13. 1984 NBA Draft
Clippers Select: Lancaster Gordon (8)
Still on the Board: John Stockton (16)
The 1984 NBA Draft features one of the most legendary classes in the history of the league. Hall-of-Famers Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley were all selected in the first five picks alone. If the future stars stopped there, it would already be considered one of the top crops of first-year players the NBA would ever see. But there was more coming down the road. The next future All-Star to come off the board would be Alvin Robinson when he was drafted seventh overall to San Antonio.
The Clippers selected six-foot-three shooting guard Lancaster Gordon out of Louisville one pick later before the Kings were able to nab future All-Star Otis Thorpe with the ninth overall pick, and the Hawks selected Kevin Willis 11th overall.
A few picks later the Utah Jazz set the table for two decades of success by drafting John Stockton out of Gonzaga. The six-foot-one point guard went on to have a Hall-of Fame career that featured ten All-Star game appearances, 11 All-NBA teams, five All-Defensive teams, an appearance on the Dream Team. He retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in both assists and steals, where he remains to this day.
Lancaster Gordon played in four seasons for the Clippers, never averaging more than 16 minutes-per-game in his short career.
The Clippers certainly don’t boast a perfect record in the draft, but neither does any other franchise in the NBA. Taking a look back at what could have been has the possibility to drive a fan mad, but can also create fun hypothetical discussions for fans to have when talking about the history of basketball.
We don’t have the ability to go back in time and change history, but we can debate and discuss what could or should have been for as long as we are fans. That’s part of what makes sports great.