Before the Golden State Warriors are on the clock with the No. 2 selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s draft catalog to highlight some of the most memorable picks — trades, surprises, busts, sleepers and everything in between.
After landing Stephen Curry with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Larry Riley and Keith Smart had the opportunity to build around their NBA All-Rookie Team member.
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June 24, 2010
The Washington Wizards kicked off the 2010 edition of the NBA Draft by selecting John Wall out of the University of Kentucky. The Sacramento Kings capped off the top five by taking Wall’s teammate DeMarcus Cousins. Following the future Golden State center heading to California’s capital, the Warriors were on the clock.
After finishing with a 26-56 record, the Warriors were slated to pick in the top-10 for the second consecutive season. With the No. 6 pick in the 2010 draft, the Warriors penned Ekpe Udoh out of Baylor.
After spending his first two college seasons at Michigan, the 6-foot-10 forward spent the final season of his college career in the Big 12 with Baylor. During his only season in Waco, Udoh averaged 13.9 points on 49% from the field with 9.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.
Before declaring for the draft, Udoh was named as an honorable mention for the AP All-American Team along with earning bids to the All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Big 12 Defensive Team.
With Curry and Monta Ellis in the backcourt, Udoh averaged 4.1 points on 43.7% shooting from the field with 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 17.8 minutes per contest as a rookie.
Watch a highlight from Udoh’s rookie season in the Bay Area via YouTube:
During the 2011-12 season, the Warriors included Udoh in a deal that sent Monta Ellis, Kwame Brown and the Baylor product to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. After two and a half seasons in Milwaukee, Udoh signed a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Following one season in Southern California, the shot-blocking big man opted to play in Europe for Fenerbahçe.
On his way to winning a EuroLeague championship with Fenerbahçe in 2017, Udoh was named to the All-EuroLeague First team and EuroLeague Final Four Most Valuable Player. During his time with Fenerbahçe, Udoh played with former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett and current Sacramento Kings wing Bogdan Bogdanović.
Following his two seasons in Turkey, Udoh returned to the NBA with the Utah Jazz in 2017. Udoh spent two seasons with the Jazz, averaging 2.5 points on 57.3% shooting from the field with 2.1 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per contest.
Along with Wall and Cousins, other notable members of the 2010 NBA Draft class included Gordon Hayward, Paul George, Evan Turner, Derrick Favors, Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Patrick Patterson, Ed Davis, Al-Farouq Aminu and Lance Stephenson.
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