With months on the calendar until October’s NBA Draft, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s draft history to highlight some of the most memorable selections — trades, surprises, busts, sleepers and everything in between.
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In 2002, the Golden State Warriors were on the clock with the No. 3 overall selection in the NBA Draft.
June 26. 2002
Despite an ugly 21-61 record in 2001-02, the Golden State Warriors had the making of a solid young core. In the 2001 draft, the Warriors were able to add a trio of contributors in Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy and Gilbert Arenas. The 2002 draft was Golden State’s opportunity to build off their successful selections from the previous year.
The Houston Rockets opened the 2002 draft making 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming the first overall selection. Following the Chicago Bulls taking Jay Williams, the Warriors eyed another member of the Duke Blue Devils. General manager Garry St. Jean landed Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s product Mike Dunleavy Jr. with the No. 3 overall selection.
Watch the Dunleavy Jr. draft pick via YouTube:
After winning a championship as a sophomore at Duke, Dunleavy Jr. improved his numbers as a junior to 17.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 2.1 assists and 0.7 blocks per game. In his final season at Duke, Dunleavy Jr. shot 48.3% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc. The Duke forward earned back-to-back consensus second-team All-American honors in 2001 and 2002.
As a rookie, Dunleavy Jr. played in all 82 games for new Golden State coach Mike Montgomery, averaging 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.6 steals in 15.9 minutes per game. Golden State nearly doubled their win total from the previous season, recording 38 victories in Dunleavy Jr.’s rookie year.
Dunleavy Jr. ended his career playing 16 seasons on six different NBA teams. The former Golden State draft pick currently serves as the assistant general manager for the Warriors.
Other notable members of the 2002 draft class include Amar’e Stoudemire, Connecticut’s Caron Butler, Kentucky’s Tayshaun Prince and Duke’s Carlos Boozer.
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