1976 NBA draft

1976 NBA draft
General information
Date(s) June 8, 1976
Location New York City, New York
First selection John Lucas, Houston Rockets
NBA draft
< 1975 1977 >

The 1976 NBA draft was the 30th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 8, 1976 before the 1976–77 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip.[1] The Atlanta Hawks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Chicago Bulls were awarded the second pick.[2] The Hawks then traded the first pick to the Houston Rockets before the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The New York Knicks forfeited their first-round draft pick due to their illegal signing of George McGinnis whose rights were held by the Philadelphia 76ers.[3] The 76ers, the Golden State Warriors and the Buffalo Braves also forfeited their second, third and fourth-round pick respectively due to their participation in 1975 supplementary draft American Basketball Association (ABA) players who had never been drafted in the NBA.[4] A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Before the draft, 26 college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule.[5] 13 of them withdrew before the draft, leaving only 13 early entry candidates eligible for selection.[6] These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier.[7] The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 173 players. On August 8, 1976 the league also hosted a Dispersal draft for ABA players from the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, who were not included in the ABA–NBA merger.

Draft selections and draftee career notes

John Lucas from the University of Maryland was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets. Adrian Dantley from the University of Notre Dame, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected 6th by the Buffalo Braves.[8] Four players from this draft, Dantley, 8th pick Robert Parish, 23rd pick Alex English and 29th pick Dennis Johnson, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[9] Parish was also named to the list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[10] Dantley was selectod to two All-NBA Teams and six All-Star Games.[11] Parish won three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. Later in his career, he added another championship in 1997 with the Chicago Bulls. His other achievements include two All-NBA Team selections and nine All-Star Game selections.[12] English's achievements include three All-NBA Team selections and eight All-Star Game selections.[13] Johnson won the NBA championships, along with the Finals Most Valuable Player Award, with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979. He then won two other championships with the Celtics in the 1980s. He was selected to two All-NBA Teams, five All-Star Games and nine All-Defensive Teams.[14]

Lonnie Shelton, the 25th pick, is the only other player from this draft who was selected to an All-Star Game.[15] Lucas, 22nd pick Johnny Davis and 99th pick Mike Dunleavy all became head coaches after ending their playing career. Lucas has coached three teams in six seasons while Davis has coached three teams in four seasons.[16][17] Dunleavy won the Coach of the Year Award in 1999 with the Portland Trail Blazers.[18] He coached four teams in 17 seasons.[19] Two other players drafted also went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: Dennis Johnson and seventh pick Quinn Buckner.[20][21]

Key

Pos.GFC
PositionGuardForwardCenter
^ Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
* Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team
+ Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game
# Denotes player who never played in the NBA regular season or playoffs

Draft

A man wearing a white jersey with the word "SONICS" and number "42" written on the front spreads his arms in a defensive position.
Wally Walker was selected fifth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers.
A man, wearing a green jersey with a word "CELTICS" and the number "00" written in the front, is looking up.
Robert Parish was selected eighth overall by the Golden State Warriors.
Three men, wearing black suits, white shirts and ties, is sitting in front of a crowd.
Alex English (left) was selected 23rd overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.
A man, wearing a green jersey with a word "CELTICS" and the number "3" written in the front, is jumping while holding a basketball, trying to do a layup.
Dennis Johnson was selected 29th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics.
Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/club team
1 1 Lucas, JohnJohn Lucas G  United States Houston Rockets (from Atlanta)[a] Maryland (Sr.)
1 2 May, ScottScott May F  United States Chicago Bulls Indiana (Sr.)
1 3 Washington, RichardRichard Washington F/C  United States Kansas City Kings UCLA (Jr.)
1 4 Douglas, LeonLeon Douglas F/C  United States Detroit Pistons Alabama (Sr.)
1 5 Walker, WallyWally Walker F  United States Portland Trail Blazers Virginia (Sr.)
1 6 Dantley, AdrianAdrian Dantley^ G/F  United States Buffalo Braves (from New Orleans via Phoenix)[b] Notre Dame (Jr.)
1 7 Buckner, QuinnQuinn Buckner G  United States Milwaukee Bucks Indiana (Sr.)
1 8 Parish, RobertRobert Parish^ C  United States Golden State Warriors (from Los Angeles)[c] Centenary (Sr.)
1 9 Hill, ArmondArmond Hill G  United States Atlanta Hawks (from Houston)[a] Princeton (Sr.)
1 10 Lee, RonRon Lee G  United States Phoenix Suns Oregon (Sr.)
1 11 Wilkerson, BobBob Wilkerson G/F  United States Seattle SuperSonics Indiana (Sr.)
1 12 Furlow, TerryTerry Furlow G/F  United States Philadelphia 76ers Michigan State (Sr.)
1 13 Kupchak, MitchMitch Kupchak F/C  United States Washington Bullets (from Buffalo)[d] North Carolina (Sr.)
1 14 Wright, LarryLarry Wright G  United States Washington Bullets Grambling State (Jr.)
1 15 Williams, ChuckieChuckie Williams G  United States Cleveland Cavaliers Kansas State (Sr.)
1 16 Cook, NormNorm Cook F  United States Boston Celtics Kansas (Jr.)
1 17 Parker, SonnySonny Parker G/F  United States Golden State Warriors Texas A&M (Sr.)
2 18 Smith, WillieWillie Smith G  United States Chicago Bulls Missouri (Sr.)
2 19 Forrest, BayardBayard Forrest C  United States Seattle SuperSonics (from Atlanta via Milwaukee)[e] Grand Canyon (Sr.)
2 20 Jones, MajorMajor Jones F  United States Portland Trail Blazers (from Kansas City via New Orleans)[f] Albany State (Sr.)
2 21 Tatum, EarlEarl Tatum G/F  United States Los Angeles Lakers (from Detroit via Phoenix)[g] Marquette (Sr.)
2 22 Davis, JohnnyJohnny Davis G  United States Portland Trail Blazers Dayton (Jr.)
2 23 English, AlexAlex English^ F  United States Milwaukee Bucks (from New Orleans via Atlanta)[e] South Carolina (Sr.)
2 24 Lloyd, ScottScott Lloyd F/C  United States Milwaukee Bucks Arizona State (Sr.)
2 25 Shelton, LonnieLonnie Shelton+ F/C  United States New York Knicks Oregon State (Jr.)
2 26 Dorsey, JackyJacky Dorsey F  United States New Orleans Jazz (from Los Angeles via Phoenix and Portland)[h] Georgia (So.)
2 27 Hicks, PhilPhil Hicks F  United States Houston Rockets Tulane (Sr.)
2 28 Carrington, BobBob Carrington G/F  United States Atlanta Hawks (from Phoenix)[i] Boston College (Sr.)
2 29 Johnson, DennisDennis Johnson^ G  United States Seattle SuperSonics Pepperdine (Sr.)
2 30 Fleming, AlAl Fleming F  United States Phoenix Suns (from Buffalo)[j] Arizona (Sr.)
2 31 Pace, JoeJoe Pace C  United States Washington Bullets Coppin State (Sr.)
2 32 Howard, MoMo Howard G  United States Cleveland Cavaliers Maryland (Sr.)
2 33 Feher, ButchButch Feher G  United States Phoenix Suns (from Boston)[k] Vanderbilt (Sr.)
2 34 Rogers, MarshallMarshall Rogers G  United States Golden State Warriors Pan American (Sr.)

Other picks

The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.

Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/club team
3 37 Hansen, LarsLars Hansen C  Canada1[] Chicago Bulls (from Kansas City)[l] Washington (Sr.)
3 38 Sellers, PhilPhil Sellers G/F  United States Detroit Pistons Rutgers (Sr.)
3 40 Walton, LloydLloyd Walton G  United States Milwaukee Bucks Marquette (Sr.)
3 43 Abernethy, TomTom Abernethy F  United States Los Angeles Lakers Indiana (Sr.)
3 45 Terrell, IraIra Terrell F/C  United States Phoenix Suns SMU (Sr.)
3 50 Cole, GaryGary Cole
(now Abdul Jeelani)2[]
F/C  United States Cleveland Cavaliers Wisconsin–Parkside (Sr.)
4 52 Starr, KeithKeith Starr G/F  United States Chicago Bulls Pittsburgh (Sr.)
4 53 Barker, TomTom Barker F/C  United States Atlanta Hawks Hawaii (Sr.)
4 60 Britt, WaymanWayman Britt G  United States Los Angeles Lakers Michigan (Sr.)
5 70 Davis, RonRon Davis G/F  United States Atlanta Hawks Washington State (Sr.)
5 74 Griffin, PaulPaul Griffin F/C  United States New Orleans Jazz Western Michigan (Sr.)
5 84 Lawrence, EdmundEdmund Lawrence C  United States Cleveland Cavaliers McNeese State (Sr.)
6 89 McCarter, AndreAndre McCarter G  United States Kansas City Kings UCLA (Sr.)
6 99 Dunleavy, MikeMike Dunleavy G  United States Philadelphia 76ers South Carolina (Sr.)
6 103 Collins, ArtArt Collins G  United States Boston Celtics Biscayne (Sr.)
7 111 Walker, AndyAndy Walker G  United States New Orleans Jazz Niagara (Sr.)
7 117 Walker, PhilPhil Walker G  United States Philadelphia 76ers Millersville (Sr.)
7 121 Drollinger, RalphRalph Drollinger C  United States Boston Celtics UCLA (Sr.)
8 134 Barnhill, NortonNorton Barnhill G  United States Seattle SuperSonics Washington State (Sr.)
10 162 Leite, MarcosMarcos Leite# C  Brazil Portland Trail Blazers Pepperdine (Sr.)

Trades

ABA dispersal draft

On August 5, 1976, the NBA hosted a dispersal draft to select players from the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, the American Basketball Association (ABA) franchises that were not included in the ABA–NBA merger. The eighteen NBA teams and the four ABA teams that joined the NBA, the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets and San Antonio Spurs, were allowed to participate in the draft. The teams selected in reverse order of their win–loss percentage in the previous NBA and ABA seasons.[42] The team that made a selection must paid a certain price for the signing rights to the player, which are set by the league's committee. The money from the draft was used to help the four ABA teams that merged with the NBA to pay off some of their obligations to the two folded ABA franchises, the Colonels and the Spirits. The team that made a selection must assume the player's ABA contract. The player who are not selected would become a free agent.[43]

Twenty players from the Colonels and the Spirits were available for the draft. Eleven were selected in the first round and the twelfth player was selected in the second round. Eight players were not selected and thus became a free agent. The Chicago Bulls used the first pick to select five-time ABA All-Star Artis Gilmore with a signing price of $1,100,000. The Portland Trail Blazers, who acquired the Atlanta Hawks' second pick, selected Maurice Lucas and Moses Malone with signing price of $300,000 and $350,000 respectively. Marvin Barnes, who was selected fourth by the Detroit Pistons was the second most expensive player in the draft with a signing price of $500,000. Several teams elected to pass their first-round picks and only the Kansas City Kings used the second-round pick. The draft continued until the third round, but no other players were selected.[44]

Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team ABA team Signing price Ref.
1 1 Gilmore, ArtisArtis Gilmore^ C  United States Chicago Bulls Kentucky Colonels $1,100,000 [45]
1 2 Lucas, MauriceMaurice Lucas* F/C  United States Portland Trail Blazers (from Atlanta)[m] Kentucky Colonels $300,000 [46]
1 3 Boone, RonRon Boone G/F  United States Kansas City Kings Spirits of St. Louis $250,000 [47]
1 4 Barnes, MarvinMarvin Barnes F/C  United States Detroit Pistons Spirits of St. Louis $500,000 [48]
1 5 Malone, MosesMoses Malone^ F/C  United States Portland Trail Blazers Spirits of St. Louis $350,000 [49]
1 6 Denton, RandyRandy Denton C  United States New York Knicks Spirits of St. Louis $50,000 [50]
1 7 Averitt, BirdBird Averitt G  United States Buffalo Braves (from Milwaukee)[n] Kentucky Colonels $125,000 [51]
1 8 Jones, WilWil Jones F  United States Indiana Pacers Kentucky Colonels $50,000 [52]
1 9 Thomas, RonRon Thomas# G/F  United States Houston Rockets Kentucky Colonels $15,000 [53]
1 10 Dampier, LouieLouie Dampier^ G  United States San Antonio Spurs Kentucky Colonels $20,000 [54]
1 11 van Breda Kolff, JanJan van Breda Kolff G/F  United States New York Nets Kentucky Colonels $60,000 [55]
2 12 Barr, MikeMike Barr G  United States Kansas City Kings Spirits of St. Louis $15,000 [56]
9 152 Williams, James "Fly"James "Fly" Williams G  United States Philadelphia 76ers Spirits of St. Louis

Trades

Notes

^ 1: Lars Hansen was born in Denmark, but grew up in Canada and has represented the Canadian national team.[57]
^ 2: Gary Cole later changed his name into Abdul Jeelani. He used that name during his career in the NBA.[58]

References

General
Specific
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External links

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