Most memorable NBA Draft moments ever

Steve Francis is drafted by Vancouver without great enthusiasm, 1999

Stevie Franchise had a rocky career, and it started with the NBA draft. After being selected, Francis was visibly upset and he would publicly state that he did not want to play for the Grizzlies. Confronted with the horrors of being asked to play in a city annually ranked at or near the top of worldwide livability rankings, he was shipped to the paradise of Houston instead. Kobe Bryant would pull a similar move — coming out of high school, no less — when Charlotte tried to draft him.

Appropriately, this was during the nadir of the NBA — it was post-Jordan, fresh off the lockout season, the league had image problems, and they were in the midst of the deadball era where scoring was low. Bill Simmons named this as the most memorable moment of the 1997-2004 draft era, and you can see why. Imagine following a long-suffering team for months with the faint hope of catching a superstar in the draft only to have the young guy reject you with disgust after selecting him.

I would love to say there was some karma since Francis did not have a successful career, but Vancouver could not keep its NBA team — they moved two years later. No sane person would ever mark Vancouver as an inferior destination, and Toronto has shown the league the devotion of the Canadian fans. But Vancouver may never get an NBA team again, and the Francis selection was the epitome of their image problem.

Next: The Blockbuster Chris Webber-Penny Hardaway Trade, 1993