It was a risk because there's concern about the left knee of O'Bannon, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament during a pick-up game in 1990.
Bullets general manager John Nash has been quoted as saying the deterioration gives O'Bannon the knee "of a 60-year-old." Thomas said selecting O'Bannon would be a big risk. That feedback had O'Bannon, who averaged 20.4 points and led UCLA to a national championship, nervous.
"I didn't even want to come out here, because I didn't know how long I'd be at the table," O'Bannon said. "I didn't want to be passed up by everybody. I'm relieved and I'm looking forward to getting started."
While the draft was heavy with youngsters at the top, after Garnett was taken with the fifth pick, the rest of the round was made up of seniors (three players had one year of eligibility because of medical redshirts).
The position breakdown of the first round: 16 forwards, eight guards and five centers. Three of the guards came from the ACC, with the selection of Virginia's Cory Alexander by the San Antonio Spurs with the final pick of the first round giving the conference eight first-round picks.
With the anticipation of NBA basketball being played in Toronto for the first time, the crowd of 21,268 that came to Skydome was the largest in draft history.
And the fans' loudest ovation of the night went to Smith when he was taken with the first pick.
"It's great, now that it's said and done," Smith said. "It's great that it's over. Now I can relax."
FIRST ROUND
1. Golden State: Joe Smith, F, Maryland
2. L.A. Clippers: Antonio McDyess, F, Alabama, (traded to Denver)
3. Philadelphia: Jerry Stackhouse, F/G, North Carolina
4. Washington: Rasheed Wallace, F/C, North Carolina
5. Minnesota: Kevin Garnett, F, Farragut Academy HS
Vancouver: Bryant Reeves, C, Oklahoma State
7. Toronto: Damon Stoudamire, G, Arizona
8. Portland: Shawn Respert, G, Michigan State, (traded to Milwaukee)
9. New Jersey: Ed O'Bannon, F, UCLA
10. Miami: Kurt Thomas, F, TCU
11. Milwaukee: Gary Trent, F, Ohio University, (traded to Portland)
12. Dallas: Cherokee Parks, C, Duke
13. Sacramento: Corliss Williamson, F, Arkansas
14. Boston: Eric Williams, F, Providence
15. Denver: Brent Barry, G, Oregon State, (traded to L.A. Clippers)
16. Atlanta: Alan Henderson, F, Indiana
17. Cleveland: Bob Sura, G, Florida State
18. Detroit: Theo Ratliff, F, Wyoming
19. Detroit: Randolph Childress, G, Wake Forest
20. Chicago: Jason Caffey, F, Alabama
21. Phoenix: Michael Finley, F, Wisconsin
22. Charlotte: George Zidek, C, UCLA
23. Indiana: Travis Best, G, Georgia Tech
24. Dallas: Loren Meyer, C, Iowa State
25. Orlando: David Vaughn, F, Memphis
26. Seattle: Sherell Ford, G, Illinois-Chicago
27. Phoenix: Mario Bennett, F, Arizona State
28. Utah: Greg Ostertag, C, Kansas
29. San Antonio: Cory Alexander, G, Virginia
