1993 NBA Draft: What Everyone Ought To Know About This Dynamic Class

The 1993 NBA draft was the 47th draft in league history since its inception during the 1946-1947 season. Ironically, the Orlando Magic won the 1993 NBA draft lottery despite having the lowest odds to do so among lottery teams.

It marked the 2nd consecutive year that the Magic would win the number 1 pick, allowing the young franchise, which was entering just its 5th season in existence, to rapidly develop into a championship-level team.

1993 NBA Draft Class

The 1993 draft class featured many dynamic young players who would initially have great success, only to have their careers derailed by injury or personal problems. However, the 93 NBA draft results did end up producing 7 players who would make at least 1 all-star game, 4 players who would be named to at least one All-NBA team, and 1 member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The 1993 draft-day trade between the Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors was the most memorable moment of the draft itself, as both teams would swap their respective picks of Chris Webber and Anfernee Hardaway.

FIRST ROUND LOTTERY PICKS

Chris Webber (Orlando Magic)
Shawn Bradley (Philadelphia 76ers)
Anfernee Hardaway (Golden State Warriors)
Jamal Mashburn (Dallas Mavericks)
Isaiah Rider (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Calbert Cheaney (Washinton Bullets)
Bobby Hurley (Sacramento Kings)
Vin Baker (Milwaukee Bucks)
Rodney Rodgers (Denver Nuggets)
Lindsey Hunter (Detroit Pistons)
Alan Houston (Detroit Pistons)

NON LOTTERY FIRST ROUND PICKS

George Lynch (Los Angeles Lakers)
Terry Dehere (Los Angeles Clippers)
Scott Haskin (Indiana Pacers)
Doug Edwards (Atlanta Hawks)
Rex Walters (New Jersey Nets)
Greg Graham (Charlotte Hornets)
Luther Wright (Utah Jazz)
Acie Earl (Boston Celtics)
Scott Burrell (Charlotte Hornets)
James Robinson (Portland Trail Blazers)
Chris Mills (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Ervin Johnson (Seattle SuperSonics)
Sam Cassell (Houston Rockets)
Corey Blount (Chicago Bulls)
Geert Hammink (Orlando Magic)
Malcolm Mackey (Phoenix Suns)

SECOND ROUND PICKS

Lucious Harris (Dallas Mavericks)
Sherron Mills (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Gheorghe Muresan (Washinton Bullets)
Evers Burns (Sacramento Kings)
Alphonso Ford (Philadelphia 76ers)
Eric Riley (Dallas Mavericks)
Darnell Mee (Golden State Warriors)
Ed Stokes (Miami Heat)
John Best (New Jersey Nets)
Nick Van Exel (Los Angeles Lakers)
Conrad McRae (Washinton Bullets)
Thomas Hill (Indiana Pacers)
Rich Manning (Atlanta Hawks)
Anthony Reed (Chicago Bulls)
Adonis Jordan (Seattle SuperSonics)
Josh Grant (Denver Nuggets)
Alex Holcombe (Sacramento Kings)
Bryan Russell (Utah Jazz)
Richard Petruska (Houston Rockets)
Chris Whitney (San Antonio Spurs)
Kevin Thompson (Portland Trail Blazers)
Mark Buford (Phoenix Suns)
Marcelo Nicola (Houston Rockets)
Spencer Dunkley (Indiana Pacers)
Mike Peplowski (Sacramento Kings)
Leanard White (Los Angeles Clippers)
Bryon Wilson (Phoenix Suns)

Best Players from the 93 NBA Draft

Penny Hardaway

Anfernee Hardaway, commonly referred to as “Penny” Hardaway, was selected 3rd overall by the Golden State Warriors. The 93 NBA draft first round would then see a major shakeup, as Golden State traded Hardaway to Orlando for #1 pick Chris Webber just minutes after selecting Hardaway.

Hardaway would immediately develop into a perfect complementary star for Magic center Shaquille O’Neal, averaging 19.5 PPG, 7 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2 SPG, and shooting nearly 50% from the field during his first 3 years with the team. His contributions alongside O’Neal would help transform the Magic into one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and would propel the Magic to the 1995 NBA finals.

Unfortunately, injuries would begin to plague Hardaway starting in his 4th season, and he would never again reach the heights of his first 3 NBA seasons. Hardaway was named to 4 all-star teams, the All-NBA 1st Team twice, and the All-NBA 3rd Team once.

Chris Webber

Chris Webber was the most hyped player of the 93 NBA draft and was picked with the 1st overall selection by the Orlando Magic. The Magic then traded him to the Golden State Warriors, where Webber would enjoy a stellar rookie season, earning rookie of the year honors.

Webber’s greatest success came with the Sacramento Kings, who he played with for 6 and a half seasons, transforming the lowly Kings into a successful playoff team. Although Webber had a successful NBA career, injuries prevented him from reaching the heights of the other elite power forwards of his era such as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

He averaged 20.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1,4 BPG, 1.4 SPG, and was named to 5 all-star teams, the All-NBA 1st team once, the All-NBA 2nd team 3 times, and the All-NBA 3rd team once. Webber was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame in 2021.

Jamal Mashburn

After being selected with the 4th overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks, Jamal Mashburn quickly developed into a very good offensive player at the small forward position, averaging 24.1 PPG in his 2nd season with the team. Mashburn also spent time with the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets in varying roles, often making major contributions to playoff teams.

However, injuries would plague Mashburn throughout his career and would prevent him from reaching the potential he showcased in his early years with Dallas. He was named to 1 all-star team and made 1 All-NBA 3rd team selection.

Vin Baker

Vin Baker was drafted 8th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, developing into a very good power forward/center for the team. He missed only 4 regular-season games during his first 4 years with the team, averaging 18.3 PPG and 9.5 RPG. Baker was then traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for Shawn Kemp and would proceed to have another good season.

However, starting in his 6th season, injuries, personal and weight problems would begin to take their toll on Baker, who would regress into a role player for the rest of his career. Baker was named to 4 all-star games, 1 All-NBA 2nd Team, and 1 All-NBA 3rd Team.

Alan Houston

After being drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 11th pick in the draft, Alan Houston became a very good offensive player, specifically as a three-point shooter. After 3 years with the Pistons, Houston signed with the New York Knicks where he spent the remaining 9 seasons of his career. He averaged 17.3 PPG, shot 40.2% from three-point range, and made 2 all-star teams in his career.

Sam Cassell

Sam Cassell was drafted 24th overall by the Houston Rockets and would significantly overachieve his relatively low draft status. Cassell established himself as a very good starting point guard, playing a significant role on several different playoff teams and winning 3 NBA championships. He averaged 15.7 PPG and 6 APG, was named to 1 all-star team, and made the All-NBA 2nd Team once.

Nick Van Exel

Nick Van Exel was selected 37th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers and would soon prove to be the biggest steal of the draft. He would help bridge the gap between the Showtime Lakers and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers from 1993 to 1998, helping the Lakers to develop into a consistent playoff team. Van Exel would average 14.4 PPG and 6.6 APG with the Lakers and several other teams over his 13-year career and was named to 1 all-star team.

Bruce Bowen

Bruce Bowen went undrafted during the 1993 draft and played pro basketball for 2 years in France, before signing with the Miami Heat during the 1996-1997 NBA season. He would continue to bounce around the league until he landed with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2001-2002 NBA season.

Although Bowen would never become a great offensive player, averaging only 6.1 PPG, he would develop into one of the best defenders in the NBA as a small forward, being named to the All-Defensive 1st or 2nd team 8 different times.

Who won Rookie of the Year?

Chris Webber won the 93-94 NBA Rookie Of The Year Award. He had an outstanding all-around rookie season with the Golden State Warriors, averaging 17.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.2 BPG, and 1.2 SPG and shooting an incredible 55.2% from the field.

The Warriors improved from 34 wins the season before Webber came, to 50 wins during his rookie season. Unfortunately, serious conflicts between Webber and head coach Don Nelson would result in Webber being traded after his rookie season to the Washington Bullets.

The NBA Draft 1993: What If scenarios

The Penny Hardaway draft class produced many what-if scenarios where players who were seemingly on their way to becoming superstars became plagued by injuries and personal problems. Still, many of the 1993 NBA Draft best players played a significant role in the NBA throughout the 90s, even if they didn’t reach their full potential. As a whole, the 1993 draft class was one of the more successful drafts of the 90s and produced many good players.