What team initially drafted Chauncey Billups?

Chauncey Billups was initially drafted by the Boston Celtics.

Boston selected the Colorado Buffaloes point guard with the third overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. The Celtics also held the sixth pick and used it on Kentucky guard Ron Mercer, making Billups part of a highly watched Boston draft class.

Billups did not remain with Boston for long. After a difficult rookie season, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors during the 1997–98 season. Later stops included Denver, Minnesota, Detroit, New York and the Los Angeles Clippers. His career changed dramatically in Detroit, where he became the Pistons’ starting point guard and earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot.”

The common mix-up is to identify Denver as the team that drafted him because his career became closely associated with the Nuggets, especially during his first major rise as an NBA star. However, Denver acquired him later; Boston was the original drafting team. Billups eventually won the 2004 NBA championship and Finals MVP with Detroit.