The history of Florida players taken in the NBA draft is filled with recent first-round draft picks and some legends of eras past.
But for Gator basketball, the NBA draft has never been as fruitful as the one expected Thursday night.
Florida has never had more than two players taken in the same draft. On Thursday, three could potentially get picked among the first 10 selections.
Contrary to their lowly, laughable place in the NBA standings, the players
on the Orlando Magic's first team really were big winners.
It just took nearly two decades for folks to recognize it.
Maloof Sports & Entertainment announced it will donate $500,000 to St. HOPE, the community center started in Oak Park by former NBA all-star Kevin Johnson.
Maloof Sports owns a majority interest in Sacramento Kings and Arco Arena.
St. HOPE -- it stands for Help Our People Excel -- was started by Johnson in his home town to provide a positive environment for residents in Oak Park. Its projects for children include the St. Hope Academy and a new charter school.
Al Thornton has faced several turning points, several decisions, and several transitions, all of which has led him to an enviable position among the fraternity of basketball players. After achieving star status in the college game, the former Perry High School Panther can now sit back in that famous green room and let someone else make the big decision.
All of those choices led Thornton from Perry to Florida State University. His next stop: Madison Square Garden in New York City for the 2007 National Basketball Association Draft on June 28. He has his invitation in hand, which isn’t surprising since he is not only a projected first-round selection, but also a potential top 10 pick.
The 6-8, 220-pound forward is already finding out a little bit about life in major professional basketball. Since finishing his four-year career with the Seminoles, Thornton has gone through the long process of working out for various NBA franchises. The journey has taken him to Sacramento (Kings), Chicago (Bulls), Boston (Celtics), Charlotte (Bobcats), Minnesota (Timberwolves) and Milwaukee (Bucks).
USA TODAY's David DuPree recalls highlights of the NBA draft during the newspaper's 25 years:
Toss up — 1983
USA TODAY covered the last two years of the coin toss — when the top overall pick was decided by a coin toss between the teams that had the worst record in each conference. The Houston Rockets won the toss in 1983 and took 7-4 center Ralph Sampson, who went on to become rookie of the year. But the Rockets finished last in the West, won the coin toss again in 1984 and drafted 7-0 Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. The die was cast, as practically every team sought to copy the Twin Towers strategy.
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