Making the jump
History looks to be on LeBron's side
Posted: Thursday June 26, 2003 11:18 AM
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Moses Malone Jim Cummins/Getty Images |
by John Hollinger, SI.com
LeBron James isn't the first player to make the jump from high school to the NBA, nor will he be the last. And so far, history is on his side. Looking back at the other players who made the jump and were good enough to get drafted, their track record is Billy Packer's worst nightmare, offering evidence that players might learn more sitting on the bench in the pros than playing regularly in college.
Let's take a look at LeBron's predecessors:
Moses Malone
1974, Utah Stars (ABA), from Petersburg,
Va.
Moses got this whole thing started when the ABA
plucked him from Lefty Driesell's clutches and into
the pros. He wasn't drafted -- he was signed. The
ABA's plucky maneuver got the rival NBA's attention
enough that it drafted two high schoolers the next
year. Meanwhile, Moses went on to an all-time great
career that included three MVP awards and a
championship with the 76ers.
Darryl Dawkins
No. 5 by Philadelphia, 1975, from Maynard Evans
(Fla.)
"Chocolate Thunder" came out of high school a year
after Moses, and while he was borderline crazy, he was
also productive. Dawkins averaged double figures for
nine straight seasons and, more famously, shattered
two backboards in one week with his flying slams.
Bill Willoughby
No. 19 by Atlanta, 1975, from Dwight Morrow
(N.J.)
Willoughby was a second-round pick (the league
had only 18 teams in 1975), so in that context, his
eight-year career was fairly successful, but greatness
was never in the cards.
Kobe Bryant Andrew D. BernsteinGetty Images |
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Kevin Garnett
No. 5 by Minnesota, 1995, from Farragut Academy
(Ill.)
After a two-decade hiatus, Garnett broke the mold when
he announced he'd be turning pro, and the Timberwolves
were the big winners, as Garnett is easily the best
player from the 1995 Draft.
Kobe Bryant
No. 13 by Charlotte, 1996, from Lower Merion
(Pa.)
Jerry West traded Vlade Divac to the Hornets for
Bryant, and used the cap money left over to sign
Shaquille O'Neal. Not a bad summer, all in all.
LeBron's team had the pick before this one and chose
Vitaly Potapenko. Yikes.
Jermaine O'Neal
No. 17 by Portland, 1996, from Eau Claire
(S.C.)
O'Neal spent four years in Portland, but the Blazers were so
deep they didn't have anywhere to play him. So they
traded him to Indiana, where he immediately blossomed
into a perennial All-Star forward as one of the three
preps-to-pros on the Pacers' roster.
Tracy McGrady
No. 9 by Toronto, 1997, from Mt. Zion Academy
(N.C.)
A spectacular pick by Isiah Thomas, McGrady
unfortunately flew the coop for Orlando when he became
a free agent and went on to win a scoring title at
the ripe old age of 23.
Stephen Jackson
No. 43 by Phoenix, 1997, from Oak Hill
(Va.)
At times Jackson looks as though he's still playing
high school basketball, but he refined his skills enough
to help the Spurs win the championship. He had a long
road, though, bouncing all over kingdom come after
being cut by the Suns nearly six years ago.
Al Harrington
No. 25 by Indiana, 1998, from St. Patrick's
(N.J.)
Harrington was slowed by a knee injury but is
considered one of the league's top sixth men and has
moved ahead of the higher-drafted Bender in the Pacer
hierarchy. All in all, pretty good value for the 25th
pick.
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Tracy McGrady Fernando Medina/Getty Images |
Rashard Lewis
No. 32 by Seattle, 1998, from Alief Elsik
(Texas)
One of the great second-round draft choices of all
time, Lewis was stolen in the stellar 1998 draft
after such luminaries as Sam Jacobsen, Corey Benjamin
and Mirsad Turkcan were picked ahead of him. Lewis
wasn't regarded as a jaw-dropping talent, and it was
this pick, as much as any of the ones before it, that
swiveled general managers' heads on the idea that prep
players could make the jump.
Korleone Young
No. 40 by Detroit, 1998, from Hargrave Military
Academy (Va.)
Talk about 15 minutes of fame. Picked in the second
round, Young's NBA career lasted exactly 15 minutes
before he was unceremoniously whacked by the
Pistons.
Jonathan Bender
No. 5 by Toronto, 1999, from Picayune
(Miss.)
The Pacers dealt Antonio Davis to get Bender, who was
billed as the next Garnett, and it may have cost them
the championship in 2000. While Bender has some skills
and is still improving, Donnie Walsh would undo that
trade in a heartbeat.
Leon Smith
No. 29 by San Antonio, 1999, from Martin Luther
King (Ill.)
The Spurs traded Smith to Dallas for a draft pick they
used on Manu Ginobili. Smith had talent but also some
serious psychological problems, which is why everyone
except Don Nelson was terrified of picking him, and
his NBA career was brief.
Darius Miles
No. 3 by L.A. Clippers, 2000, from East St.
Louis (Ill.)
Miles looked to be en route to stardom after
exploding onto the scene his rookie year, but a sore
knee and a horrible work ethic have slowed him down.
Now in Cleveland, he'll be joining LeBron in the Cavs'
starting lineup next year.
DeShawn Stevenson
No. 23 by Utah, 2000, from Washington Union
(Calif.)
One of the only true first-round busts among the high
schoolers, Stevenson's physical skills aren't on par
with some of the other talents taken out of high
school, and unlike a lot of young players, he's failed
to improve his jump shot.
Amare Stoudemire Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images |
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Kwame Brown
No. 1 by Washington, 2001, from Glynn Academy
(Fla.)
The book is still out on Brown, who right now would go
down as one of the great draft busts of all time.
Having the NBA's greatest player questioning him on a daily basis probably didn't
help, though, and he may blossom now that Jordan's not his boss.
Tyson Chandler
No. 2 by Chicago, 2001, from Dominguez
(Calif.)
One of the two "Baby Bulls" taken by Jerry Krause in
the 2001 Draft, Chandler doesn't appear destined
for superstardom but he has come along nicely and will be
a solid starter for the next decade.
Eddy Curry
No. 4 by Chicago, 2001, from Thornwood
(Ill.)
Curry might have been the top pick if teams hadn't
been turned off by his excess pounds, but he got into
decent playing shape and has blossomed into one of the
league's best offensive centers.
DeSagana Diop
No. 8 by Cleveland, 2001, from Oak Hill
(Va.)
A huge bust, Diop was an addition to Cleveland's long line of draft blunders that also include using lottery picks on Chris Mihm and Trajan Langdon. Fortunately for Cavs
fans, they can't blow it this year.
Ousmane Cisse
No. 47 by Denver, 2001, from St. Jude
(Ala.)
Cisse had a knee injury and never completely
recovered, but as a second-rounder it was hardly a
major risk by the Nuggets.
Amare Stoudemire
No. 9 by Phoenix, 2002, from Cypress Creek
(Fla.)
Even after all the success that other high schoolers
had shown in the pros, eight teams passed on him
before the Suns plugged him in at No. 9. All he did
was go on to win Rookie of the Year honors.
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