The 1988 NBA Draft was a transitional event in league history.
After using a seven-round format in 1987, the NBA reduced the draft
to three rounds in 1988. It proved to be the final three-round draft,
as the league adopted its familiar two-round format beginning in
1989.
Six members of the draft class became NBA All-Stars: Danny Manning,
Rik Smits, Mitch Richmond, Hersey Hawkins, Dan Majerle and Anthony
Mason. Richmond, selected fifth by Golden State, became the class's
Basketball Hall of Famer and won the 1988-89 NBA Rookie of the Year
Award.
The class was deep well beyond the lottery. Rod Strickland, Brian
Shaw, Grant Long, Vernon Maxwell, Steve Kerr and Anthony Mason all
developed into notable NBA players. Mason was particularly unusual:
Portland selected him 53rd overall in the third round, yet he
eventually became an NBA All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year.
The 1988 draft was also the first for the expansion Charlotte Hornets
and Miami Heat. Charlotte selected Kentucky guard Rex Chapman with
the eighth overall pick, while Miami selected Syracuse center Rony
Seikaly ninth.
Teams below represent the franchises that held and exercised each
selection. Players whose rights were traded after the selection
remain listed with the team that made the pick.
Last three-round draft: The NBA dramatically reduced
the draft from seven rounds in 1987 to only three rounds in 1988.
The reduction lasted just one year. Beginning with the 1989 NBA
Draft, the league moved permanently to the two-round format.
Danny Manning: The Los Angeles Clippers selected
Kansas star Danny Manning with the first overall pick. Manning had
just completed one of the most celebrated college careers of his
era, leading Kansas to the 1988 NCAA championship and earning NCAA
Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.
Manning's NBA career: Injuries affected Manning's
career, including a torn ACL during his rookie season, but he still
played 15 NBA seasons. He became a two-time NBA All-Star and won
the 1997-98 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award with Phoenix.
Rik Smits: Indiana selected 7-foot-4 Marist center
Rik Smits second overall. The Dutch center spent his entire 12-year
NBA career with the Pacers, became an NBA All-Star in 1998 and
helped Indiana reach the 2000 NBA Finals.
Mitch Richmond: Golden State selected Richmond
fifth overall from Kansas State. He immediately averaged 22.0 points
per game and won the 1988-89 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Hall of Fame career: Richmond became a six-time
NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection. He scored more than
20,000 career points, won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles
Lakers in 2002 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
in 2014.
Six All-Stars: Six players from the 1988 draft
eventually appeared in an NBA All-Star Game: Danny Manning, Rik
Smits, Mitch Richmond, Hersey Hawkins, Dan Majerle and Anthony
Mason.
Hersey Hawkins: The Clippers used the sixth pick
on Bradley scoring star Hersey Hawkins and then traded his rights
to Philadelphia. Hawkins became an NBA All-Star with the 76ers in
1991 and played 13 seasons in the league.
Dan Majerle: Phoenix acquired the No. 14 pick from
Cleveland as part of the Larry Nance-Kevin Johnson trade and used
it on Central Michigan's Dan Majerle. "Thunder Dan" became a
three-time NBA All-Star and a major part of the Suns team that
reached the 1993 NBA Finals.
Rod Strickland: The Knicks selected Strickland
19th overall after acquiring the pick from Chicago in the Charles
Oakley-Bill Cartwright trade. Strickland developed into one of the
NBA's best playmaking point guards and was named to the All-NBA
Second Team in 1998.
Charlotte's first pick: The expansion Charlotte
Hornets used the eighth overall selection on Kentucky guard Rex
Chapman. Chapman therefore became the first draft selection in
Hornets franchise history.
Miami's first pick: The expansion Miami Heat
selected Syracuse center Rony Seikaly ninth overall. Seikaly became
the first draft pick in Heat history and later won the 1989-90 NBA
Most Improved Player Award.
Expansion-draft maneuvering: Miami also obtained
the No. 20 selection from Dallas in exchange for agreeing not to
select certain Mavericks players in the 1988 NBA Expansion Draft.
The Heat used the pick on DePaul guard Kevin Edwards.
Grant Long: Miami found another major piece at
No. 33 in the second round. Long played more than 1,000 NBA games
during an 18-year career and spent his first six seasons with the
Heat.
Steve Kerr: Phoenix selected Arizona guard Steve
Kerr with the 50th and final pick of the second round. Kerr became
one of the league's most accurate three-point shooters and won five
NBA championships as a player: three with Chicago and two with San
Antonio.
Vernon Maxwell: Denver selected Maxwell 47th
overall out of Florida. He later became a key member of the Houston
Rockets and started for their 1994 NBA championship team.
Anthony Mason: Portland selected Tennessee State
forward Anthony Mason 53rd overall in the third round. Mason did not
immediately establish himself in the NBA, but eventually developed
into one of the most productive players from the entire draft.
Third-round All-Star: Mason won the 1994-95 NBA
Sixth Man of the Year Award with New York, made the 1996-97 All-NBA
Third Team and earned his first NBA All-Star selection with Miami
in 2001. His career illustrates the value that could still be found
in the later rounds of older NBA drafts.
Jorge González: Atlanta selected 7-foot-7 Argentine
center Jorge González with the 54th pick. González never played in
the NBA but later became internationally famous as professional
wrestler Giant González in World Championship Wrestling and the
World Wrestling Federation.
Ricky Grace: Utah selected Oklahoma guard Ricky
Grace 67th overall. Grace appeared briefly in the NBA but became
one of the most accomplished players in Australian basketball,
spending most of his professional career with the Perth Wildcats.
Brian Shaw: Boston selected Shaw 24th overall from
UC Santa Barbara. He played 14 NBA seasons and later won three
consecutive championships with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000
through 2002.
Will Perdue and Rod Strickland: Chicago and New
York exchanged first-round picks as part of the Charles Oakley-Bill
Cartwright trade immediately before the draft. Chicago used No. 11
on Will Perdue, while New York used No. 19 on Rod Strickland.
Notable undrafted talent: The 1988 class also
produced several NBA players who were not among the 75 selections.
John Starks became an NBA All-Star with the New York Knicks, while
Avery Johnson went on to play 16 NBA seasons and started at point
guard for San Antonio's 1999 championship team.
75 selections: Twenty-five NBA franchises
participated in the three-round draft, creating 75 selections.
Basketball-Reference records 58 of the 75 drafted players as
eventually appearing in the NBA.
