New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - High school phenom Dwight Howard was selected by the
Orlando Magic with the top overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Howard becomes the third high school player taken No. 1, joining Kwame Brown (Washington, 2001) and LeBron James (Cleveland, 2003).
Howard was voted Naismith Prep Player of the Year in 2004 and was also a McDonald's All-American during his senior year at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, when he averaged 25.0 points and 18.0 rebounds per game.
The 6-11, 240-pound forward was the co-MVP of "Big Time" when his Atlanta Celtics captured the tournament title.
"I think I'm ready. It's going to be a learning experience," said Howard when asked about facing NBA competition. "I haven't played against this level of talent before. I feel that after playing a couple games, I'll get used to the hits. I'll be okay. I think by playing with the best, that'll elevate my game to another level."
The expansion Charlotte Bobcats, who moved up two spots in the draft via a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, took University of Connecticut center Emeka Okafor with the second pick.
The All-America center led the Huskies to the 2004 national championship and skipped his senior campaign for NBA stardom. He joins a Magic squad that finished 21-61 last season.
Okafor, who battled back spasms throughout UConn's postseason run, was the Big East Player of the Year this past season and was a finalist for the Wooden and Naismith Awards as national player of the year.
The 6-foot-10 star was UConn's second-leading scorer, averaging 17.6 points per game, and led the Huskies with an average of 11.5 rebounds per outing. He finished his career with a dominating 24-point, 15-rebound performance in an 82-73 victory over Georgia Tech in the national championship game.
Okafor is one of just four players in UConn history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and also finished his collegiate career with a school-record 441 blocked shots.
Chicago held the third selection and chose Connecticut point guard Ben Gordon. Gordon declared for the draft following his junior season with the Huskies. His 1,795 points at UConn ranks him sixth in school history.
Gordon was named to the All-Big East First Team following the 2003-04 campaign as well as the Final Four All-Tournament team.
The Los Angeles Clippers received the fourth and 33rd picks in the draft courtesy of the trade with Charlotte and used the No. 4 selection to take another high school star, point guard Shaun Livingston.
Livingston had little trouble dominating at every phase of his high school career with Peoria Central. He shot 52.4 percent from the floor during his four years and posted a career-best 18 points-per-game average as a senior, while also pulling down 6.2 rebounds and handing out 5.7 assists per outing.
Wisconsin point guard Devin Harris was chosen fifth by the Washington Wizards and then traded to Dallas as part of a huge deal. In addition to Harris, the Mavericks acquired swingman Jerry Stackhouse and forward Christian Laettner in exchange for forward Antawn Jamison and cash.
Harris led the Badgers to a school-record 25 wins in 2003-04, earning himself Big Ten Player of the Year honors. He was runner-up for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award and was a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection after averaging a career-best 19.5 points per game.
The Atlanta Hawks picked Stanford swingman Josh Childress with the sixth selection. Childress was a First Team All-American and All-Pac 10 selection in 2003. He was also the Pac-10's Player of the Year and the conference tournament's MVP as a junior. During the 2003-04 campaign, Childress averaged 15.7 points and 7.5 boards per contest.
Duke forward Luol Deng was taken seventh by Phoenix. However, the Suns traded Deng's rights to Chicago for the rights to the 31st pick (Jackson Vroman) and a future first-round selection.
Deng spent just one season with the Blue Devils and was the second-leading scorer during the regular season with a 15.1 points-per-game average. He also contributed 6.9 rebounds per outing and was the 10th freshman in ACC history to pace league rookies in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage (.475).
The Toronto Raptors chose BYU center Rafael Araujo at No. 8. Araujo became one of the top big men in the Mountain West Conference after just two seasons with the Cougars. He earned Co-Player of the Year honors following a 2003-04 campaign in which he averaged 18.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest.
Arizona guard Andre Iguodala was picked ninth by the Philadelphia 76ers. Iguodala posted a school record three triple-doubles this past season as a sophomore and became the only player in program history to lead the team in rebounds (253), assists (147) and steals (48) in the same season. He averaged 12.9 points, 8.4 boards and 4.9 assists per game last season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers completed the top-10, as they chose Oregon forward Luke Jackson. Jackson finished as the Pac-10's only player in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and assists. He received All-Pac-10 honors during his senior, junior and sophomore campaigns and led Oregon in scoring last year with a 21.2 points-per-game average.
In another draft day trade of note, the Nuggets sent Saint Joseph's guard and Naismith College Player of the Year Jameer Nelson, the 20th overall pick, to Orlando in exchange for a future first-round choice.
