The NBA has become a young man’s game over the past couple of decades, with more and more players getting drafted in their late teens as opposed to their early 20s after multiple years of college, as used to be the norm.
As such, we have seen many super young players getting drafted in the late ’90s and throughout the ’00s and ’10s.
Below, check out the youngest players ever selected in the NBA Draft who played in the league, led by the legendary Andrew Bynum, one of just three players ever to be chosen as 17-year-olds.
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Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers as the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft
Career stats: 11.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg in eight seasons
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Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 17th overall pick in the 1996 draft
Career stats: 13.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg in 18 seasons
November 3, 1996; Inglewood, CA; Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant enters his first NBA game, against Minnesota. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th overall pick in the 1996 draft
Career stats: 25.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.7 apg in 20 seasons
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Selected by the Detroit Pistons as the 2nd overall pick in the 2003 draft
Career stats: 6.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg in 10 seasons
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Selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the 19th overall pick in the 1975 draft
Career stats: 6.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.8 apg in eight seasons
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Selected by the Toronto Raptors as the 9th overall pick in the 1997 draft
Career stats: 19.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.4 apg in 15 seasons
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Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 36th overall pick in the 2005 draft
Career stats: 10.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.1 apg in 13 seasons
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Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers as the 12th overall pick in the 2005 draft
Career stats: 1.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.4 apg in two seasons
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Selected by the Detroit Pistons as the 56th overall pick in the 2005 draft
Career stats: 7.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg in 14 seasons
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Selected by the Golden State Warriors as the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft
Career stats: 6.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg in 10 seasons
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Selected by the Utah Jazz as the 34th overall pick in the 2005 draft
Career stats: 9.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.1 apg in 15 seasons
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Selected by the Indiana Pacers as the 25th overall pick in the 1998 draft
Career stats: 13.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.7 apg in 16 seasons
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Selected by the Utah Jazz as the 24th overall pick in the 1999 draft
Career stats: 11.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.7 apg in 13 seasons
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Selected by the Dallas Mavericks as the 35th overall pick in the 1998 draft
Career stats: 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.2 apg in seven seasons
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Selected by the New York Knicks as the 30th overall pick in the 2003 draft
Career stats: 3.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.3 apg in three seasons
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Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 5th overall pick in the 1975 draft
Career stats: 12.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.4 bpg in 14 seasons
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Selected by the Toronto Raptors as the 5th overall pick in the 1999 draft
Career stats: 5.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.6 apg in eight seasons
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 1st overall pick in the 2003 draft
Career stats: 27.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 7.4 apg in 22 seasons
Selected by the Detroit Pistons as the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft
Career stats: 5.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.7 apg in three seasons
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Selected by the Toronto Raptors as the 57th overall pick in the 2024 draft
Career stats: 0.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.2 apg in one season
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Selected by the Dallas Mavericks as the 1st overall pick in the 2025 draft
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Selected by the Memphis Grizzlies as the 45th overall pick in the 2023 draft
Career stats: 14.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.2 apg in one season
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Selected by the Chicago Bulls as the 12th overall pick in the 2025 draft
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Selected by the Orlando Magic as the 1st overall pick in the 2004 draft
Career stats: 15.7 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg in 18 seasons
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Selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the 17th overall pick in the 2004 draft
Career stats: 14.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.1 apg in 13 seasons
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Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics as the 12th overall pick in the 2004 draft
Career stats: 4.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.2 apg in four seasons
