2001-02 SP Authentic Signatures #TP Tony Parker

By modern day standards, the 2001 NBA Draft was deep with All-Star talent and players that would help raise banners in cities across the country. The rare grouping included two future Hall of Famers and difference makers found deep into the second round.

The 2001 draft can be viewed in many ways, and one might be the “bust” pick by Washington Wizards team president Michael Jordan.

The Top Pick

En vogue at the time, NBA teams were okay with gambling on a high school player, drafting off potential. Out of Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Georgia, Jordan thought he found the future of the Wizards franchise in center/power forward Kwame Brown.

Rated as the top high school player in the nation, Washington selected Brown No. 1 overall. Brown’s struggles in the league began immediately, starting in just three of 57 games played as a rookie. Hanging in the NBA for 12 years, Brown’s best season was in Year 3 (2003-04) averaging career highs in rebounds (7.4) and points (10.9) per game.

Although Brown was never selected to an All-Star squad, there are a handful of his cards that trade in the $6 to $15 range raw.

2001-02 Upper Deck Inspirations #108 Julius Erving/Kwame Brown AU RC

2001-02 Upper Deck Honor Roll #121 Kwame Brown JSY RC/Kevin Garnett JSY

2001-02 Topps Xpectations #101 Kwame Brown /250 RC

2001-02 Topps High Topps #130 Kwame Brown AU RC

2001-02 SPx #111C Kwame Brown JSY AU RC

2001-02 SPx #111A Kwame Brown JSY AU RC

2001-02 Topps #221 Kwame Brown RC

Second Pick Overall

Drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Clippers but traded to the Chicago Bulls for Elton Brand, the NBA looked to another high school standout in Tyson Chandler. Chandler was a double-double machine that was truly active on the defensive end. Selected to just one All-Star Game (2013), Chandler proved his value, earning NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, All-Defensive First Team honors in 2013, and second-team selections in 2011 and 2012. His play down low helped Dallas win a championship in 2011.

Rookie cards for Chandler run the spectrum with easy to get into cards around $1-$2 with mid-tier cards at $5-$8, and higher end $8-$20.

2001-02 Fleer Showcase #97 Tyson Chandler AVANT RC /500

2001-02 Fleer Showcase Legacy #97 Tyson Chandler AVANT /50

2001-02 SPx #110A Tyson Chandler JSY AU RC

2001-02 SPx #110C Tyson Chandler JSY AU RC

2001-02 Ultimate Collection #89 Tyson Chandler AU RC

2001-02 Topps Pristine Refractors #63 Tyson Chandler RC

Spanish Invasion

The Atlanta Hawks kept the line of centers taken off the board, choosing Pau Gasol third. The Hawks moved Gasol to the Vancouver Grizzlies, as the team was making the transition to Memphis, for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and a late first-round pick. The 21-year-old from Spain showcased his skills, averaging 17.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game while earning ROY honors.

Gasol was a six-time All-Star Game selection and was named second team (2) and third team (2) All-NBA four times. His Hall of Fame status was rightly earned, helping the Los Angeles Lakers win back-to-back titles in 2009-10.

Worth noting, Gasol was the first foreign born player to win NBA Rookie of the Year.

A fan favorite in the hobby, Gasol has a couple rookie cards that start off around $30-$40 raw, working up to $100 based on condition. Most Gasol base rookie cards can be added to the PC starting around $3-$5.

2001-02 Upper Deck Inspirations #105 Kevin Garnett AU/Pau Gasol RC

2001-02 Ultimate Collection #71 Pau Gasol RC

2001-02 Ultimate Collection #71 Pau Gasol RC

More Lottery Picks

The next six picks in the draft may be household names to some, but none of the six ever made an All-Star squad.

Eddy Curry – Chicago Bulls

Jason Richardson – Golden State Warriors

Shane Battier – Vancouver Grizzles

Eddie Griffin – New Jersey Nets

DeSagana Diop – Cleveland Cavaliers

Rodney White – Detroit Pistons

“Iso Joe”

A silky-smooth small forward/shooting guard out of University of Arkansas, Joe Johnson was the 10th pick in the draft by the Celtics. Drafted to a team that had Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, and Kenny Anderson, there wasn’t enough roundball to go around in Boston. After 48 games, the Celtics traded Johnson to the Phoenix Suns, and Johnson went on to have a very successful career.

From 2003-04 to 2015-16 playing for the Suns, Hawks, and Brooklyn Nets, Johnson was a double-digit scorer in the league making seven All-Star teams. Johnson seemingly retired after the 2017-18 season but made a one-game return with the Boston Celtics during the 2021-22 season. The 40-year-old Johnson took one shot and made one basket to close out his NBA career.

Collecting Johnson rookie cards can be easy on the wallet. Some, like his 2001-02 Topps #230, can be found around $1. Short print cards, like the Hoops Hot Prospects #90, are pricier, valued between $8 to $25.

2001-02 Fleer Showcase #96 Joe Johnson AVANT RC

2001-02 Hoops Hot Prospects #90 Joe Johnson JSY /300 RC

2001-02 Topps High Topps #133 Joe Johnson AU RC

2001-02 Topps Xpectations #110 Joe Johnson /250 RC

2001-02 Ultimate Collection #82 Joe Johnson RC

2001-02 Fleer Authentix Sweet Selections #10 Joe Johnson

More Difference Makers

From pick No. 11 to 18, none of the players selected appeared in an All-Star game. In that group: Kedrick Brown, Vladimir Radmanovic, Richard Jefferson, Troy Murphy, Steven Hunter, Kirk Haston, Michael Bradley, and Jason Collins. Radmanovic, Jefferson, Murphy, and Collins had long NBA careers, becoming counted upon role players for their teams.

“Z-Bo”

The next standout from the draft was power forward Zach Randolph. The Portland Trail Blazers took the former Michigan State talent at No. 19. Randolph earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in 2004, with All-Star trips in 2010 and 2013 as a member of the Grizzlies.

Like Johnson, Randolph’s career was quiet but massively successful, averaging over 20 a game in seven of his 17 years as a pro. Randolph also averaged 10 or more boards a game for the season 10 times.

Starting in the $12-$15 range, there are three Randolph rookie cards higher valued than the rest.

2001-02 Ultimate Collection #73 Zach Randolph RC

2001-02 Topps Xpectations #119 Zach Randolph /250 RC

2001-02 Topps High Topps #135 Zach Randolph AU RC

2001-02 Topps TCC #139 Zach Randolph RC

Talent Keeps Coming

After Randolph, Brendan Haywood, Joseph Forte, Jeryl Sasser, Brandon Armstrong, and Raul Lopez heard their name. Then at No. 25, it was Gerald Wallace’s turn. Drafted by the Sacramento Kings after a one-and-done college career with Alabama, it took Wallace a change of scenery and a new team before breaking out.

In the 2004 expansion draft, Charlotte nabbed Wallace starting a 12-year streak of averaging double digits a game. His best season scoring the rock (19.4 ppg) was in 2007-08. In 2010, Wallace made an All-Star team. An attribute to his game often overlooked, his defensive abilities. Wallace led the league in steals (2.6) in ’05-06 and was first team NBA All-Defensive in 2010.

Wallace rookie cards are a fun collect, and not overly expensive, even among some of the short prints. Most Wallace RC start in the $1.25 to $3 categories with the more expensive ones starting at $6 raw, going up to $15.

2002-03 Upper Deck Inspirations #137 John Salmons AU RC/Gerald Wallace AU /1600

2001-02 Upper Deck Inspirations #129 Chris Webber JSY/Gerald Wallace JSY RC /1100

2001-02 Fleer Authentix Front Row Parallel #121 Gerald Wallace /100

Late-Round Future Starters

How loaded this draft ended up being, Samuel Dalembert at No. 26 (76ers) and at No. 27 Jamaal Tinsley (Grizzlies, traded to Pacers) were late-round picks. Both Dalembert and Tinsley were very good players with long NBA careers.

The San Antonio Spark Plug

The last pick, at No. 28, another legend of the game – Tony Parker. Following along the lines Red Auerbach and Jerry West, since 1996, when Gregg Popovich became the head coach of San Antonio, the Spurs have maximized their opportunities in the draft. Coach Pop struck proverbial gold, picking an unknown and overlooked point guard with the final first-round pick in the 2001 draft.

Enough to share that Parker is the second Hall of Famer from this draft, but added context helps. Parker retired in 2019 as a six-time All-Star, four-time NBA Champion, and the 2007 NBA Finals MVP.

One of the most valuable cards with Parker’s name on it, but is a rookie card for teammate Manu Ginobili, is the 2002-03 Upper Deck Inspirations #138 Manu Ginobili AU RC/Tony Parker AU. In raw excellent condition, this card can start around $80 going up to $500 in value.

Some of Parker’s high-end rookie cards include:

2001-02 Ultimate Collection #64 Tony Parker RC

2001-02 SPx #91C Tony Parker JSY AU RC /800

2001-02 SPx #91B Tony Parker JSY AU RC /800

2001-02 SPx #91A Tony Parker JSY AU RC /800

2001-02 SP Authentic #138 Tony Parker AU RC /800

2001-02 Topps Pristine Refractors #109 Tony Parker /750

Second Round Gold

Even die-hard NBA fans turn the TV off going into the second round, but in 2001, that would have been a mistake. The first pick in Round 2 was Trenton Hassell (Bulls), another solid nine-year pro. Holding the 31st pick, Gilbert Arenas fell into Golden State’s lap.

The Warriors got the second-round steal after pre-draft rumors upended the former Arizona Wildcat guard from being a lottery and first-round pick.

Arenas averaged 10.9 ppg as a rookie but didn’t really get it going. The sophomore campaign saw him jump to 18.3 ppg, with it came Most Improved Player honors. By Year 3, Arenas was in Washington earning his three All-Star selections and was named All-NBA Second Team (2007) and All-NBA Third Team (2005, 2006). Injuries starting in 2007-08 slowed Arenas on the court until he retired in 2012.

The most expensive Arenas’ rookie card is the 2001-02 Topps High Topps #137 AU. Raw values run from $60 (EX) to $40 (M). Another great one for the PC is 2001-02 Ultimate Collection #62.

2001-02 Upper Deck #202 Gilbert Arenas RC

This Draft Keeps Going

Seven picks after Arenas, the Detroit Pistons took Mehmet Okur. The big man could shoot. During the 2008-09 season, Okur shot .446 from behind the arc. In 2007, as a member of the Utah Jazz, Okur was named an All-Star. Starting in 33 games with the Pistons in ’03-04, Okur got a ring.

For collectors; Okur played for Efes Pilsen in the Turkish Basketball League in 2001-02 winning a championship. He did not start his NBA career until 2002 with the Pistons. Okur’s rookie cards start in 2002 releases.

The names in the second round of the draft continue with Earl Watson and Bobby Simmons.

For those who like to collect in different ways and along different linear paths, for example, all the players in a given draft, the 2001 grouping is stocked full of talent with many of the cards fitting into anyone’s budget.

2002-03 Topps Jersey Edition #JEMOK Mehmet Okur H RC

*All pricing sourced from Beckett Online Price Guide. All cards with RC (rookie card) tag by Beckett Online Price Guide reviewed.

2001-02 SPx #91C Tony Parker JSY AU RC /800

2001-02 SP Authentic #126 Gilbert Arenas AU RC /1525

2001-02 SP Authentic Signatures #JJ Joe Johnson /390