Top NBA Draft Steals Since 2000: Part One
Tony Parker – 2001, 28th Overall – San Antonio Spurs
Tony Parker‘s basketball career has been extremely successful. He’s a four-time NBA champion and six-time NBA All-Star, having won numerous European awards as well. Gregg Popovich was head coach of the Spurs when Parker was drafted, and helped develop an undersized European point guard into a star.
There were two point guards taken ahead of Parker in 2001, Raul Lopez (24th) and Jamaal Tinsley (27th). Those two players combined to play 14 NBA seasons; Parker alone has 15 years of experience in the league.
Parker is definitely one of the best steals of this generation. To this day, Parker has 17,884 points and 6,349 assists in his 15-year career. Parker was passed on 27 times on draft day, a decision that many GMs will regret for a long time.
Amar’e Stoudemire – 2002, 9th Overall – Phoenix Suns
BERLIN, GERMANY – OCTOBER 08: Tony Parker (R) of San Antonio is challenged by Reggie Redding of Berlin during the NBA Global Games Tour 2014 match between Alba Berlin and San Antonio Spurs at O2 World on October 8, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Bongarts/Getty Images)
