1997 NBA draft
The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although the Boston Celtics had the second-worst record in the 1996–97 season and the best odds of winning the lottery with two picks, the Spurs, usually a model of winning and consistency, lost David Robinson and Sean Elliott to injury early in the season, finished with the third-worst record, and subsequently won the lottery. Leading up to the draft, there was no doubt that Tim Duncan would be selected at No. 1 by the Spurs, and the rest of the draft was regarded with some skepticism. The Celtics had the third and sixth picks, selecting Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer, both of whom were traded in the next two years.
The Washington Wizards forfeited their 1997 first-round pick in connection with the signing of Juwan Howard. Thus, the draft only had 28 first-round selections and 57 selections overall.
Key
Draft selections
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | NBA team | School/Club team |
| 1 | 1 | Tim Duncan^ | PF/C | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Wake Forest |
| 1 | 2 | PF | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Utah | |
| 1 | 3 | * | PG | United States | Boston Celtics | Colorado |
| 1 | 4 | PG | United States | Vancouver Grizzlies | Bowling Green | |
| 1 | 5 | C/F | United States | Denver Nuggets | Texas Tech | |
| 1 | 6 | SF | United States | Boston Celtics | Kentucky | |
| 1 | 7 | SF | United States | New Jersey Nets | Villanova | |
| 1 | 8 | C | Golden State Warriors | Colgate | ||
| 1 | 9 | ^ | SG/SF | United States | Toronto Raptors | Mt. Zion Christian Academy |
| 1 | 10 | PF | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Cincinnati | |
| 1 | 11 | SF | France | Sacramento Kings | San Jose State | |
| 1 | 12 | PF | United States | Indiana Pacers | Providence | |
| 1 | 13 | SG | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Kentucky | |
| 1 | 14 | PF | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Michigan | |
| 1 | 15 | C | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Iowa State | |
| 1 | 16 | PG | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Stanford | |
| 1 | 17 | PF | United States | Orlando Magic | Chattanooga | |
| 1 | 18 | PF | Australia | Portland Trail Blazers | SE Melbourne Magic | |
| 1 | 19 | C | United States | Detroit Pistons | Kansas | |
| 1 | 20 | C | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Wisconsin | |
| 1 | 21 | SG | United States | New Jersey Nets | Bradley | |
| 1 | 22 | PG/SG | United States | Atlanta Hawks | California | |
| 1 | 23 | PG | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Minnesota | |
| 1 | 24 | SG | United States | Houston Rockets | USC | |
| 1 | 25 | C | United States | New York Knicks | Minnesota | |
| 1 | 26 | SG | United States | Miami Heat | New Mexico | |
| 1 | 27 | PG | United States | Utah Jazz | Kansas | |
| 1 | 28 | SF | United States | Chicago Bulls | Maryland | |
| 2 | 29 | # | C | Netherlands | Houston Rockets | North Carolina |
| 2 | 30 | # | SF/PF | United States | Miami Heat | Washington |
| 2 | 31 | PG | United States | Detroit Pistons | UCLA | |
| 2 | 32 | SF | United States | Denver Nuggets | Long Beach State | |
| 2 | 33 | PG/SG | Philadelphia 76ers | Smelt Olimpija | ||
| 2 | 34 | SF/PF | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Austin Peay | |
| 2 | 35 | SF/PF | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Cal State Bakersfield | |
| 2 | 36 | PG/SG | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Florida State | |
| 2 | 37 | SF/PF | United States | Golden State Warriors | Temple | |
| 2 | 38 | PF | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Tulane | |
| 2 | 39 | PG/SG | United States | Sacramento Kings | College of Charleston | |
| 2 | 40 | # | SF | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Georgia Tech |
| 2 | 41 | C | United States | Denver Nuggets | Villanova | |
| 2 | 42 | SG | United States | Phoenix Suns | Butler CC | |
| 2 | 43 | # | SF | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | West Virginia |
| 2 | 44 | PF | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Memphis | |
| 2 | 45 | PG | United States | Washington Bullets | Providence | |
| 2 | 46 | SG | United States | Orlando Magic | Alabama | |
| 2 | 47 | PG | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Villanova | |
| 2 | 48 | C | Washington Bullets | KK Partizan | ||
| 2 | 49 | # | SG | France | Atlanta Hawks | ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne |
| 2 | 50 | SF | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Marquette | |
| 2 | 51 | PG | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Louisville | |
| 2 | 52 | # | PG/SG | Australia | Vancouver Grizzlies | Indian Hills CC |
| 2 | 53 | # | C | Australia | Los Angeles Lakers | Gonzaga |
| 2 | 54 | C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Pittsburgh | |
| 2 | 55 | # | C | Australia | Boston Celtics | Newcastle Falcons |
| 2 | 56 | # | SG | United States | Utah Jazz | Oklahoma |
| 2 | 57 | # | C | Spain | Chicago Bulls | FC Barcelona |
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1997 NBA Draft but have played in the NBA.| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/Club team |
| C | Liberty | ||
| C | Auburn | ||
| G | United States | Santa Clara | |
| G | United States | Southern Illinois | |
| G | United States | Houston | |
| F/C | United States | Nebraska | |
| F | United States | Miami | |
| G | United States | The Master's | |
| F/C | United States | California |