The 1990 NBA Draft produced six eventual NBA All-Stars: Derrick
Coleman, Gary Payton, Tyrone Hill, Jayson Williams, Antonio Davis
and Cedric Ceballos. Payton became the greatest individual star of
the class, earning nine All-Star selections and becoming one of the
NBA's premier defensive guards.
The class also included future Hall of Famer Toni Kukoč, who was
selected by Chicago in the second round and remained in Europe
before beginning his NBA career in 1993. Other notable selections
included Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Dennis Scott, Kendall Gill, Elden
Campbell, Bimbo Coles, Jud Buechler and Tony Massenburg.
Teams below represent the franchises that held and exercised each
selection at the time of the draft. Players who were traded after
being selected remain listed with the team that originally made
the selection.
Derrick Coleman: New Jersey selected Coleman first
overall after a standout career at Syracuse. He immediately made an
impact, averaging 18.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while
winning the 1990-91 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Gary Payton: Seattle selected Payton second overall
out of Oregon State. He became the defining player of the 1990
draft class, spending his prime with the SuperSonics and developing
into one of the greatest defensive point guards in NBA history.
Hall of Fame career: Payton earned nine NBA
All-Star selections, nine consecutive All-Defensive First Team
selections and was named the 1995-96 NBA Defensive Player of the
Year. He helped Seattle reach the 1996 NBA Finals and later won
the 2006 NBA championship with Miami. Payton entered the
Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Chris Jackson / Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: Denver used
the third pick on LSU guard Chris Jackson, who changed his name
to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1991. He became one of the NBA's most
dangerous shooters and scorers during the first half of the 1990s
and won the 1992-93 NBA Most Improved Player Award.
Six All-Stars: Six players selected in 1990
eventually appeared in an NBA All-Star Game: Derrick Coleman,
Gary Payton, Tyrone Hill, Jayson Williams, Antonio Davis and
Cedric Ceballos.
Toni Kukoč: Chicago used the 29th overall pick
on Yugoslavian star Toni Kukoč. He remained in Europe for three
more seasons before joining the Bulls in 1993 and became a major
part of Chicago's second championship three-peat.
Second-round Hall of Famer: Kukoč won NBA
championships with Chicago in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and was named
the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1996. His accomplishments in
both European and NBA basketball eventually earned him induction
into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Seattle's lottery jump: The SuperSonics entered
the 1990 NBA Draft Lottery with long odds but moved all the way
up to the No. 2 selection. Seattle used the pick on Payton, who
became the cornerstone of the franchise throughout the 1990s.
Miami-Denver trade: Miami originally held the
third overall selection but traded it to Denver shortly before
the draft. Denver selected Chris Jackson, while Miami received
the ninth and 15th selections and used them on Willie Burton and
Dave Jamerson.
Dave Jamerson and Alec Kessler: More movement
followed on draft night. Houston selected Alec Kessler at No. 12,
while Miami selected Dave Jamerson at No. 15 and Carl Herrera at
No. 30. Miami then traded the rights to Jamerson and Herrera to
Houston for Kessler.
Bimbo Coles: Sacramento selected Virginia Tech
guard Bimbo Coles with the 40th pick and then traded his rights
to Miami for veteran guard Rory Sparrow. Coles went on to play
14 NBA seasons.
Jud Buechler: Seattle selected Buechler at
No. 38 before his rights went to New Jersey. Buechler later
became a valuable reserve on the Chicago Bulls teams that won
three consecutive NBA championships from 1996 through 1998.
International pick swap: Phoenix selected
Yugoslavian center Miloš Babić at No. 50 and Cleveland selected
Italian center Stefano Rusconi at No. 52. Their rights were then
exchanged. Both players eventually appeared in the NBA.
Cedric Ceballos: Phoenix found one of the draft's
best values with the 48th pick. Ceballos became an NBA All-Star
with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1995 and won the 1992 NBA Slam
Dunk Contest.
Antonio Davis: Indiana selected Davis 45th
overall out of UTEP. He initially played professionally in Europe
before joining the Pacers in 1993. Davis developed into a
longtime NBA big man and earned an All-Star selection with
Toronto in 2001.
Tyrone Hill: Golden State selected Hill 11th
overall out of Xavier. He became an NBA All-Star with Cleveland
in 1995 and played 14 seasons in the league.
Jayson Williams: Phoenix selected the St. John's
big man 21st overall. Williams later became an elite rebounder
with the New Jersey Nets and earned an NBA All-Star selection
in 1998.
Elden Campbell: The Lakers selected Campbell with
the final pick of the first round. He played 15 NBA seasons,
scored more than 10,000 career points and later won the 2004 NBA
championship as a member of the Detroit Pistons.
Tony Massenburg: San Antonio selected Massenburg
43rd overall. He eventually played for 12 different NBA
franchises and was a member of the Spurs' 2005 NBA championship
team.
Hank Gathers: Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers
had been considered a major 1990 NBA prospect before his death
after collapsing during a college game in March 1990. His
Loyola Marymount teammate Bo Kimble was selected eighth overall
by the Los Angeles Clippers.
54 selections: The NBA had 27 franchises in
1990, producing 27 selections in each of the draft's two rounds.
Of the 54 players selected, 52 eventually appeared in at least
one NBA regular-season or playoff game.
