# 1995 NBA draft

The 1995 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1995, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft to be held outside the United States and was the first draft for the two Canadian expansion teams that were added for 1995–96 season, the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies (who relocated to Memphis in 2001). Kevin Garnett, who was taken fifth in this draft, is notable for being the first player in two decades to be selected straight out of high school (which would become more common over the next eleven drafts until the age requirement was increased to 19 years old in 2005 creating the one-and-done player). Garnett ultimately gathered fifteen All Star selections, nine All-NBA selections (four of those being First-Teams), one NBA MVP award, and multiple other accolades. Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse also had successful careers, being four-time and two-time All-Stars respectively. Wallace won an NBA championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons, while Stackhouse scored the most total points in the league in 2000, also with the Pistons.
The other remaining top selections had relatively productive careers, but were considered to have never reached their full potential. Joe Smith put up solid, but unspectacular numbers throughout his career and is generally considered a disappointment for a first overall selection. He was also involved in a salary cap scandal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Antonio McDyess was a one-time All-Star, but serious and continuing knee injuries decreased much of his effectiveness in the prime of his career. Damon Stoudamire was the 1995–96 NBA Rookie of the Year and had a solid career although he was arrested, suspended and fined several times for marijuana possession. Bryant Reeves impressed early in his career but a season after being granted a six-year, $61.8 million contract extension, his numbers went down due to weight and back problems and he retired after only playing six NBA seasons, all with the Vancouver Grizzlies.
This draft was also notable for two storied NCAA players who failed to meet lofty expectations in the NBA, Ed O'Bannon and Shawn Respert. O'Bannon had received national accolades for leading the UCLA Bruins to the NCAA Championship, but only played two years in the NBA. Respert played only four seasons in the NBA, while secretly hiding that he was suffering from stomach cancer.
The Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors were not able to win the NBA draft lottery, due to pre-negotiated rules. This would extend into the 1997–1998 season.

## Draft

| 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 |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | NBA Team | School/Club team |
| 1 | 1 | Joe Smith | PF | United States | Golden State Warriors | Maryland (So.) |
| 1 | 2 | Antonio McDyess* | PF | United States | Los Angeles Clippers (traded to Denver) | Alabama (So.) |
| 1 | 3 | Jerry Stackhouse$^+$ | SF/SG | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | North Carolina (So.) |
| 1 | 4 | Rasheed Wallace$^+$ | PF/C | United States | Washington Bullets | North Carolina (So.) |
| 1 | 5 | Kevin Garnett^ | PF | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Farragut Academy HS (Chicago) |
| 1 | 6 | Bryant Reeves | C | United States | Vancouver Grizzlies | Oklahoma State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 7 | Damon Stoudamire | PG | United States | Toronto Raptors | Arizona (Sr.) |
| 1 | 8 | Shawn Respert | SG | United States | Portland Trail Blazers (from Detroit, traded to Milwaukee) | Michigan State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 9 | Ed O'Bannon | SF | United States | New Jersey Nets | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 1 | 10 | Kurt Thomas | PF/C | United States | Miami Heat | TCU (Sr.) |
| 1 | 11 | Gary Trent | PF | United States | Milwaukee Bucks (traded to Portland) | Ohio (Jr.) |
| 1 | 12 | Cherokee Parks | C | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Duke (Sr.) |
| 1 | 13 | Corliss Williamson | PF | United States | Sacramento Kings | Arkansas (Jr.) |
| 1 | 14 | Eric Williams | SF | United States | Boston Celtics | Providence (Sr.) |
| 1 | 15 | Brent Barry | SG | United States | Denver Nuggets (traded to L.A. Clippers) | Oregon State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 16 | Alan Henderson | PF | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Indiana (Sr.) |
| 1 | 17 | Bob Sura | SG | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Florida State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 18 | Theo Ratliff$^+$ | PF/C | United States | Detroit Pistons (from Portland) | Wyoming (Sr.) |
| 1 | 19 | Randolph Childress | PG | United States | Detroit Pistons (from Houston via Portland) | Wake Forest (Sr.) |
| 1 | 20 | Jason Caffey | PF | United States | Chicago Bulls | Alabama (Sr.) |
| 1 | 21 | Michael Finley$^*$ | SF/SG | United States | Phoenix Suns (from L.A. Lakers) | Wisconsin (Sr.) |
| 1 | 22 | George Zidek | C | Czech Republic | Charlotte Hornets | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 1 | 23 | Travis Best | PG | United States | Indiana Pacers | Georgia Tech (Sr.) |
| 1 | 24 | Loren Meyer | PF | United States | Dallas Mavericks (from New York) | Iowa State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 25 | David Vaughn | PF/C | United States | Orlando Magic | Memphis (Jr.) |
| 1 | 26 | Sherell Ford | PF | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | UIC (Sr.) |
| 1 | 27 | Mario Bennett | PF | United States | Phoenix Suns | Arizona State (Jr.) |
| 1 | 28 | Greg Ostertag | C | United States | Utah Jazz | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 1 | 29 | Cory Alexander | PG | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Virginia (Jr.) |
| 2 | 30 | Lou Roe | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | UMass (Sr.) |
| 2 | 31 | Dragan Tarlać | C | Yugoslavia Greece | Chicago Bulls | Olympiakos (Greece) |
| 2 | 32 | Terrence Rencher | G | United States | Washington Bullets | Texas (Sr.) |
| 2 | 33 | Junior Burrough | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Virginia (Sr.) |
| 2 | 34 | Andrew DeClercq | PF/C | United States | Golden State Warriors | Florida (Sr.) |
| 2 | 35 | Jimmy King | G | United States | Toronto Raptors | Michigan (Sr.) |
| 2 | 36 | Lawrence Moten | G | United States | Vancouver Grizzlies | Syracuse (Sr.) |
| 2 | 37 | Frankie King | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Western Carolina (Sr.) |
| 2 | 38 | Rashard Griffith $^#$ | C | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Wisconsin (So.) |
| 2 | 39 | Donny Marshall | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Connecticut (Sr.) |
| 2 | 40 | Dwayne Whitfield | F | United States | Golden State Warriors | Jackson State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 41 | Erik Meek$^#$ | C | United States | Houston Rockets | Duke (Sr.) |
| 2 | 42 | Donnie Boyce | G | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Colorado (Sr.) |
| 2 | 43 | Eric Snow | PG | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Michigan State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 44 | Anthony Pelle$^#$ | C | United States | Denver Nuggets | Fresno State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 45 | Troy Brown$^#$ | F/C | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Providence (Sr.) |
| 2 | 46 | George Banks$^#$ | F | United States | Miami Heat | UTEP (Sr.) |
| 2 | 47 | Tyus Edney | PG | United States | Sacramento Kings | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 2 | 48 | Mark Davis | G/F | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Texas Tech (Sr.) |
| 2 | 49 | Jerome Allen | G | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Pennsylvania (Sr.) |
| 2 | 50 | Martin Lewis | F | United States | Golden State Warriors | Seward County (So.) |
| 2 | 51 | Dejan Bodiroga$^#$ | SF | Yugoslavia | Sacramento Kings | Olimpia (Stefanel) Milano (Italy) |
| 2 | 52 | Fred Hoiberg | SG | United States | Indiana Pacers | Iowa State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 53 | Constantin Popa$^#$ | C | Romania | Los Angeles Clippers | Miami (Florida) (Sr.) |
| 2 | 54 | Eurelijus Žukauskas $^#$ | C | Lithuania | Seattle SuperSonics | Neptūnas Klaipėda (Lithuania) |
| 2 | 55 | Michael McDonald | C | United States | Golden State Warriors | New Orleans (Sr.) |
| 2 | 56 | Chris Carr | G | United States | Phoenix Suns | Southern Illinois (Jr.) |
| 2 | 57 | Cuonzo Martin | G/F | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Purdue (Sr.) |
| 2 | 58 | Don Reid | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | Georgetown (Sr.) |
* ↑ 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.

## Notable undrafted players

The following players went undrafted in the 1995 NBA Draft, but later played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/Club team |
| John Amaechi | C | United Kingdom | Penn State (Sr.) |
| Corey Beck | PG | United States | Arkansas (Sr.) |
| Rick Brunson | G | United States | Temple (Sr.) |
| John Coker | C | United States | Boise State (Sr.) |
| Nate Driggers | SG | United States | Montevallo (Sr.) |
| Devin Gray | SF | United States | Clemson (Sr.) |
| Michael Hawkins | PG | United States | Xavier (Sr.) |
| Gerard King | SF | United States | Nicholls State (Sr.) |
| Matt Maloney | G | United States | Penn (Sr.) |
| Clint McDaniel | SG | United States | Arkansas (Sr.) |
| Howard Nathan | PG | United States | Northwest Arkansas CC (Sr.) |
| Ruben Nembhard | PG/SG | United States | Weber State (Sr.) |
| Kevin Ollie | G | United States | Connecticut (Sr.) |
| Ray Owes | PF | United States | Arizona (Sr.) |
| James Scott | SF | United States | St. John's (Sr.) |
| Larry Sykes | PF | United States | Xavier (Sr.) |
| David Vanterpool | SG | United States | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) |
| Rubén Wolkowyski | C | Argentina | Estudiantes de Olavarría (Argentina) |

## Trades involving Draft picks
### Draft-day trades

The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.
* $^a$ The Los Angeles Clippers traded Randy Woods and the draft rights of Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets for Rodney Rogers and the draft rights to Brent Barry.

## Early entrants
### College underclassmen

For the first time since 1982, the NBA would officially see college underclassmen players withdraw their entry into the NBA draft. Originally, nineteen underclassmen (including one player that was playing overseas at the time and one high schooler) had declared their entry for this year's draft, but the Lithuanian born Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Lithuania's Atletas Kaunas alongside Rodrick Rhodes from the University of Kentucky and John Wallace from the University of Syracuse would all officially withdraw their names from this year's draft before it began, which left only fifteen total underclassmen directly from college. However, this year would also be the first time since 1975 where high schoolers would be declared as eligible underclassmen for the NBA. As such, the official underclassmen count would increase from fifteen to sixteen total players with the inclusion of Farragut Academy standout phenom power forward Kevin Garnett, which started an eleven-year long trend of high school players declaring their eligibility for the NBA. Even so, the following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.
* Cory Alexander – G, Virginia (junior)
* Mario Bennett – F, Arizona State (junior)
* Chris Carr – G/F, Southern Illinois (junior)
* Michael Evans – Norfolk State (junior)
* Rashard Griffith – C, Wisconsin (sophomore)
* Martin Lewis – Seward CC (sophomore)
* Antonio McDyess – F, Alabama (sophomore)
* Joe Smith – F, Maryland (sophomore)
* Jerry Stackhouse – G, North Carolina (sophomore)
* Scotty Thurman – F, Arkansas (junior)
* Gary Trent – F, Ohio (junior)
* David Vaughn III – F, Memphis (junior)
* Rasheed Wallace – F, North Carolina (sophomore)
* Corliss Williamson – F, Arkansas (junior)
* Darroll Wright – G, Missouri Western (junior)

### High school players

This year marked the first year since 1975 where high school players would be allowed entry into the NBA directly from high school. However, only one player during this year would go and take that route for this year. The following high school player successfully applied for early draft entrance.
* Kevin Garnett – F, Farragut Academy (Chicago, Illinois)