The 2023 NBA Draft was defined by Victor Wembanyama, one of the most
anticipated prospects to enter the league in decades. After winning
the NBA Draft Lottery, San Antonio selected the 7-foot-4 French
center first overall. He became the third No. 1 overall selection
in Spurs history, following David Robinson in 1987 and Tim Duncan
in 1997.
Charlotte selected Alabama forward Brandon Miller second overall,
while Portland selected G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson third.
Houston and Detroit then made NBA history by selecting twin brothers
Amen and Ausar Thompson with consecutive picks at Nos. 4 and 5.
The draft also featured several significant draft-night trades.
Indiana and Washington exchanged the rights to Bilal Coulibaly and
Jarace Walker, while Dallas and Oklahoma City exchanged Cason Wallace
and Dereck Lively II. Numerous additional selections changed teams
later in the first and second rounds.
Only 58 players were selected. Chicago and Philadelphia had each
forfeited a second-round selection after NBA investigations found
violations of league rules governing the timing of free-agency
discussions.
58 selections: The 2023 NBA Draft contained
30 first-round selections and 28 second-round selections. Chicago
and Philadelphia each forfeited a second-round pick because of
violations of NBA rules governing the timing of free-agency
discussions.
Victor Wembanyama: San Antonio selected French
center Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick. The Spurs
had won the NBA Draft Lottery after entering with a 14 percent
chance of receiving the top selection.
Spurs No. 1 picks: Wembanyama became the third
player selected first overall by San Antonio, following David
Robinson in 1987 and Tim Duncan in 1997.
Rookie of the Year: Wembanyama won the 2023-24
NBA Rookie of the Year Award unanimously after averaging
21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a league-leading
3.6 blocked shots per game.
Brandon Miller: Charlotte selected Alabama
forward Brandon Miller second overall. Miller earned NBA
All-Rookie First Team honors during his first season with
the Hornets.
Scoot Henderson: Portland selected G League
Ignite guard Scoot Henderson with the third pick. Henderson had
entered the professional ranks as a teenager and spent two
seasons with Ignite before entering the NBA Draft.
Thompson twins: Houston selected Amen Thompson
fourth overall and Detroit selected his identical twin brother
Ausar Thompson fifth. They became the first brothers in NBA
history to be selected within the top five of the same draft.
Overtime Elite: Amen and Ausar Thompson became
the first players from Overtime Elite to be selected in the
NBA Draft.
Coulibaly-Walker trade: Indiana selected French
forward Bilal Coulibaly seventh before trading his rights to
Washington. The Wizards selected Houston forward Jarace Walker
eighth and sent his rights to Indiana as part of the transaction.
Utah Jazz: Utah made three first-round selections,
taking UCF forward Taylor Hendricks ninth, Baylor guard Keyonte
George 16th and Ohio State forward Brice Sensabaugh 28th.
Dallas-Oklahoma City trade: Dallas selected
Kentucky guard Cason Wallace 10th and traded his rights to
Oklahoma City. The Thunder selected Duke center Dereck Lively II
12th and sent his rights to Dallas.
Dereck Lively II: Lively quickly became an
important part of Dallas' frontcourt and helped the Mavericks
reach the 2024 NBA Finals during his rookie season.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Miami selected UCLA forward
Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the 18th pick. He earned NBA All-Rookie
First Team honors in 2023-24.
Brandin Podziemski: Golden State selected Santa
Clara guard Brandin Podziemski 19th overall. He was also named
to the 2023-24 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Cam Whitmore: Houston selected Villanova forward
Cam Whitmore at No. 20 after he had been projected substantially
higher in many pre-draft evaluations.
Denver draft trades: The defending NBA champion
Denver Nuggets acquired the draft rights to Julian Strawther,
Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson through trades on draft night.
G League Ignite: Four Ignite players were selected:
Scoot Henderson at No. 3, Leonard Miller at No. 33, Sidy Cissoko
at No. 44 and Mojave King at No. 47.
France: The draft highlighted the growing French
pipeline to the NBA. Wembanyama went first overall, Bilal Coulibaly
went seventh and Rayan Rupert was selected 43rd.
Trayce Jackson-Davis: Washington selected Indiana
forward Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 57th pick before trading his
rights to Golden State. He became one of the draft's most productive
late second-round rookies.
Final selection: Milwaukee selected Kentucky
forward Chris Livingston with the 58th and final pick of the draft.
