1990 NBA draft
The 1990 NBA draft took place on June 27, 1990, in New York City, New York. One of the standouts of this draft is Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton. He became a nine-time All-Star, achieved the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1996, won an NBA Championship with the Miami Heat in 2006, holds many statistical records during his tenure with the now defunct Seattle SuperSonics, and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2013.
The top pick of the draft was Syracuse's Derrick Coleman who was selected by the New Jersey Nets. In total, 52 of the 54 players selected went on to play at least one competitive game in the NBA, and six players were at some point of their career selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game. One player who had been projected to be a lottery pick by media outlets and draft analysts was Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers, who died of a heart condition in March 1990 after collapsing during a game.Draft selections
| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | NBA team | School/Club team |
| 1 | 1 | * | PF/C | United States | New Jersey Nets | Syracuse |
| 1 | 2 | ^ | PG | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Oregon State |
| 1 | 3 | | PG | United States | Denver Nuggets | LSU |
| 1 | 4 | | SG/SF | United States | Orlando Magic | Georgia Tech |
| 1 | 5 | | SG | United States | Charlotte Hornets | Illinois |
| 1 | 6 | | C | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Louisville |
| 1 | 7 | | SF | United States | Sacramento Kings | La Salle |
| 1 | 8 | | SG | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Loyola Marymount |
| 1 | 9 | | SG | United States | Miami Heat | Minnesota |
| 1 | 10 | | PG | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Michigan |
| 1 | 11 | + | PF | United States | Golden State Warriors | Xavier |
| 1 | 12 | | PF | United States | Houston Rockets | Georgia |
| 1 | 13 | | PF | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Michigan |
| 1 | 14 | | PG | United States | Sacramento Kings | Texas |
| 1 | 15 | | SG | United States | Miami Heat | Ohio |
| 1 | 16 | | SF | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Michigan |
| 1 | 17 | | PF/C | United States | New York Knicks | Maryland |
| 1 | 18 | | C | United States | Sacramento Kings | Temple |
| 1 | 19 | | SG | United States | Boston Celtics | Jacksonville |
| 1 | 20 | | SF/SG | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Ole Miss |
| 1 | 21 | + | PF/C | United States | Phoenix Suns | St. John's |
| 1 | 22 | | SG | United States | New Jersey Nets | Connecticut |
| 1 | 23 | | PF/SF | United States | Sacramento Kings | Saint Louis |
| 1 | 24 | | C | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Florida |
| 1 | 25 | | PF | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Duke |
| 1 | 26 | | PG/SG | United States | Detroit Pistons | Texas |
| 1 | 27 | | PF/C | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Clemson |
| 2 | 28 | | C | United States | Golden State Warriors | Iowa |
| 2 | 29 | | SF | | Chicago Bulls | KK Split |
| 2 | 30 | | PF | | Miami Heat | Houston |
| 2 | 31 | | PG | United States | Phoenix Suns | Dayton |
| 2 | 32 | | SG | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Georgia Tech |
| 2 | 33 | | C | United States | Utah Jazz | Dartmouth |
| 2 | 34 | | PG | United States | Golden State Warriors | Kansas |
| 2 | 35 | | PF/C | United States | Washington Bullets | UTEP |
| 2 | 36 | | SF | United States | Atlanta Hawks | UCLA |
| 2 | 37 | | SG | United States | Washington Bullets | Virginia Union |
| 2 | 38 | | SF | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Arizona |
| 2 | 39 | | C/PF | United States | Charlotte Hornets | Purdue |
| 2 | 40 | | PG | United States | Sacramento Kings | Virginia Tech |
| 2 | 41 | | SG | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Illinois |
| 2 | 42 | | SF | United States | Denver Nuggets | Illinois |
| 2 | 43 | | PF/C | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Maryland |
| 2 | 44 | | PG | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Kansas State |
| 2 | 45 | + | PF/C | United States | Indiana Pacers | UTEP |
| 2 | 46 | | SF/PF | United States | Indiana Pacers | Barton CC |
| 2 | 47 | | PF | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Xavier |
| 2 | 48 | + | SF | United States | Phoenix Suns | Cal State Fullerton |
| 2 | 49 | # | SG | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Duke |
| 2 | 50 | | C | | Phoenix Suns | Tennessee Tech |
| 2 | 51 | | SG/PG | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Marquette |
| 2 | 52 | | PF/C | Italy | Cleveland Cavaliers | Ranger Varese |
| 2 | 53 | # | C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Providence |
| 2 | 54 | | SG/SF | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Michigan |
Notable undrafted players
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
| PF | United States | Providence |
| C | United States | UAB |
| C/PF | United States | Fordham |
| C/PF | United States | North Carolina |
