| 1995 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | June 28, 1995 |
| Location | SkyDome (Toronto, Ontario) |
| Networks | TNT, YTV |
| Overview | |
| 58 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Joe Smith (Golden State Warriors) |
| Hall of Famers | 1 |
The 1995 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1995, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft to be held outside the United States and was the first draft for the two Canadian expansion teams that were added for 1995–96 season, the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies (who relocated to Memphis in 2001). Kevin Garnett, who was taken fifth in this draft, is notable for being the first player in two decades to be selected straight out of high school (which would become more common over the next eleven drafts until the age requirement was increased to 19 years old in 2005 creating the one-and-done player). Garnett ultimately gathered fifteen All Star selections (Garnett was the first Minnesota Timberwolf to play in an NBA All-Star Game), nine All-NBA selections (four of those being First-Teams), one NBA MVP award, and multiple other accolades. Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse also had successful careers, being four-time and two-time All-Stars respectively. Wallace won an NBA championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons, while Stackhouse scored the most total points in the league in 2000, also with the Pistons.
The other remaining top selections had relatively productive careers, but were considered to have never reached their full potential. Joe Smith put up solid, but unspectacular numbers throughout his career and is generally considered a disappointment for a first overall selection. He was also involved in a salary cap scandal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.[1][2] Antonio McDyess was a one-time All-Star, but serious and continuing knee injuries decreased much of his effectiveness in the prime of his career. Damon Stoudamire was the 1995–96 NBA Rookie of the Year and had a solid career although he was arrested, suspended and fined several times for marijuana possession. Bryant Reeves impressed early in his career but a season after being granted a six-year, $61.8 million contract extension, his numbers went down due to weight and back problems and he retired after only playing six NBA seasons, all with the Vancouver Grizzlies.[3]
This draft was also notable for two storied NCAA players who failed to meet lofty expectations in the NBA, Ed O'Bannon and Shawn Respert.[4] O'Bannon had received national accolades for leading the UCLA Bruins to the NCAA Championship, but only played two years in the NBA. Respert played only four seasons in the NBA, while secretly hiding that he was suffering from stomach cancer.[5][6]
The Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors were not able to win the NBA draft lottery, due to pre-negotiated rules. This would extend into the 1997–1998 season.
Draft
[edit]
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| G | Guard | PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | F | Forward | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game |
Notable undrafted players
[edit]The following players went undrafted in the 1995 NBA Draft, but later played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Amaechi | C |  United Kingdom
|
Penn State (Sr.) |
| Corey Beck | PG |  United States
|
Arkansas (Sr.) |
| Rick Brunson | G | United States
|
Temple (Sr.) |
| John Coker | C | United States
|
Boise State (Sr.) |
| Nate Driggers | SG | United States
|
Montevallo (Sr.) |
| Devin Gray | SF | United States
|
Clemson (Sr.) |
| Michael Hawkins | PG | United States
|
Xavier (Sr.) |
| Gerard King | SF | United States
|
Nicholls State (Sr.) |
| Matt Maloney | G | United States
|
Penn (Sr.) |
| Clint McDaniel | SG | United States
|
Arkansas (Sr.) |
| Howard Nathan | PG | United States
|
Northwest Arkansas CC (Sr.) |
| Ruben Nembhard | PG/SG | United States
|
Weber State (Sr.) |
| Kevin Ollie | G | United States
|
Connecticut (Sr.) |
| Ray Owes | PF | United States
|
Arizona (Sr.) |
| James Scott | SF | United States
|
St. John's (Sr.) |
| Larry Sykes | PF | United States
|
Xavier (Sr.) |
| David Vanterpool | SG | United States
|
St. Bonaventure (Sr.) |
| Rubén Wolkowyski | C |  Argentina
|
Estudiantes de Olavarría (Argentina) |
Trades involving Draft picks
[edit]Draft-day trades
[edit]The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.
- a The Los Angeles Clippers traded Randy Woods and the draft rights of Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets for Rodney Rogers and the draft rights to Brent Barry.
Early entrants
[edit]College underclassmen
[edit]For the first time since 1982, the NBA would officially see college underclassmen players withdraw their entry into the NBA draft. Originally, nineteen underclassmen (including one player that was playing overseas at the time and one high schooler) had declared their entry for this year's draft, but the Lithuanian born Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Lithuania's Atletas Kaunas alongside Rodrick Rhodes from the University of Kentucky and John Wallace from the University of Syracuse would all officially withdraw their names from this year's draft before it began, which left only fifteen total underclassmen directly from college. However, this year would also be the first time since 1975 where high schoolers would be declared as eligible underclassmen for the NBA. As such, the official underclassmen count would increase from fifteen to sixteen total players with the inclusion of Farragut Academy standout phenom power forward Kevin Garnett, which started an eleven-year long trend of high school players declaring their eligibility for the NBA. Even so, the following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[7]
Cory Alexander – G, Virginia (junior)- Mario Bennett – F, Arizona State (junior)
- Chris Carr – G/F, Southern Illinois (junior)
- Michael Evans – Norfolk State (junior)
- Rashard Griffith – C, Wisconsin (sophomore)
- Martin Lewis – Seward CC (sophomore)
- Antonio McDyess – F, Alabama (sophomore)
- Joe Smith – F, Maryland (sophomore)
- Jerry Stackhouse – G, North Carolina (sophomore)
- Scotty Thurman – F, Arkansas (junior)
- Gary Trent – F, Ohio (junior)
- David Vaughn III – F, Memphis (junior)
- Rasheed Wallace – F, North Carolina (sophomore)
- Corliss Williamson – F, Arkansas (junior)
- Darroll Wright – G, Missouri Western (junior)
High school players
[edit]This year marked the first year since 1975 where high school players would be allowed entry into the NBA directly from high school. However, only one player during this year would go and take that route for this year. The following high school player successfully applied for early draft entrance.[7]
- Kevin Garnett – F, Farragut Academy (Chicago, Illinois)
Invited attendees
[edit]The 1995 NBA draft is considered to be the eighteenth 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 somewhere within the SkyDome in Toronto, Canada[8]), 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 the 1980 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 with David Stern, the NBA's newest commissioner at the time.[9] 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.[10] Despite the high number of invites, the only notable absence for this year's draft was Theo Ratliff from the University of Wyoming. Even so, the following players were invited to attend this year's draft festivities live and in person.[8]
- Michael Finley – SG/SF, Wisconsin
- Sherell Ford – SF/PF, UIC
- Kevin Garnett – PF, Farragut Academy (Chicago, Illinois)
- Alan Henderson – PF, Indiana
- Antonio McDyess – PF, Alabama
- Ed O'Bannon – SF, UCLA
- Cherokee Parks – C, Duke
- Bryant Reeves – C, Oklahoma State
- Shawn Respert – SG, Michigan State
- Joe Smith – PF, Maryland
- Jerry Stackhouse – SG/SF, North Carolina
- Damon Stoudamire – PG, Arizona
- Bob Sura – SG, Florida State
- Kurt Thomas – PF/C, Texas Christian
- Gary Trent – PF, Ohio
- Rasheed Wallace – PF/C, North Carolina
- Corliss Williamson – PF, Arkansas
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "NBA Draft Busts – Joe Smith". Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^ Millea, John (2000). "Lonewolf". The Sporting News.
- ^ "CNNSI.com: Say It Ain't So – Vancouver Grizzlies". Archived from the original on February 2, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^ NBA Draft busts, Sports Illustrated
- ^ Snyder, Kirk. "The NBA's Biggest Draft Busts of the Last 20 Years". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "Shawn Respert's NBA career was stunted by cancer". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "1995 Underclassmen". The Draft Review. August 4, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "1995 Green Room Invites - the Draft Review". Retrieved December 28, 2025.
- ^ Maurer, Matthew (February 18, 2024). "Draft Broadcasts - The Draft Review". The Draft Review. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
- ^ "Green Room - The Draft Review". The Draft Review. Retrieved December 28, 2025.