This Day in Atlanta Hawks Draft History

Avent was traded five days after the draft and would ultimately play six seasons in the league.

Monroe was a three-time All-ACC selection and scored 2,551 points with the Wolfpack, but averaged just 3.4 points in 38 career NBA games.

The first pick in the draft was Larry Johnson, Augmon’s college teammate and one of three UNLV players selected in the first round. The No. 2 pick was Georgia Tech star Kenny Anderson and the No. 4 pick – from the Denver Nuggets – was Georgetown center Dikembe Mutombo.

After signing with the Hawks as a free agent in 1996, Mutombo was a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year in five seasons in Atlanta. His No. 55 jersey was retired by the franchise, and he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2015.

1996: Priest Lauderdale, Central State (first round, 28th overall)

The 7-foot-4 center averaged 3.2 points in 35 games during his rookie season with the Hawks. Lauderdale played 39 games for Denver the following season, his last in the league.

Allen Iverson was the first pick, former Mr. Georgia Basketball Shareef Abdur-Rahim was selected third, and Kobe Bryant was the 13th pick. Georgia’s Shandon Anderson was the 54th of 58 picks in the draft and would play 10 seasons in the league, winning a title with Miami in 2006.

2002: David Andersen, Australia (second round, 37th overall)

The Australian only made his NBA debut in the 2009-10 season, his first of two seasons in the league.

The first pick in the draft was Yao Ming and the final first-round pick (guard Dan Dickau) ultimately landed in Atlanta after a night trade. He averaged 3.2 points in 73 games with the Hawks.

Yao Ming was selected No. 1 in the draft while the ninth, 10th and 23rd picks (Amar’e Stoudamire, Caron Butler and Tayshaun Prince) each played 14 seasons in the league.

2003: Boris Diaw, France (first round, 21st overall); Travis Hansen, BYU (second round, 37th overall)

Diaw played two seasons in Atlanta before being included in a trade that brought Joe Johnson to Atlanta in 2005. Averaged 8.6 points over a 14-year NBA career.

Hansen played all 41 of his career NBA games with the Hawks during the 2003-04 season.

The first overall pick in the 2003 draft – LeBron James – just completed his 21st season.

Other notable second-round picks… five spots after Hansen, Orlando selected Zaza Pachulia – who spent eight of his 16 NBA seasons in Atlanta.

And the 51st pick in 2003 was a sharpshooter from Creighton named Kyle Korver, a 17-year NBA veteran who is now part of the Hawks’ brain trust and will pick first in tonight’s draft.

2008: No picks in the first or second round

2014: Adreian Payne, Michigan State (first round, 15th overall); Edy Tavares (second round, 43rd overall)

The former Michigan State star has played just three games with the Hawks and 107 in his four-year NBA career. Tavares has played 12 of his 13 career NBA games with the Hawks.

Two current Hawks – Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic – were selected with the 25th and 27th picks in the draft.