2001 NBA draft

The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001, in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizards, over players that have gone on to have more successful NBA careers, has been a source of great criticism by numerous media outlets. Several international players from this draft, Pau Gasol (Spain), Tony Parker (France) and Mehmet Okur (Turkey), became NBA All-Stars.

The Minnesota Timberwolves forfeited their first-round pick due to salary cap violations. It would be the first of two first rounders that would have to forfeit their picks during the early 2000s.

Eight of the players selected in this draft would never play in an NBA game in their professional basketball careers. Both of the players drafted by the New York Knicks (Michael Wright and Eric Chenowith) were among this group.

Draft selections

Gilbert Arenas was selected 31st overall by the Golden State Warriors.

Mehmet Okur was selected 38th overall by the Detroit Pistons.

Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the draft but have played at least one game in the NBA.

Early entrants

College underclassmen

This year would officially mark the very first year where the number of underclassmen that declared their entry into the NBA draft would exceed the number of selections made with 75 players that fit the underclassmen criteria declaring their initial entry for the NBA draft. However, it would also mark the largest number of dropped players yet with 23 of those players either coming from college or overseas deciding to withdraw from the draft for one reason or another. The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.

Gilbert Arenas – G, Arizona (sophomore)
Brandon Armstrong – G, Pepperdine (junior)
Malcolm Battles – F, Point Mark (junior)
Tavorris Bell – F, Rhode Island (junior)
Preston Bennett – F, Grayson (freshman)
Michael Bradley – F, Villanova (junior)
Jamison Brewer – G, Auburn (sophomore)
Kedrick Brown – F, Okaloosa-Walton CC (sophomore)
SirValiant Brown – G, George Washington (sophomore)
Nick Burwell – G, Orange Coast (sophomore)
Jason Collins – C, Stanford (junior)
Omar Cook – G, St. John's (freshman)
Samuel Dalembert – C/F, Seton Hall (sophomore)
Maurice Evans – G, Texas (junior)
Benjamin Eze – F, Southern Idaho (freshman)
Alton Ford – F, Houston (freshman)
Joseph Forte – G, North Carolina (sophomore)
Jerry Green – G, UC Irvine (junior)
Eddie Griffin – F, Seton Hall (freshman)
Rob Griffin – F, Kentucky Wesleyan (junior)
Trenton Hassell – G, Austin Peay (junior)
Kirk Haston – F, Indiana (junior)
Draper Housley – G, Lee College (sophomore)
Steven Hunter – C/F, DePaul (sophomore)
Richard Jefferson – F, Arizona (junior)
Joe Johnson – F/G, Arkansas (sophomore)
D. A. Layne – G, Georgia (junior)
Zach Marbury – G, Rhode Island (sophomore)
Jamario Moon – F, Meridian (freshman)
Troy Murphy – F, Notre Dame (junior)
Zach Randolph – F, Michigan State (freshman)
Jason Richardson – G, Michigan State (sophomore)
Kenny Satterfield – G, Cincinnati (sophomore)
Bobby Simmons – F, DePaul (junior)
Will Solomon – G, Clemson (junior)
Clifton Terry – F, Kennedy–King (sophomore)
Gerald Wallace – F/G, Alabama (freshman)
Rodney White – F, Charlotte (freshman)
Michael Wright – F, Arizona (junior)

High school players

This would be the seventh straight year in a row where at least one high school player would declare their entry into the NBA draft directly out of high school after previously only allowing it one time back in 1975. This year would also mark the year with the highest amount of players coming directly out of high school yet with six players deciding to make the jump into an opportunity at the NBA (though only five of them would get it). Not only that, but it marked the first time that a high schooler would be taken as the #1 pick of the NBA draft. The following high school players successfully applied for early draft entrance.