1992 NBA draft
The 1992 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1992, at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The draft is considered to be one of the deepest in NBA history. The top three picks (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner) were considered can't-miss prospects. All three are Hall of Famers; O'Neal and Mourning are (individual) player-inducted, whereas Laettner is team-inducted. Laettner made one All-Star game in his career and was an Olympic Gold Medalist on the 1992 Dream Team, but did not live up to the lofty expectations set for him. The trio would end up playing together on the 2005 Miami Heat. Two other players went on to become All-Stars (Tom Gugliotta once, Latrell Sprewell four times) and several others had solid careers (Jimmy Jackson, Robert Horry, Doug Christie, P.J. Brown, LaPhonso Ellis, Jon Barry, Walt Williams, Anthony Peeler, and Clarence Weatherspoon). Harold Miner, who was given the nickname "Baby Jordan" because of his similarities to Michael Jordan, slipped to number 12 and, other than winning two slam dunk contests, only had a brief, uneventful, and injury prone four-year career.
| 1992 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 24, 1992 |
| Location | Memorial Coliseum (Portland, Oregon) |
| Network(s) | TNT |
| Overview | |
| 54 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Shaquille O'Neal (Orlando Magic) |
This was the first time the NBA draft was held outside of New York.[1] It is the only draft where the first three picks were centers.
Draft selections
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| G | Guard | PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | F | Forward | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| x | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
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Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1992 NBA draft but have played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Alexander | F |  United States |
South Florida (Sr.) |
| Eric Anderson | PF | United States |
Indiana (Sr.) |
| Mark Baker | PG | United States |
Ohio State (Sr.) |
| Alex Blackwell | SF | United States |
Monmouth (Sr.) |
| Marques Bragg | PF | United States |
Providence (Sr.) |
| Tim Breaux | SF | United States |
Wyoming (Sr.) |
| Dexter Cambridge | PF |  Bahamas |
Texas (Sr.) |
| Joe Courtney | PF | United States |
Southern Miss (Sr.) |
| Rastko Cvetković | C |  Serbia |
Crvena zvezda (Yugoslavia) |
| Dell Demps | PG/SG | United States |
Pacific (Sr.) |
| Harold Ellis | SG | United States |
Morehouse (Sr.) |
| Jo Jo English | SG | United States |
South Carolina (Sr.) |
| Shane Heal | PG | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia |
Brisbane Bullets (Australia) |
| Stephen Howard | SF | United States |
DePaul (Sr.) |
| Chris Jent | SG/SF | United States |
Ohio State (Sr.) |
| Sam Mack | SF | United States |
Houston (Sr.) |
| Gerald Madkins | PG | United States |
UCLA (Sr.) |
| Bob Martin | C | United States |
Minnesota (Sr.) |
| Darrick Martin | PG | United States |
UCLA (Sr.) |
| Matt Othick | PG | United States |
Arizona (Sr.) |
| Reggie Slater | PF | United States |
Wyoming (Sr.) |
| Mark Strickland | SF/PF | United States |
Temple (Sr.) |
| Keith Tower | C | United States |
Notre Dame (Sr.) |
| Anthony Tucker | SF | United States |
Wake Forest (Sr.) |
| Marcus Webb | PF | United States |
Alabama (Sr.) |
| David Wesley | PG | United States |
Baylor (Sr.) |
Early entrants
College underclassmen
The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[3]
- Ameer Aziz – F, Saint Paul's (Virginia) (junior)
- John Beauford – C, Southern Poly (junior)
- Anthony Cade – F, Seminole JC (sophomore)
- Mark Chappell – G, Iowa State (junior)
- Dallas Lee Cothrum – G, Austin (junior)
- Jim Jackson – G, Ohio State (junior)
- Troy King – F, Beaver County CC (sophomore)
- Benny Maxwell – G, Western New Mexico (junior)
- Harold Miner – G, USC (junior)
- Tracy Murray – F, UCLA (junior)
- Shaquille O'Neal – C, LSU (junior)
- Melvin Robinson – C, Arizona State (junior)
- Tony Scott – F, Texas A&M (junior)
- Jeff Theiler – F, La Verne (junior)
- Mike Wawrzyniak – G, Cleveland State (junior)
- Marcus Webb – F, Alabama (junior)
Notes
- Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules.
References
- 1980s Sports Home (July 10, 2021). "1992 NBA Draft 1-4 Shaq Shaquille O'Neil Christian Laettner Jim Jackson". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- "1992 Draft". Basketball-Reference.com.
- "1992 Underclassmen". The Draft Review. Retrieved December 15, 2022.