Jermaine O’Neal was an anomaly when the Portland Trail Blazers selected him straight out of high school with the 17th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft.
O’Neal, along with Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant among others, were part of the new wave of talent jumping straight from high school to the pros. But O’Neal was youngest of all.
On this day in 1996, at just 18 years and 53 days old, O’Neal made his NBA debut for the Blazers against the Denver Nuggets, scoring his first professional points in garbage time during the win.