1998 NBA Draft

The 1998 NBA Draft produced one of the strongest groups of players of the late 1990s. Michael Olowokandi went first overall, but the class also included Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Mike Bibby, Jason Williams, Rashard Lewis, Cuttino Mobley and several other longtime NBA players.

Five players from the draft eventually became NBA All-Stars: Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce and Rashard Lewis. Nowitzki and Pierce became NBA Finals MVPs, while Carter developed into one of the longest-tenured players in league history.

Teams listed below are the teams credited with making each original draft selection. This is especially important for the 1998 draft, which featured several major draft-night trades involving Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Dirk Nowitzki and Robert Traylor.

Michael Olowokandi: The Los Angeles Clippers selected the Pacific center with the first overall pick. Olowokandi became the first player from the University of the Pacific to be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.

Five All-Stars: The 1998 draft produced five eventual NBA All-Stars: Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce and Rashard Lewis.

Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison: Toronto selected Jamison fourth overall and Golden State selected Carter fifth. The former North Carolina teammates were then traded for one another, with Carter going to Toronto and Jamison joining Golden State.

Dirk Nowitzki: Milwaukee selected Nowitzki ninth overall from Germany, but his draft rights were immediately traded to Dallas. Nowitzki spent his entire 21-season NBA career with the Mavericks, won the 2006-07 NBA MVP Award and led Dallas to the 2011 NBA championship, earning Finals MVP honors.

Robert Traylor trade: Dallas selected Michigan forward Robert Traylor sixth overall and traded his rights to Milwaukee for the rights to Dirk Nowitzki and Pat Garrity. Dallas then used Garrity in another transaction that brought Steve Nash back to the Mavericks.

Paul Pierce: Boston selected Pierce 10th overall out of Kansas. Pierce became a 10-time All-Star, spent 15 seasons with the Celtics and led Boston to the 2008 NBA championship, winning Finals MVP.

Rashard Lewis: Seattle selected Lewis with the 32nd overall pick after he entered the draft directly from Alief Elsik High School in Texas. Lewis became a two-time NBA All-Star and later won an NBA championship with Miami in 2013.

Second-round value: Lewis was the only second-round selection from the class to become an All-Star, but the round also produced several longtime NBA players, including Rafer Alston, Cuttino Mobley, Greg Buckner, Sean Marks, Ruben Patterson and Ryan Bowen.

High school selections: Indiana selected Al Harrington 25th overall directly from St. Patrick High School in New Jersey. Seattle selected Rashard Lewis at No. 32 out of Alief Elsik High School, while Detroit selected Korleone Young at No. 40 after his season at Hargrave Military Academy.

International growth: The first round included Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, Rasho Nesterović from Kinder Bologna, Mirsad Türkcan from Efes Pilsen and Vladimir Stepania from Olimpija. Their selections reflected the NBA's rapidly increasing interest in international talent during the late 1990s.

Deep class: In addition to the five All-Stars, the 1998 draft produced Mike Bibby, Jason Williams, Larry Hughes, Bonzi Wells, Michael Dickerson, Matt Harpring, Al Harrington, Tyronn Lue, Nazr Mohammed, Rafer Alston and Cuttino Mobley.