Paul Pierce working out for the Nuggets ahead of the 1998 NBA draft. (Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post)
We’re a day late for Throwback Thursday (hence the asterisk), but this photo is too good to sit on another week.
The Nuggets had the No. 3 pick in the draft in 1998, a year when a handful of future star forwards were up for grabs. Antawn Jamison. Dirk Nowitzki. Vince Carter. And Paul Pierce, a first-team all-american out of Kansas who would later have his No. 34 jersey retired by the Jayhawks.
Prior to the draft, Pierce and Kansas teammate Raef LaFrentz worked out for the Nuggets with the hopes of earning that No. 3 selection. The Nuggets went with the 6-foot-11 LaFrentz, a decision that is still deemed one of the worst draft picks in franchise history given the talented players available.
To his credit, LaFrentz did well in his three-plus seasons in Denver, despite playing only 12 games his rookie year because of a knee injury. He averaged 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in his time as a Nugget before being traded, along with Nick Van Exel, to Dallas in 2002.
Pierce, meanwhile, was drafted 10th overall by Boston, where he spent 15 seasons, averaged 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while earning 10 all-star nods, an NBA championship (2008) and an NBA Finals MVP award.
At least we’ll always have that photo of him in Nuggets gear.
