Luka Doncic was born in Slovenia in 1999 and before playing in the NBA, played for the Spanish basketball team Real Madrid. He was the youngest player (at sixteen years old) to play for the senior Real Madrid team. In the 2018 NBA draft, he was selected third overall by the Atlanta Hawks and was then traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
In a game in October 2018 he became the youngest Mavericks player to score more than twenty points in a game. He was selected to the All-Rookie First Team and was voted Rookie of the Year in 2019, becoming only the second European player to do so (Pau Gasol of Spain was the first).
He beat out Trae Young and Deandre Ayton.
2. Michael Jordan
Answer: 1985
In the 1984 NBA draft, Michael Jordan was selected third (behind Hakeem Olajuwan and Sam Bowie). He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls and played with them until 1993 when he left the NBA to play baseball, and then again from 1995 to 1998 when he returned to professional basketball. During his rookie year, he helped to make the Bulls a playoff contender (they had only won thirty-five percent of their regular season games the season before).
He appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" with the caption "A Star is Born" and was so popular that apparently his team-mates were not happy with the amount of attention he was receiving and stopped involving him in game play (which seemed to have no impact on him whatsoever).
He beat out Hakeem Olajuwan for Rookie of the Year.
3. Shaquille O'Neal
Answer: 1993
O'Neal was drafted first overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic and in his first week as an NBA player was named Player of the Week. He was the first rookie to do so. He was also the first rookie to be named an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan and he beat out Alonzo Mourning for the Rookie of the Year award.
He played in the NBA from 1992 to 2011, playing for six teams that included the Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. He won four championships during his NBA career and was named Finals MVP three times.
4. LeBron James
Answer: 2004
James played both football and basketball extremely well but decided to go with basketball as a professional career. "King James" was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft. In his first game he set a record for the most points scored by a player who joined the NBA directly from high school.
He was the first Cavalier to receive the Rookie of the Year award, beating out superstars such as Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Funnily enough, the three of them would team up to play for Miami Heat starting in the 2010-11 season, which left a bad taste in the mouths of many Cavs fans (and Raptors fans which is who Bosh left to play for the Heat). LeBron was in eight consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2018, with both the Cavaliers and the Heat.
5. Kevin Durant
Answer: 2008
Durant was chosen second overall by the Seattle Supersonics in the 2007 NBA draft. In his rookie year, he averaged 20.3 points per game and at the age of nineteen, was the third teenager (behind LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony) to average more than twenty points per game.
He beat out the likes of Al Horford, Jamario Moon and Thaddeus Young for the Rookie of the Year award. After his first year, the Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. He stayed with them until 2016 before moving to the Golden State Warriors and winning back to back NBA championships.
6. Andrew Wiggins
Answer: 2015
I have to have a Canadian player in the quiz! Andrew Wiggins was born in Toronto, Ontario and was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014 NBA draft. Wiggins was the second Canadian to be drafted first overall, behind Anthony Bennett.
A few months after being drafted he was moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade deal and debuted with them in October, 2014. He was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in his first two months playing in the NBA and won the Rising Stars Challenge MVP.
He was voted Rookie of the Year over Marcus Smart and Nikola Mirotic.
7. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Answer: 1970
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was picked first in the 1969 NBA draft, by the Milwaukee Bucks. At the time, he was offered many dollars to play for the Harlem Globetrotters but turned them down. When he joined, the Bucks were only in their second season as a team and he helped them finish second overall in the Eastern division. During a game in 1970, he scored over fifty points and he finished the season ranking second in the league in scoring and third in the league in rebounding.
He set a record for rookies of more than ten playoff games with more than twenty points scored per game.
He played for two teams during his twenty year career, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
8. Tim Duncan
Answer: 1998
In the 1997 NBA draft, Duncan was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and he spent his entire nineteen year professional career with them. During his incredible tenure with them he won the NBA championship five times. He's also a two-time NBA MVP and was named an NBA All-Star fifteen times. During his time with the Spurs, he garnered respect for his mental toughness and defensive capabilities.
In his second road game with the team he grabbed twenty-two rebounds against Dennis Rodman (who himself was a rebounding champion and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year).
He was named NBA Rookie of the Month every single month during his first season in the NBA.
9. Allen Iverson
Answer: 1997
Allen Iverson was the first overall draft pick in the 1996 draft and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers. During his first season with the team, he broke Wilt Chamberlain's record for three straight games scoring more than fifty points (he did it for five straight games), had the third highest scoring total for a debut game by a rookie and in a famous NBA moment very memorably crossed over Michael Jordan. What I find extraordinary about the 1997 award is not that Iverson won, given his accomplishments, but that five players were voted on and not one of them was the great Kobe Bryant, who was drafted in the same year!
10. Vince Carter
Answer: 1999
Vince Carter was initially drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 1998 draft but was traded to the Toronto Raptors. While there he earned all kinds of nicknames for his athleticism and showmanship including "Air Canada", "Vinsanity", and "Half Man, Half Amazing." Before retiring in 2020 he played in twenty-two seasons and four decades.
He was named the Rookie of the Year in 1999, beating out Jason Williams and Paul Pierce. He finished his career with the Atlanta Hawks and I was one of those fans who thought he should've been brought back to the Raptors to finish out his storied career!
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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