1996 NBA draft
The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association. It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto Raptors, they were not allowed to select first in this draft. The team with the second-highest probability, the Philadelphia 76ers, won the lottery and obtained the first selection. The Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies were second and third respectively.
Allen Iverson, a sophomore from Georgetown was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.
It is widely considered to be one of the deepest and most talented NBA drafts in history, with one-third of the first round picks later becoming NBA All-Stars. The draft class produced three players who won NBA MVP awards, seven other drafted players who became All-Stars, and one undrafted All-Star, for a grand total of 11 All-Stars. Moreover, eight players from this draft class have been named to at least one All-NBA Team, the most among any draft. The draft class also produced three players who have been named to the NBA's all-defensive first team: Bryant, Marcus Camby, and Wallace. Camby won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007, while Wallace earned the same award in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. Five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher was also selected in the draft.
Most experts rate it along with the 1984 NBA draft and 2003 NBA draft as one of the best drafts in history. Sports Illustrated named it the second-best, behind the 1984 draft, which included a draft class of Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton.Key
Draft selections
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | NBA team | School/Club team |
| 1 | 1 | ^ | G | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Georgetown |
| 1 | 2 | | C | United States | Toronto Raptors | Massachusetts |
| 1 | 3 | + | F | United States | Vancouver Grizzlies | California |
| 1 | 4 | * | G | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Georgia Tech |
| 1 | 5 | ^ | G | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Connecticut |
| 1 | 6 | + | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Kentucky |
| 1 | 7 | | C | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Memphis |
| 1 | 8 | | G | United States | New Jersey Nets | Villanova |
| 1 | 9 | | F | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Louisville |
| 1 | 10 | | C | United States | Indiana Pacers | Mississippi State |
| 1 | 11 | | C | United States | Golden State Warriors | NC State |
| 1 | 12 | | C | Ukraine | Cleveland Cavaliers | Wright State |
| 1 | 13 | ^ | G | United States | Charlotte Hornets | Lower Merion HS |
| 1 | 14 | * | F | FR Yugoslavia
Greece | Sacramento Kings | PAOK |
| 1 | 15 | ^ | G | Canada | Phoenix Suns | Santa Clara |
| 1 | 16 | | G | United States | Charlotte Hornets | Kentucky |
| 1 | 17 | * | F/C | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Eau Claire HS |
| 1 | 18 | | F | United States | New York Knicks | Syracuse |
| 1 | 19 | | F | United States | New York Knicks | Kentucky |
| 1 | 20 | + | C | Lithuania | Cleveland Cavaliers | Atletas Kaunas |
| 1 | 21 | | F | United States | New York Knicks | Mississippi State |
| 1 | 22 | | F | United States | Vancouver Grizzlies | Alabama |
| 1 | 23 | | C | Greece | Denver Nuggets | PAOK |
| 1 | 24 | | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Arkansas-Little Rock |
| 1 | 25 | | F | Estonia | Utah Jazz | Kalev |
| 1 | 26 | | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | Georgetown |
| 1 | 27 | | F | United States | Orlando Magic | Indiana |
| 1 | 28 | | C | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Peristeri |
| 1 | 29 | | C | United States | Chicago Bulls | Connecticut |
| 2 | 30 | | F/C | United States | Houston Rockets | Georgetown |
| 2 | 31 | | G | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Washington State |
| 2 | 32 | # | G | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Oklahoma |
| 2 | 33 | | G | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | West Florida |
| 2 | 34 | # | G | United States | Dallas Mavericks | West Virginia State |
| 2 | 35 | # | C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Arizona |
| 2 | 36 | # | G | Israel | Los Angeles Clippers | Connecticut |
| 2 | 37 | | G | United States | Denver Nuggets | North Carolina |
| 2 | 38 | | C | United States | Boston Celtics | Tennessee |
| 2 | 39 | # | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Iowa |
| 2 | 40 | # | F | United States | Golden State Warriors | Mississippi Valley State |
| 2 | 41 | | F | United States | Sacramento Kings | Texas Tech |
| 2 | 42 | | G | United States | Houston Rockets | LSU |
| 2 | 43 | | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Arizona |
| 2 | 44 | | F | United States | Charlotte Hornets | Drexel |
| 2 | 45 | # | C | Lebanon | Seattle SuperSonics | Colorado State |
| 2 | 46 | | G | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Murray State |
| 2 | 47 | # | G/F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Arizona State |
| 2 | 48 | | F | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Michigan State |
| 2 | 49 | | C | United States | Orlando Magic | Marquette |
| 2 | 50 | # | C | United States | Houston Rockets | Georgia |
| 2 | 51 | | G | United States | Vancouver Grizzlies | Western Kentucky |
| 2 | 52 | | F | United States | Indiana Pacers | Kentucky |
| 2 | 53 | | F | Poland | Milwaukee Bucks | Wisconsin–Green Bay |
| 2 | 54 | | F | United States | Utah Jazz | Georgia |
| 2 | 55 | # | G | United States | Washington Bullets | LSU |
| 2 | 56 | | G | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Arizona |
| 2 | 57 | | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Georgia Tech |
| 2 | 58 | # | F | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Arkansas |
Notable undrafted players
The following are undrafted players of the 1996 NBA Draft but later played in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/Club team |
| G | United States | South Florida |
| G | United States | Seton Hall |
| F | United States | Texas Tech |
| C | Argentina | Quilmes de Mar del Plata |
| C | Mexico | Grand Canyon |
| G | United States | Nebraska |
| * | C | United States | Virginia Union |
