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Five teams (including the Minnesota Timberwolves twice) thought there were players in the 2009 NBA Draft better than Stephen Curry. Today, he's widely recognized as the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history, a four-time champion, a two-time MVP, and an Olympic gold medalist. While it's not unusual for future Hall of Famers to slip past the first pick in the NBA Draft, how did Curry manage to fall right on the Warriors' lap at No. 7?
Let’s take a look at the six players and how their careers panned out.
1st pick: Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers)
This pick wasn't much of a surprise at the time. A high-flying forward out of the University of Oklahoma, Blake Griffin’s athleticism made scouts rave about his potential. After all, he nearly swept every award the NCAA could give him during his sophomore year. He was the unanimous choice for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, won the Naismith College Player of the Year, Adolph Rupp Trophy, John Wooden Award, and the Associated Press Player of the Year.
Griffin became the face of the Clippers franchise for eight seasons and was the centerpiece of their “Lob City” era. Injuries took a toll on his explosiveness and eventually played on four teams his entire career. His last NBA contract was with the Boston Celtics in the 2022-2023 season.
2nd pick: Hasheem Thabeet (Memphis Grizzlies)
As a team that already had a budding star in Mike Conley Jr., it didn't make a lot of sense for the Grizzlies to take Stephen Curry at number two. Hasheem Thabeet, on the other hand, was such a force on the defensive end that people forget about his limitations on offense.
Unfortunately, Thabeet struggled to find his footing in the NBA. He only played five seasons in the NBA with career averages of 2.2 points, .8 blocks, and 2.7 rebounds. Thabeet is still playing basketball professionally for Pazi in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
3rd pick: James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Unlike many of the other players taken before Curry in the 2009 NBA Draft, James Harden developed into a future NBA MVP. The best years of his career were the nine seasons he played for the Houston Rockets. Entering his late thirties, Harden is still one of the top players in the game and the only thing left for him to achieve is winning an NBA championship.
4th pick: Tyreke Evans (Sacramento Kings)
Early on, it looked like Tyreke Evans would be the best player in this draft class. With Griffin sidelined his first season, Evans was named Rookie of the Year of their class. He was a versatile guard who could score, rebound, and assist, but his career never quite reached the heights many expected.
Evans was even banned from the NBA for three years for violating the league's Anti-Drug Program. He last played professionally in the G-League for the Wisconsin Herd in 2022.
5th pick: Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves)
The Timberwolves had high expectations when they drafted Ricky Rubio. Despite his lack of scoring, Rubio had a respectable 12-year NBA career playing for four teams. While he never became a superstar, Rubio was a dependable playmaker and a solid contributor wherever he played.
6th pick: Jonny Flynn (Minnesota Timberwolves)
With Rubio required to play the next two seasons for FC Barcelona, the Wolves needed to take another point guard to pair with Love. With another chance to take a risk on Stephen Curry, the Wolves went with a more established two-way player in Johnny Flynn from Syracuse. After finishing fifth in voting for Rookie of the Year, Flynn's NBA career flamed out.
He only played three seasons in the NBA and spent the rest of his basketball career overseas. The last team Flynn played for was the Orlandina Basket of the Serie A league in Italy.
