Before the Golden State Warriors make 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 selections — trades, surprises, busts, sleepers and everything in between.
In 2006, the Warriors eyed a big man prospect after a surprising run in the NCAA Tournament.
June 28, 2006
The Toronto Raptors started the 2006 NBA Draft selecting Italy’s Andrea Bargnani with the first overall pick. Eight picks later, Chris Mullin and Don Nelson were on the clock. With the No. 9 pick, the Warriors landed Patrick O’Bryant out of Bradley.
During his final season in the Missouri Valley Conference, Bradley tallied 13.4 points on 55.2% shooting from the field with 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.
In the 2006 NCAA Tourament, O’Bryant helped lead No. 13 seed Bradley past Kansas and Pittsburgh for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. Although Bradley could not complete the Cinderella story, losing to top-seeded Memphis, O’Bryant’s performance during March Madness boosted his draft stock.
After a foot injury took the Golden State rookie out of training camp, the 7-footer saw limited action in this debut season in the Bay Area. O’Bryant averaged 1.9 points on 31.3% shooting from the field, with 1.3 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per contest. The 20-year-old ended his rookie season playing only 16 games.
His struggles lingered into his sophomore year in the NBA. O’Bryant was sent down to Golden State’s D League affiliate in Bakersfield. With his trip to the Bakersfield Jam taking up part of his season, O’Bryant only appeared in the Warriors rotation 24 times in the 2007-08 season.
Watch highlights from O’Bryant’s 2007-08 season via YouTube:
Following his second season with the Warriors, O’Bryant signed a deal with the Boston Celtics in the offseason. The Bradley product suited up for the Celtics and the Toronto Raptors before his time in the NBA came to a close after the 2009-10 season.
During his career, O’Bryant averaged 2.1 points on 49.4% shooting from the field with 1.4 rebounds in 90 games.
After his time in the NBA ended, O’Bryant played in Europe, Puerto Rico, China and Canada. In 2012, O’Bryant was named Puerto Rico’s BSN Defensive Player of the Year. In 2018, the former Warriors big man joined The Trilogy in The BIG 3 League.
Notable members of the 2006 NBA Draft class included LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, J.J. Redick, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry and Paul Milsap.
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