The 1998 NBA Draft occurred on June 24, 1998, in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada at General Motors Place. It is best known as the draft that enabled Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki to enter the league. Former Finals MVP Paul Pierce was also selected in 1998, by the Boston Celtics, at #10. To this date, Carter is the only active player remaining in the NBA.
1998 NBA Draft Class
There were several highly-touted prospects in the 98 draft. Antwan Jamison, Mike Bibby, and Robert Traylor were perhaps the most notable collegiate prospects at the time, with Carter, Pierce, and Micheal Dickerson also well known to college basketball fans. St John’s Guard Felipe Lopez was an accomplished prospect who some scouts considered a phenom in his amateur years. The class also consisted of legendary foreign import Dirk Nowitzki and multiple High School prospects including Al Harrington and Rashard Lewis.
1998 NBA Draft Order
| # | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Clippers |
| 2 | Grizzlies |
| 3 | Nuggets |
| 4 | Raptors |
| 5 | Warriors |
| 6 | Mavericks |
| 7 | Kings |
| 8 | 76ers |
| 9 | Bucks |
| 10 | Celtics |
| 11 | Pistons |
| 12 | Magic |
| 13 | Magic |
| 14 | Rockets |
| 15 | Magic |
| 16 | Rockets |
| 17 | Timberwolves |
| 18 | Rockets |
| 19 | Bucks |
| 20 | Hawks |
| 21 | Hornets |
| 22 | Clippers |
| 23 | Nuggets |
| 24 | Spurs |
| 25 | Pacers |
| 26 | Lakers |
| 27 | Sonics |
| 28 | Bulls |
| 29 | Jazz |
| 30 | Mavericks |
| 31 | Lakers |
| 32 | Sonics |
| 33 | Sonics |
| 34 | Bulls |
| 35 | Mavericks |
| 36 | Kings |
| 37 | 76ers |
| 38 | Knicks |
| 39 | Bucks |
| 40 | Pistons |
| 41 | Rockets |
| 42 | Magic |
| 43 | Wizards |
| 44 | Knicks |
| 45 | Lakers |
| 46 | Timberwolves |
| 47 | Raptors |
| 48 | Cavs |
| 49 | Hawks |
| 50 | Hornets |
| 51 | Heat |
| 52 | Spurs |
| 53 | Mavericks |
| 54 | Nuggets |
| 55 | Nuggets |
| 56 | Grizzlies |
| 57 | Jazz |
| 58 | Bulls |
1998 NBA Draft Results
| # | Selection | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Olowokandi | Clippers |
| 2 | Mike Bibby | Grizzlies |
| 3 | Raef LaFrentz | Nuggets |
| 4 | Antawn Jamison | Raptors (Traded to GSW) |
| 5 | Vince Carter | Warriors (Traded to TOR) |
| 6 | Robert Traylor | Mavericks (Traded to MIL) |
| 7 | Jason Williams | Kings |
| 8 | Larry Hughes | 76ers |
| 9 | Dirk Nowitzki | Bucks (Traded to DAL) |
| 10 | Paul Pierce | Celtics |
| 11 | Bonzi Wells | Pistons |
| 12 | Michael Doleac | Magic |
| 13 | Keon Clark | Magic |
| 14 | Michael Dickerson | Rockets |
| 15 | Matt Harpring | Magic |
| 16 | Bryce Drew | Rockets |
| 17 | Rasho Nesterović | Timberwolves |
| 18 | Mirsad Türkcan | Rockets |
| 19 | Pat Garrity | Bucks (Traded to PHO) |
| 20 | Roshown McLeod | Hawks |
| 21 | Ricky Davis | Hornets |
| 22 | Brian Skinner | Clippers |
| 23 | Tyronn Lue | Nuggets (Traded to LAL) |
| 24 | Felipe López | Spurs (Traded to VAN) |
| 25 | Al Harrington | Pacers |
| 26 | Sam Jacobson | Lakers |
| 27 | Vladimir Stepania | Sonics |
| 28 | Corey Benjamin | Bulls |
| 29 | Nazr Mohammed | Jazz (Traded to PHI) |
| 30 | Ansu Sesay | Mavericks |
| 31 | Ruben Patterson | Lakers |
| 32 | Rashard Lewis | Sonics |
| 33 | Jelani McCoy | Sonics |
| 34 | Shammond Williams | Bulls |
| 35 | Bruno Šundov | Mavericks |
| 36 | Jerome James | Kings |
| 37 | Casey Shaw | 76ers |
| 38 | DeMarco Johnson | Knicks |
| 39 | Rafer Alston | Bucks |
| 40 | Korleone Young | Pistons |
| 41 | Cuttino Mobley | Rockets |
| 42 | Miles Simon | Magic |
| 43 | Jahidi White | Wizards |
| 44 | Sean Marks | Knicks |
| 45 | Toby Bailey | Lakers |
| 46 | Andrae Patterson | Timberwolves |
| 47 | Tyson Wheeler | Raptors |
| 48 | Ryan Stack | Cavs |
| 49 | Cory Carr | Hawks |
| 50 | Andrew Betts | Hornets |
| 51 | Corey Brewer | Heat |
| 52 | Derrick Dial | Spurs |
| 53 | Greg Buckner | Mavericks |
| 54 | Tremaine Fowlkes | Nuggets |
| 55 | Ryan Bowen | Nuggets |
| 56 | J.R. Henderson | Grizzlies |
| 57 | Torraye Braggs | Jazz |
| 58 | Maceo Baston | Bulls |
1998 NBA Redraft
| # | Selection | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vince Carter | Clippers |
| 2 | Dirk Nowitzki | Grizzlies |
| 3 | Paul Pierce | Nuggets |
| 4 | Mike Bibby | Raptors |
| 5 | Jason Williams | Warriors |
| 6 | Rashard Lewis | Mavericks |
| 7 | Al Harrington | Kings |
| 8 | Cuttino Mobley | 76ers |
| 9 | Antawn Jamison | Bucks |
| 10 | Bonzi Wells | Celtics |
| 11 | Larry Hughes | Pistons |
| 12 | Ruben Patterson | Magic |
| 13 | Nazr Mohammed | Magic |
| 14 | Ricky Davis | Rockets |
| 15 | Rafer Alston | Magic |
| 16 | Matt Harpring | Rockets |
| 17 | Michael Olowokandi | Timberwolves |
| 18 | Raef LaFrentz | Rockets |
| 19 | Robert Traylor | Bucks |
| 20 | Brian Skinner | Hawks |
| 21 | Tyronn Lue | Hornets |
| 22 | Michael Dickerson | Clippers |
| 23 | Keon Clark | Nuggets |
| 24 | Rasho Nesterović | Spurs |
| 25 | Michael Doleac | Pacers |
| 26 | Ansu Sesay | Lakers |
| 27 | Jerome James | Sonics |
| 28 | Felipe López | Bulls |
| 29 | Greg Buckner | Jazz |
98 Draft FAQ
[ultimate-faqs post_count=’3′ include_category=’nba-draft’ ]
Draft Sleepers in 1998
1) Cuttino Mobley
Selected 8th in the 2020 redraft, Mobley outperformed his 41st overall selection in the 98 draft by a landslide. He became a productive starter almost instantly and averaged 16 PPG for his entire 11-year career which was only cut short because of a health condition.
2) Rashard Lewis
Lewis who fell to the 2nd round in 98 (32nd overall) was drafted 6th overall in our 2020 redraft. Lewis could arguably have gone as high 4th in the redraft depending on your style of play and positional needs. Lewis played 16 seasons with 4 different teams, reached the finals twice, and was selected to two all-star games.
3) Al Harrington
Much like Lewis, Harrington entered the draft straight from high school which probably lowered his stock despite being projected by scouts as one of the top talents in the class. Harrington went on to develop that talent and become a productive NBA player for 16 seasons and with 7 different teams.
Best Player in 1998 NBA Draft
1) Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki went on to be a 14-time All-Star, 1-time League MVP, 1-time NBA Champion, and 1-time Finals MVP. He was named to 12 All-NBA teams and is 6th all-time in scoring.
2) Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce played his way to 10 All-Star selections, 1 NBA Finals, and 1 NBA Finals MVP. He was named to 4 All-NBA teams and joined only Larry Bird and John Havlicek as Celtics to score over 20,000 points.
3) Vince Carter
The most culturally influential player of the draft went on to become the greatest dunker in NBA history. His legacy was cemented in the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest where he defeated his cousin Tracy McGrady, along with Steve Francis and others in the greatest All-Star weekend performance in league history. Carter was awarded Rookie of The Year in 1999 and later made 8 All-Star teams and 2 All-NBA teams. The class of 98 is now often referred to as: the Vince Carter draft class.