After I drafted, I regretted it in half of the league! A review of the six major draft mistakes in NBA history.

At this year's draft, the Trail Blazers used the No. 16 pick to choose Chinese player Yang Hansen. Many American media expressed their discomfort. However, after four summer league games, Yang Hansen averaged 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 hats per game, and his performance was remarkable. The most important thing is that Yang Hansen has good training value and objective commercial value. No matter what, the Trail Blazers will not lose! The NBA draft is like a big bet, and every team tries to bet on future superstars with their chips. But history is always full of irony - some names are ignored on draft nights, but they make the entire league regret in the future. When Jordan opened his dynasty in the Bulls, when Kobe was the god of the Lakers, when Curry changed the basketball trend, those teams that had missed them could only chew the bitterness of "draft mistakes" in endless regrets. These six major draft mistakes not only rewritten the team's fate, but also became the most profound lesson in NBA history.

1984: The Trail Blazers chose Bowie and missed the God of Basketball

"If I can start over, I will give Jordan the first pick in the 1984 draft." Many years later, the words of Trail Blazers General Manager Stu Inman expressed the regrets of the entire league. The 1984 draft was known as the "golden generation", and the Rockets selected Olajuwon with the No. 1 pick - this is not a mistake, after all, "Big Dream" later became a legend in the team history. But the Trail Blazers, who held the second pick, made a decision that made them regret for 30 years: choose Kentucky center Sam Bowie instead of North Carolina's shooting guard Michael Jordan.

The reasons for the Trail Blazers at that time seemed reasonable: the team already had All-Star guard Jim Paxson and urgently needed to strengthen the inside. Bowie is 2.16 meters tall and averaged 20.1 points and 11.7 rebounds in college. He is regarded as "the next Ralph Sampson." Although Jordan was dazzling in college, his height of 1.98 meters was considered "can't play as a shooting guard" at the time. The scout report even wrote: "The defense is mediocre and he relies too much on jump shots."

The result became the biggest irony in basketball history: Bowie never fulfilled his talent due to an ankle injury, and averaged only 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his 10-year career, and was reimbursed three seasons; and after being selected by the Bulls at the third pick, Jordan became the "God of Basketball" with his resume of 6 championships, 10 scoring champions, and 5 MVPs.

What's even more heartbreaking is that when the Trail Blazers played against the Bulls in the 1989 Finals, it was Jordan who averaged 32.4 points per game. After the game, the Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen smashed the tactical board in the locker room and roared: "Why did we choose Bowie back then?"

1996: 12 teams missed Kobe, and the Hornets gave him a gift. On the 1996 draft night, 17-year-old Kobe Bryant sat in the corner of the green house, watching the names being pronounced one by one, and did not hear his name until the 13th pick - the New Orleans Hornets selected him, but traded him to the Lakers 5 minutes later for center Vlad Divac.

This is not the worst. Before Kobe, 12 teams had the chance to take off this future "Black Mamba": the 76ers used the No. 1 pick to choose Iverson (reasonable, after all, the "Answer" later became a legend in team history), but the next Raptors (Marcus Camby), Vancouver Grizzlies (Sharif Abdul-Rachim), Bucks (Stephen Marbury)... Until the 13th pick, no team was willing to bet on this high school student.

The doubts were overwhelming at the time: "Can high school students adapt to the NBA confrontation?" "He is too independent to integrate into the team." Celtics general manager Danny Angie even said: "We will never use the 6th pick to choose a child who has never been to college."

But Kobe slapped everyone in the face with his career: 5 championships, 18 All-Stars, 81 points in a single game, becoming one of the greatest players in the history of the Lakers. And what about those teams that missed him? The Raptors' Camby averaged 10.4 points per game in his career, the Grizzlies' Raheem never played in the division final, and the Bucks' Marbury became synonymous with "lone wolf".

The most embarrassing thing is the Hornets - their reason for trading Kobe is "need to fight center", but Divac was sent away after only two seasons with the Hornets, and Kobe played for the Lakers for 20 years, worth far exceeding any bargaining chips. When Kobe retired in 2016, Hornets owner Michael Jordan (yes, the one Jordan missed by the Trail Blazers in 1984) smiled helplessly: "The operation in 1996 is the biggest regret in our team's history."

2001: The Wizards chose the "most popular pick in history", but let the two championship cores go away before the 2001 draft, Kwame Brown's name was hyped up. The 19-year-old high school center is 2.11 meters tall and bouncing, and is regarded as "the next O'Neal" by Jordan. So the Wizards chose him without hesitation with the No. 1 pick, but turned a blind eye to the name behind them - Paul Gasol in the third pick, and Tony Parker in the second pick.

It turns out that this is one of the most outrageous draft turnovers in NBA history. Kwame Brown averaged only 6.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in three seasons with the Wizards. Not only was hesitant to be skilled, but he was also called the "Human Victory Cigarette" because of his psychological fragility. Jordan once angrily scolded him during training: "You don't even dare to watch the basket, and you still want to be the No. 1 pick?" Gasol and Parker, who were missed, later became the core of the championship. Gasol made his mark with the Grizzlies. After joining the Lakers in 2008, he won two consecutive championships with Kobe, and was selected as the All-Star in 6 careers. Parker started his legend with the Spurs, with 4 championships and 1 finals MVP, becoming the cornerstone of the "GDP combination".

More ironic, in the 2007 Finals, Parker led the Spurs to sweep the Cavaliers, while Kwame Brown was playing for the Cavaliers at the time, averaging only 3.8 points per game. Looking at Parker's agile breakthrough on the court, the Wizards management finally admitted: "We chose a stone, but let two jades go."

2009: The Timberwolves missed Curry in succession, making the Warriors Dynasty

Before the 2009 draft, Curry's draft report read: "We are thin, lacking in confrontation, and defensive loopholes. At most, they can only be the sixth man." This sentence made him fall to the seventh pick on the draft night - the Warriors picked up the little man who changed basketball history with an almost forgotten sign.

The Timberwolves, who hold the fifth and sixth picks, became the largest "background board". They first chose Spanish defender Rubio with the fifth pick ("Golden Boy" later averaged 8.5 points) and then chose Joni Flynn with the sixth pick (retired due to injury after only three seasons in his career). At that time, Timberwolves general manager David Kahn said: "We need a defender who can defend, Curry is too thin."

What's the result? Curry used 4 championships, 2 MVPs, and the achievements of NBA history three-pointers to build the Warriors dynasty. His "logo three-pointer" and fast-paced play completely changed the league's tactical trend. And what about the Timberwolves? Neither Rubio nor Flynn helped the team to make the playoffs. In 2013, they even wanted to trade back to Curry, but the Warriors boss directly refused: "It's not OK to exchange for anyone else in the team except Curry."

In 2016, Curry led the Warriors to a historical record of 73 wins and 9 losses, while the Timberwolves were worried about missing the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season. Kahn choked up in the interview: "The draft in 2009 was the biggest mistake in my career. If I could do it again, I would choose Curry with both signs."

2011: 14 teams misunderstood, and Leonard became the "robot killer"

2011 draft night, Leonard's name was not selected by the Pacers until the 15th pick, and was traded to the Spurs for George Hill. The scout report at the time commented on him: "The offense is rough, lacks the ability to score independently, and the ceiling is a good 3D player."

This made all 14 teams make a mistake: the Cavaliers chose Irving with the No. 1 pick (it's understandable, Irving later became an All-Star), but the Timberwolves, the second pick, chose Derek Williams. Williams has excellent physical fitness and performed well in college. However, after entering the NBA, he has never been able to adapt to the rhythm of the league. He has been involved in multiple teams and has never been the cornerstone of the team. Leonard gradually grew up with the Spurs, and his defense was like a wall of iron. He won the best defensive player for two consecutive years, and his offensive end continued to improve, becoming a superstar who can attack and defend well. He helped the Spurs win the championship and won the FMVP, and later led the Raptors to the championship, becoming the terrifying "robot killer" in the league. Whenever those teams who missed him before the 15th pick meet Leonard, they must have regretted the decision that year.

2003: The Pistons chose Milicic, missed Wade and Anthony

The 2003 draft was called the "Platinum Generation". James became the No. 1 pick without any suspense, and his later performance also proved his value. But the Pistons, who held the second pick, made a serious mistake. They chose Dako Milicic and missed future superstars such as Wade and Anthony.

Milisic was considered a promising inside player at the time, 2.13 meters tall and comprehensive in technology. But after entering the NBA, he did not get much opportunity in the Pistons, and coupled with his own mentality and other problems, he never made a comeback and was called "the second best player". After Wade was selected by the Heat in the fifth pick, he quickly grew into the core of the team, leading the Heat to win the championship and win the FMVP; Anthony was selected by the Nuggets at the third pick, becoming the top scorer in the league. The Pistons missed the opportunity to keep the team competitive for a long time due to this draft mistake, and watching Wade and Anthony shine in the league, the Pistons will definitely regret not choosing them at the beginning.

In addition, what other heartbreaking draft mistakes in NBA history?