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The Philadelphia 76ers of the late ’90s were still trying to find their way out of the woods. They did have a star in Allen Iverson, but they needed to find the right pieces around him to continue their ascension.
After a 31-51 finish to the 1997-98 season, the Sixers held the 8th pick in the following draft. On the board were future stars such as Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki, but Philadelphia took a flier on a good athlete out of Saint Louis by the name of Larry Hughes.
Hughes had a damn good career in college where he averaged 20.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in his lone season at Saint Louis. He was absolutely terrific. However, he was not able to find his footing in Philadelphia as he averaged just 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds and he then averaged 10 points in 50 games in his second season before being traded to the Golden State Warriors in a 3-team deal where the Sixers landed Toni Kukoc.
Hughes then bounced around a bit playing for the Washington Wizards, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Chicago Bulls, the New York Knicks, the Charlotte Bobcats, and finishing with the Orlando Magic in 2012. He did play in two games in the 2007 NBA Finals with the Cavaliers and he averaged 14.1 points in his career. [lawrence-related id=38255,38248,38241]