Man, I’ve been diving deep into NBA history lately, and I stumbled upon the 1983 NBA draft. It’s not talked about as much as some other drafts, but it’s got some serious gems. So, I decided to do a little digging of my own and see what I could find.
Starting My Research
First things first, I pulled up a list of every player drafted that year. Just a simple list, nothing fancy. Gotta start with the basics, right? Then, I started looking at the top few picks. I mean, that’s where the big names usually are.
The Top Picks
- Ralph Sampson: Number one overall, went to the Houston Rockets. Dude was a monster, a 7’4″ center. Everyone thought he’d be the next big thing.
- Steve Stipanovich: Second pick, Indiana Pacers. Another big man. Seemed like teams were really focused on size that year.
- Rodney McCray: Houston again, with the third pick. A forward, so at least a little variety.
Digging Deeper
Okay, so I had the top guys. But what about the rest of the draft? I scrolled down, looking for any names I recognized. And that’s where things got interesting.
I spotted Clyde Drexler, “Clyde the Glide,” picked 14th by the Portland Trail Blazers. This guy was a legend! He went on to have an amazing career, won a championship with the Rockets later on. What a steal for the Blazers!
Unearthing Some Gems
Then, I kept digging. I found guys like Thurl Bailey (7th pick, Utah Jazz), Dale Ellis (9th pick, Dallas Mavericks), and even Doc Rivers (31st pick, Atlanta Hawks) way down the list. These guys all had solid NBA careers. Goes to show you, the draft is a crapshoot!
My takeaway
After looking at all the details, I realized that there are always talented players out there. This entire process gave me a great insight, so next time, I will surely be more serious when looking into the draft, and try my best to understand it better.
