NBA High School Draftees Were Mostly Black

In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court decision [Spencer] Haywood v. National Basketball Association ruled, 7–2 against the National Basketball Association’s requirement that a player must complete four years of college eligibility before turning professional. This ruling allowed players to enter the NBA Draft without four years of college, provided they could give evidence of hardship to the NBA office. In 1974, the NBA's rival, the ABA, drafted high school star Moses Malone. He was immediately signed by the Utah Stars and became the first player to go directly from high school basketball to a professional league. A year later, two high school players, Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby, applied for hardship and were declared eligible to be selected in the 1975 Draft. After Dawkins and Willoughby, no high schoolers were drafted for twenty years, though several players entered the league without playing college basketball. One notable player, Shawn Kemp, enrolled in college but never played any games due to personal problems. In 1989, a year after his high school graduation, he was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics. Others include:
Kevin Garnett was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995
Kobe Bryant was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996.
Jermaine O'Neal was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996.
Tracy McGrady was selected by the Toronto Raptors in 1997.
Korleone Young was selected by the Detroit Pistons in 1998.
Al Harrington was selected by the Indiana Pacers in 1998
Rashard Lewis was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in 1998.
Jonathan Bender was selected by the Toronto Raptors in 1999.
Leon Smith was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in 1999.
Darius Miles was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000.
DeShawn Stevenson was selected by the Utah Jazz in 2000.
Kwame Brown was selected by the Washington Wizards in 2001.
Tyson Chandler was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2001.
Eddy Curry was selected by the Chicago Bulls in 2001.
Amar'e Stoudemire was selected by the Phoenix Suns in 2002.
LeBron James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.
Travis Outlaw was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2003.
Kendrick Perkins was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2003.
James Lang was selected by the New Orleans Hornets in 2003.
Dwight Howard was selected by the Orlando Magic in 2004.
Shaun Livingston was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004.
Robert Swift was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2004.
Sebastian Telfair was selected by Portland Trail Blazers in 2004.
Al Jefferson was selected by the Boston Celtics in 2004.
Josh Smith was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in 2004.
J. R. Smith was selected by the New Orleans Hornets in 2004.
Dorell Wright was selected by the Miami Heat in 2004.
Martell Webster was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2005.
Andrew Bynum was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005.
C. J. Miles was selected by the Utah Jazz in 2005.
Monta Ellis was selected by the Golden State Warriors in 2005.
Louis Williams was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005.
Andray Blatche was selected by the Washington Wizards in 2005.
Amir Johnson was selected by the Detroit Pistons in 2005.