2016-12-19



LM Otero/AP

Tim Duncan at his introductory press conference with the Spurs.

On Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs officially ended an era by retiring Tim Duncan’s No. 21 jersey.

Duncan, who retired in July, was the last player remaining from the 1997 draft class, and easily the best, as he’ll go down as one of the best big men to play the game.

But what happened to the rest of the 1997 class?

It was a solid draft that produced several All-Stars, a few renowned role players, and, of course, a few busts.

Check out where they are today.

The Spurs took Tim Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick, setting up a 19-year run of dominance.



Duncan retired after 19 years and five championships with the Spurs, going down as one of the best players in NBA history.



The 76ers took Keith Van Horn with the second overall pick.

After a nine-year career in which he made $88 million, Van Horn founded a girls’ basketball program, which he now coaches.

Sources: Basketball-Reference, Denver Post

The Celtics took Chauncey Billups with the third pick.

Billups was a five-time All-Star during his 17-year career. Today, Billups works as an analyst on ESPN.

The Vancouver Grizzlies took Antonio Daniels with the fourth pick.

Daniels retired in 2011, and is now a Fox Sports Oklahoma studio analyst and a host of a Sirius XM basketball radio show

The Nuggets took Tony Battie with the fifth pick.

After 14 years in the NBA, Battie retired and, as of 2014, was an analyst for the Orlando Magic.

The Celtics also had the sixth pick and selected Ron Mercer.

Mercer played for eight teams in eight years. It’s unclear what he currently does, though according to his Twitter, it seems he runs a basketball camp in Kentucky.

Source: @rmercer33

The Nets took Tim Thomas with the seventh pick.

Thomas retired in 2012, and now works with AAU basketball programs and coaches a high-school basketball team in California.

Source: “Inside the Berger Shop” podcast

The Warriors took Adonal Foyle with the eighth pick.

Foyle played 12 seasons and made over $63 million. He has written a book, “Winning the Money Game,” and works with several charities.

Sources: Basketball-Reference, AdonalFoyle.com

The Raptors took Tracy McGrady with the ninth pick.

McGrady had a decorated career as a seven-time All-Star while leading the NBA in scoring twice. Today, he is an analyst on ESPN.

The Bucks took Danny Fortson with the 10th pick.

Fortson played on five teams in 10 years. He was recently inducted into the University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame.

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

The Kings took Tariq Abdul-Wahad with the 10th pick.

Abdul-Wahad played six years in the NBA. He was hired as a varsity basketball coach in San Jose, California, in 2013.

Source: San Jose Mercury News

The Pacers took Austin Croshere with the 11th pick.

Croshere played 12 seasons in the NBA and is now a radio analyst for the Pacers and for college basketball.

Source: Austin Croshere/Twitter

The Cavaliers took Derek Anderson with the 13th pick.

After 11 years in the NBA, Anderson runs the Derek Anderson Foundation, which helps aid battered women and children, and runs a basketball academy.

Source: Forbes

The Clippers took Maurice Taylor with the 14th pick.

After nine years in the NBA, Taylor now seems to be involved in private equity.

Sources: LinkedIn, Corporation Wiki

The Mavericks took Kelvin Cato with the 15th pick.

Cato retired in 2007 and as of 2013, owned an agricultural recycling center and a record label.

Source: Houston Chronicle

The Cavaliers took Brevin Knight with the 16th pick.

After 12 years in the NBA, Knight is now an analyst for the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Magic took Johnny Taylor with the 17th pick.

Taylor was hired as director of player development at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016.

Source: VCU

The Blazers took Chris Anstey with the 18th pick.

Anstey only played three years in the NBA, but had a successful career in Australia and was the coach of Melbourne United until the 2014-15 season.

The Pistons took Scot Pollard with the 19th pick.

Pollard played 11 seasons in the NBA, and was on the 32nd season of “Survivor” in 2016.

Source: Inside Survivor

The Timberwolves took Paul Grant with the 20th pick.

Grant only played 16 games in his two-year NBA career. He now coaches at MIT.

Source: MIT Athletics

The Nets took Anthony Parker with the 21st pick.

Parker played nine years in the NBA, and is now a scout for the Orlando Magic.

Source: Real GM

The Hawks took Ed Gray with the 22nd pick.

Gray played two seasons in the NBA, eventually getting traded to the Rockets in 1999, but he never played.

The Sonics took Bobby Jackson with the 23rd pick.

Jackson played 12 years in the NBA. He’s now a radio analyst for the Kings.

The Rockets took Rodrick Rhodes with the 24th pick.

Rhodes played three years in the NBA. He coached the Cordia High School basketball team until 2016.

Source: WYMT

The Knicks took John Thomas with the 25th pick.

Thomas played five years in the NBA, and now works with Ultimate Hoops, a basketball league and training center.

Source: Ultimate Hoops

The Heat took Charles Smith with the 26th pick.

Smith played five years in the NBA. He last played in Italy in 2011.

The Jazz took Jacque Vaughn with the 27th pick.

Vaughn played 12 years in the NBA. After coaching the Magic and working with the Spurs, Vaughn was hired as an assistant coach with the Nets.

The Bulls took Keith Booth with the 28th pick.

Booth played two seasons in the NBA, and is now an assistant coach with the University of Maryland.

BONUS: The Suns took Stephen Jackson with the 42nd pick.

Jackson played 14 years in the NBA, making over $65 million. He now does commentary on ESPN.

Source: Spotrac

Now, take a look at one of the more infamous drafts in NFL history…

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The 6 quarterbacks drafted before Tom Brady in the infamous 2000 NFL Draft >

The post WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The players from Tim Duncan’s 1997 NBA draft class appeared first on Business Insider.

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