9 People who turned their backs on the LA Clippers

Michael Olowokandi

When a team lands the first pick in the draft, fans begin to dream. The number one pick typically yields a star player. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.

In 1998, the Los Angeles Clippers landed the number one pick. They selected Michael Olowokandi. He wasn’t exactly a star player. The Kandi Man averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game over his 10-year NBA career.

That’s painful enough. The players who’d go on to be selected in the 1998 draft make Olowokandi’s career particularly excruciating. The Clippers could have had Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki or Paul Pierce. Antawn Jamison, Mike Bibby, Larry Hughes, and others would all have made better choices.

Perhaps we’re being unfair. Olowokandi didn’t ask to be picked first overall. We should be blaming the Clippers’ decision-makers. Who exactly was in the driver’s seat here?