WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2008 News WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
17
draft night
Walters tucked himself away from the living room chaos to his own room. He stared straight at the television set, waiting for a decision to be made.
The phone rang occasionally. If it wasn't his agent updating Walters on the latest draft scenarios, there were calls from other franchises stating their interest in the 6-foot-4 shooting guard.
Ultimately, however, there was nothing Walters could do but watch and wait.
"For someone like myself who wants to control every situation, it was pretty difficult." Walters said.
Fifteen times NBA commissioner David Stern strolled to the podium, making life-changing draft declarations. New homes awaited those men. New friends. New money.
Walters yearned to join that group as the lining of his stomach continued to disagree with him.
Then, the statement he worked so hard for so long to hear finally arrived.
"With the 16th pick in the 1993 NBA Draft," Stern said, "the New Jersey Nets select Rex Walters, from the University of Kansas."
The rest rushed by like a blur. Quick phone talks with Nets head coach Chuck Daly and general manager Willis Reed. A celebratory trip to Tony Roma's restaurant for ribs. An early morning, cross-country flight in the works for a contract signing and his first press conference as a professional. He really was a first round draft pick, and soon he would have the $650,000 rookie-year salary to prove it.
The first night of the rest of his life had begun, and sleep was the last thing on Walters' mind.
*****
NBA Draft Night.
It's a rite of passage for the best young basketball players on the planet. Years of struggle and months of speculation and hype are whittled down to one evening with a staged production under bright lights. NBA prospects have their stats and body types dissected by analysts as every move is captured for a national television audience.
When Arthur, Rush and Chalmers declared for the draft, the hope was to
cash in on their national championship season at the University. There is no better way for them to validate their departures than with a selection in the draft's first round. Only those top 30 picks receive guaranteed contracts and financial stability for life. A player not drafted there must make a team's regular-season roster to earn a salary.
Rush's agent, Mark Bartelstein, knows the stakes will be high
"It's a tense night," said Bartelstein, who is the CEO and founder of Chicago-based Priority Sports and Entertainment, Bartelstein also rep-
called."
Bartelstein said he usually had a pretty good feel for teams that were interested in his clients.
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"But on draft night," he added, "anything can happen. And it often does."
resented Walters 15 years ago. "It's a night of great expectation. Suddenly, everything's out of their control and they're waiting for their name to get
Listen to an NBA Draft preview podcast with former KU and NBA player Bud Stallworth.
Despite the draft's unpredictability, Arthur, Rush and Chalmers are projected to join the growing list of first
round draft selections at Kansas. In the 61-year history of the NBA draft, 20 Jayhawks have been chosen in round one, including 10 players since Walters. Among the most notable KU first rounders in school history are NBA Hall of
Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Jo Jo White and recent NBA finals most
SEE DREAMS ON PAGE 18
Former Kansas guard Mario Chalmers drives past a Memphis'Joey Dorsey during the 2008 NCAA National Championship game. If Chalmers is drafted in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft, he would become the first Kansas guard to be drafted in the first round since Kirk Hinrich in 2003.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Spencer Research Library/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Bud Stallworth, who last played at Kansas in 1972, was drafted in the first round of the 1972 NBA Draft. Stallworth now works on campus as budget manager for Design and Business Management.