College Player Of The Year, Duke's Elton Brand, Is Top Pick In NBA Draft

Jet, July 19, 1999

Ending days of speculation over who would be taken first, the Chicago Bulls chose the 20-year-old College Player of the Year Elton Brand.

The 6-foot-8, 260-pound forward from Duke University is the first Duke player ever to be taken No. 1

He entered the draft following his sophomore season with the Blue Devils after leading them to the NCAA finals against Connecticut.

Speaking of his new team, the Bulls, Brand offered, "With the heritage and the championships, there is a lot of pressure." The Peekskill, NY, native added, "I'm looking forward to meeting the challenge."

Brand, who played center at Duke, scored in double figures in 53 of his 60 college games, and ranks fifth on Duke's all-time list with 113 blocked shots, despite playing just two seasons.

Brand was among the 16 Blacks chosen in the top 20 of the draft.

Steve Francis from the University of Maryland was the No. 2 pick by the Vancouver Grizzlies. The athletic point guard led the Terps to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season as a junior.

The Charlotte Hornets took Baron Davis with the third pick, a dazzling point guard from UCLA.

Rhode Island College forward Lamar Odom went to the L.A. Clippers in the fourth pick. The versatile left-hander was the MVP of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

The Toronto Raptors' No. 5 pick plucked 18-year-old Jonathan Bender from Picayune (MS) High School. The 6-foot-11 phenom broke Michael Jordan's scoring record in the McDonald's High School AU-American Game.

Minnesota picked Wally Szczerbiak, a White forward from Miami University in Ohio at No. 6.

In the seventh pick, the Washington Wizards selected Richard Hamilton. The excellent shooter named Most Outstanding Player of the 1998 NCAA Final Four led the Huskies with 27 points in the NCAA title game win over Duke.

Utah guard Andre Miller was the Cleveland Cavaliers' first pick at No. 8. The senior All-American, is Utah's all-time leader in steals with 254.

The Phoenix Suns with the No. 9 pick chose University of Nevada-Las Vegas star forward Shawn Marion. The expert ball handler shot 58.9% from the field last season.

Arizona All-American guard Jason Terry, among the best defensive guards in the draft, went 10th to the Atlanta Hawks.

Joining Miller with the Cavaliers' No. 11 pick was Duke guard Trajan Langdon. He holds Duke's record for career three-pointers made (342).

Aleksandar Radojevic, a White 6-foot-6 center from Montenegro, was picked No. 12 by the Toronto Raptors.

The Seattle Supersonics grabbed Duke forward Corey Maggette with the 13th pick, trading the versatile 6-foot-6er to the Orlando Magic.

Duke guard William Avery went to the Minnesota Timberwolves with its 14th pick. The deft point guard, a sophomore, helped drive Duke to the NCAA Championship Game.

The New York Knicks took French center Frederic Weis at No. 15.

Ron Artest, St. John's standout guard, was picked No. 16 by the Bulls.

The Atlanta Hawks with the 17th pick selected Cal Bowdler, a White forward from Old Dominion.

Xavier University's James Posey was the No. 18 pick going to the Denver Nuggets. The savvy defender and rebounder ranks third on the school's all-time charts with 801 career rebounds and in steals with a total of 204.

The Utah Jazz picked Minnesota forward Quincy Lewis at No. 19. As a senior, the versatile player led the Big Ten and finished sixth in the nation with 23.1 points per game.

The final Black player selected in the top 20 was Georgia Tech guard Dion Glover, who went to the Atlanta Hawks.

The 1999 NBA first-round draft picks by team, player, school or country, height and position

(Twenty-two of the 29 players picked in the first round of the draft were Black.)

1. Chicago Bulls ELTON BRAND, Duke, 6-8, F

2. Vancouver Grizzlies STEVE FRANCIS, Maryland, 6-3, G

3. Charlotte Hornets BARON DAVIS, UCLA, 6-3, G

4. Los Angeles Clippers LAMAR ODOM, Rhode Island, 6-10, F

5. Toronto Raptors JONATHAN BENDER, Picayune (MS) High School, 6-11, F

6. Minnesota WALLY SZCZERBIAK, Miami (Ohio), 6-8, F

7. Washington Wizards RICHARD HAMILTON, UConn, 6-6, G / F

8. Cleveland Cavaliers ANDRE MILLER, Utah, 6-2, G

9. Phoenix Suns SHAWN MARION, UNLV, 6-7, F

10. Atlanta Hawks JASON TERRY, Arizona, 6-2, G

11. Cleveland Cavaliers TRAJAN LANGDON, Duke, 6-3, G

12. Toronto Raptors ALEKANDAR RADOJEVIC, Montenegro, 7-3, C

13. Seattle SuperSonics COREY MAGGETTE, Duke, 6-6, F

14. Minnesota Timberwolves WILLIAM AVERY, Duke, 6-2, G

15. New York Knicks FREDERIC WEIS, France, 7-2, C

16. Chicago Bulls RON ARTEST, St. John's, 6-6, G/F

17. Atlanta Hawks CAL BOWDLER, Old Dominion, 6-10, F

18. Denver Nuggets JAMES POSEY, Xavier, 6-8, G / F

19. Utah Jazz QMUINCY LEWIS, Minnesota, 6-7, F

20. Atlanta Hawks DION GLOVER, Georgia Tech, 6-5, G

21. Golden State Warriors JEFF FOSTER, SW Texas St., 6-11, F/C

22. Houston Rockets KENNY THOMAS, New Mexico, 6-7, F

23. L.A. Lakers DEVEAN GEORGE, Augsburg, MN, 6-7, G / F

24. Utah Jazz ANDREI KIRILENKO, Russia, 6-10, F

25. Miami Heat TIM JAMES, Miami (Florida), 6-7, F