NBA Teams Went Crazy Over High School Players in 2004 and 2005

Published on November 20th, 2024 6:39 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


In 2004, an astonishing eight high school players were drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft.

In 2005, three high school players were drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft, with another six players being drafted in the second round.

At the end of the 2005 season, the league and the player's union agreed that players would no longer be able to jump straight from high school to the NBA - instead, they had to be 19 years of age, and they had to be a full year removed from high school.

The high school player craze was ignited by LeBron James, the generational talent who was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school in the 2003 NBA Draft.

James was dynamic from his first NBA game onwards, as he averaged 20.9 points per game in his rookie campaign.

NBA executives started scouring the high school ranks, looking for the next LeBron James.

This created a gold rush in 2004 and 2005, as 17 high school players were drafted over the course of two years.

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As mentioned, seven teams used valuable first round draft capital on high school players in 2004. How were the results?

Dwight Howard was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic and quickly became one of the most impactful players in the league. Howard was definitely worth the pick and things definitely worked out for the Magic.

Shaun Livingston was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the #4 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. While Livingston didn't live up to his fourth overall draft capital, he enjoyed a long career in the league which included three championships with the Golden State Warriors.

Robert Swift was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the #12 overall pick. Swift was a bust, playing just four uneventful years in the league before moving to the D-League, Japan and Spain.

Sebastian Telfair was drafted 13th overall in the 2004 NBA Draft. Telfair enjoyed a decade plus career in the league but never become the impactful player that the Portland Trail Blazers would have hoped for.

Al Jefferson was drafted 15th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA Draft, and Jefferson enjoyed a very solid 15-year career in the league.

Josh Smith and JR Smith were drafted back-to-back in the 17th and 18th spots by the Hawks and Hornets (respectively) and both men enjoyed very solid NBA careers.

Lastly, Dorell Wright was drafted 19th overall by the Miami Heat in the 2004 NBA Draft, and he remained in the league for well over decade.

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Of the eight high school players drafted in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft, the majority went on to have very respectable NBA careers. The only bust was Robert Swift. These are very decent returns.