# 1989 NBA draft
The 1989 [NBA draft](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-draft) was the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association)'s annual selection of amateur players, held in 1989, and it was the first draft conducted under the two-round format the league still uses today. The [Sacramento Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacramento-kings), holding an 11.11 percent chance in that year's lottery, won the first overall pick and chose Louisville center Pervis Ellison.[1](https://www.nba.com/history/draft) • [2](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-faq)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| No. 1 pick | Pervis Ellison, chosen by the Sacramento Kings[1](https://www.nba.com/history/draft) |
| Lottery odds | Nine teams with equal odds; each held an 11.11 percent chance at No. 1, and the Kings won[2](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-faq) • [3](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/lottery_results/1989) |
| Format change | The first NBA Draft under the two-round format implemented in 1989[4](https://api-hub-dev.nba.com/news/nba-draft-2022-by-the-numbers) |
| Total selections | 54[5](https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1989.html) |
| Roster context | Minnesota and Orlando began play in 1989, giving the league 27 teams[6](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/complete-history-nba-draft-lottery-tanking/) |
| Last envelope lottery | 1989 was the final year of the equal-odds envelope era; a weighted lottery began in 1990[7](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-lottery-changes-over-the-years) |
## The two-round format
**A structural first.** Before 1989 the NBA draft ran for more than two rounds, with teams picking in inverse order of their regular-season records in all rounds after the lottery-determined selections.[8](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-lottery-explainer) In 1989 the league reduced the draft to two rounds, a format that has remained in place since.[4](https://api-hub-dev.nba.com/news/nba-draft-2022-by-the-numbers) • [9](https://pr.nba.com/2026-nba-draft-notes/) With 27 teams in the league, the two rounds produced 54 total selections.[5](https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1989.html) • [6](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/complete-history-nba-draft-lottery-tanking/)
Contemporary coverage noted the class's shape. A [United Press International](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-press-international) report on draft day described the 1989 draft as long on guards and forwards, short on centers, and the shortest draft ever.[10](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/06/24/NBA-Draft-Short-on-CentersTwo-Rounds-Long/4919614664000/) Marty Blake, the league's scouting director, observed that in the previous four years the No. 1 pick had been self-evident, naming [Patrick Ewing](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-ewing) in 1985, Brad Daugherty in 1986, [David Robinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-robinson) in 1987, and Danny Manning in 1988.[10](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/06/24/NBA-Draft-Short-on-CentersTwo-Rounds-Long/4919614664000/)
## The lottery
The 1989 lottery was the last of the envelope era. From 1985 through 1989 the lottery used envelopes drawn from a drum, with every participating team holding the same odds; the field began at seven teams and grew to nine when Miami and Charlotte were added to the 1989 lottery.[7](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-lottery-changes-over-the-years) Each of the nine teams therefore had an 11.11 percent chance of winning the first pick, an odds level recorded for the Kings, who won, and for the [Dallas Mavericks](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-mavericks), who at 38-44 drew the eighth slot and selected Randy White.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-faq) • [3](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/lottery_results/1989)
In October 1989, after the draft, the Board of Governors expanded the lottery to 11 teams and introduced weighted odds based on where a team finished in the standings, partly because the league kept expanding; the weighted system took effect with the 1990 draft.[7](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-lottery-changes-over-the-years)
## Expansion and team moves
The draft took place amid the NBA's late-1980s expansion from 23 to 27 teams. Charlotte and Miami had begun play in 1988, and Minnesota and Orlando began play in 1989, each granted the first post-lottery picks in their inaugural draft.[6](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/complete-history-nba-draft-lottery-tanking/) The arrival of the new teams also reshaped existing rosters through the 1989 expansion draft; Detroit lost [Rick Mahorn](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-mahorn) to the expansion process, which opened more minutes for veteran James Edwards as the Pistons went on to defend their title in 1989-90.[11](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1989-90)
Charlotte, in its first season, made two selections recorded by the franchise: Reid with the fifth overall pick and Dyrn Nix with the 29th, after which the Hornets traded the rights to Nix to Indiana in exchange for Stuart Gray.[12](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612766/2026/04/2025-26_CHA_MediaGuide_NEW.pdf)
## The international wave
The 1989-90 period marked the arrival of a first substantial group of European players in the NBA: [Dražen Petrović](https://www.edgepedia.org/drazen-petrovic), Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Vlade Divac, Alexander Volkov, and Žarko Paspalj all made the move in those years.[13](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/el-gran-salto-de-arvydas-sabonis-n/) The same account notes that [Arvydas Sabonis](https://www.edgepedia.org/arvydas-sabonis), slowed by devastating injuries and rushed returns to the court, did not join the NBA in 1989 with that group.[13](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/el-gran-salto-de-arvydas-sabonis-n/)
## Legacy of the 1989 format
The two-round structure born in 1989 remains the measure used to describe draft records today; writers count multi-pick drafts from a single school against it, noting that since 1989 the most picks one school has supplied in a single draft is Kentucky's six, in 2012 and 2015.[14](https://www.nba.com/news/2026-nba-draft-news-notes)
## References
1. [All-Time NBA Draft History, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/history/draft)
2. [NBA Draft FAQ: order, dates, tickets, prospects, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-faq)
3. [NBA Draft Lottery History, RealGM](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/lottery_results/1989)
4. [NBA Draft 2022: By the numbers, NBA.com](https://api-hub-dev.nba.com/news/nba-draft-2022-by-the-numbers)
5. [1989 NBA Draft, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1989.html)
6. [Complete history of NBA Draft Lottery: 40 years of tanking and trying to stop it, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/complete-history-nba-draft-lottery-tanking/)
7. [A history of the NBA Draft Lottery and its changes over time, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-lottery-changes-over-the-years)
8. [NBA Draft Lottery: How it works, odds and where to watch, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-lottery-explainer)
9. [2026 NBA Draft Notes, NBA Communications](https://pr.nba.com/2026-nba-draft-notes/)
10. [NBA Draft: Short on Centers, Two Rounds Long, UPI Archives (June 24, 1989)](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/06/24/NBA-Draft-Short-on-CentersTwo-Rounds-Long/4919614664000/)
11. [Season Review: 1989-90, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1989-90)
12. [Charlotte Hornets 2025-26 Media Guide](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612766/2026/04/2025-26_CHA_MediaGuide_NEW.pdf)
13. [El gran salto de Arvydas Sabonis, Diario AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/el-gran-salto-de-arvydas-sabonis-n/)
14. [2026 NBA Draft News & Notes, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/2026-nba-draft-news-notes)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA draft*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license