Of the 28 players chosen on the first round of the draft, a record six played their basketball overseas. That includes China center Yao Ming, who was chosen by the Houston Rockets and becomes the first international player selected No. 1 overall in the history of the NBA Draft.

Three of the top seven draft picks were international players, including forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili going to Denver at No. 5 and Maybyner "Nene" Hilario selected by New York at No. 7. Eight other international players were chosen in the second round.

The selections of so many foreign players shows that either the gap is narrowing between the American and international players, or it is a wakeup call to everyone associated with college basketball.