, but this would also be the first year since1985 where no underclassmen playing overseas would enter the NBA draft and would be the first draft since1986 with no foreign-born underclassmen as well. This year would see a total of sixteen college underclassmen entering the draft. The followingcollege basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[3]
Ameer Aziz – F,Saint Paul's (Virginia) (junior) John Beauford – C,Southern Poly (junior) Anthony Cade – F,Seminole JC (sophomore) Mark Chappell – G,Iowa State (junior) Dallas Lee Cothrum – G,Austin (junior)Jim Jackson – G,Ohio State (junior) Troy King – F,Beaver County CC (sophomore) Benny Maxwell – G,Western New Mexico (junior)Harold Miner – G,USC (junior)Tracy Murray – F,UCLA (junior)Shaquille O'Neal – C,LSU (junior)Melvin Robinson – C,Arizona State (junior) Tony Scott – F,Texas A&M (junior) Jeff Theiler – F,La Verne (junior) Mike Wawrzyniak – G,Cleveland State (junior)Marcus Webb – F,Alabama (junior)
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