1971 NBA draft

The 1971 NBA draft was the 25th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 29 and 30, 1971 before the 1971–72 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. 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. 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 Cleveland Cavaliers won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Portland Trail Blazers were awarded the second pick. 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. Prior to the start of the season, the San Diego Rockets and the San Francisco Warriors relocated to Houston, Texas, and Oakland, California, and became the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors respectively.[2][3] The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising the selection of 237 players. The league also hosted a supplemental hardship draft on September 20, 1971, for college underclassmen who wished to join the league.

1971 NBA draft
General information
SportBasketball
Date(s)March 29, 1971 (first 10 rounds)
March 30, 1971 (remaining rounds)
LocationNew York City, New York
Overview
237 total selections in 19 rounds
LeagueNBA
First selectionAustin Carr, Cleveland Cavaliers

Draft selections and draftee career notes

Austin Carr from the University of Notre Dame was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sidney Wicks from the University of California, Los Angeles, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected second by the Portland Trail Blazers.[4]

Spencer Haywood, the 30th pick, and Randy Smith, the 104th pick, were selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Star Game. Haywood was selected to four All-NBA Teams and five All-Star Games. He also won the NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980.[5] During his first and only season in the American Basketball Association (ABA), he won the ABA Most Valuable Player Award, and was selected to the ABA All-Star Game and All-ABA Team.[6] Smith was selected to one All-NBA Team and two All-Star Games.[7]

Artis Gilmore, the 117th pick, initially opted to play in the ABA. Gilmore spent five seasons with the Kentucky Colonels before finally joined the NBA in 1976 after both leagues merged. His achievements include ABA Most Valuable Player Award in 1972, five All-ABA Team selections, five ABA All-Star Game selections and six NBA All-Star Game selections.[8] For his achievements, he was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.[9]

Fred Brown, the 6th pick, spent all of his 13-year playing career with the Sonics and was selected to one All-Star Game.[10] Carr, Wicks, and 11th pick Curtis Rowe are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game.[11][12][13] Phil Chenier, a college underclassman selected in the supplemental hardship draft, was also selected to both All-NBA Team and All-Star Game.[14] Two players drafted went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 13th pick Jim Cleamons and 46th pick Dave Wohl.[15][16]

Spencer Haywood was selected in the second round by the Buffalo Braves although he already played in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics in the previous season.[17] He left college basketball in 1969 with two years remaining in his college eligibility. At that time, the NBA prohibited the drafting or signing of a player before his college class had graduated. He then played in the ABA with the Denver Rockets for a season before controversially signed by the Sonics. The league and the other NBA teams opposed the move and argued Haywood should be prohibited to join and play with the Sonics. This led to a court case between the NBA against the Sonics and Haywood. He argued that he should be allowed to play because he was a "hardship case", due to his position as the sole wage earner in his family. He then won the case and was allowed to play late in the 1970–71 season. This led to the NBA allowing college underclassmen to enter the draft provided they could give evidence of "hardship". With the existing rules, Haywood was eligible for this year's draft, when his college class graduated. The Braves used one of their three second-round picks to select him, hoping that they would win the rights to sign him. However, he remained with the Sonics and never played for the Braves.[5][18]

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 has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game

Draft
Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/club team
1 1 Austin Carr+ G  United States Cleveland Cavaliers Notre Dame
1 2 Sidney Wicks+ F/C  United States Portland Trail Blazers UCLA
1 3 Elmore Smith C  United States Buffalo Braves Kentucky State
1 4 Ken Durrett F  United States Cincinnati Royals La Salle
1 5 George Trapp F/C  United States Atlanta Hawks Long Beach State
1 6 Fred Brown+ G  United States Seattle SuperSonics Iowa
1 7 Cliff Meely F/C  United States San Diego Rockets Colorado
1 8 Darnell Hillman F/C  United States San Francisco Warriors U.S. Armed Forces (AAU)[19][20]
1 9 Stan Love F  United States Baltimore Bullets Oregon
1 10 Clarence Glover F  United States Boston Celtics Western Kentucky
1 11 Curtis Rowe+ F  United States Detroit Pistons UCLA
1 12 Dana Lewis# C  United States Philadelphia 76ers Tulsa
1 13 Jim Cleamons G  United States Los Angeles Lakers Ohio State
1 14 John Roche G  United States Phoenix Suns South Carolina
1 15 Kennedy McIntosh F  United States Chicago Bulls Eastern Michigan
1 16 Dean Meminger G  United States New York Knicks Marquette
1 17 Collis Jones# F  United States Milwaukee Bucks Notre Dame
2 18 Steve Patterson C  United States Cleveland Cavaliers UCLA
2 19 Fred Hilton G/F  United States Buffalo Braves Grambling
2 20 Willie Sojourner# F/C  United States Chicago Bulls (from Portland)[a] Weber State
2 21 John Mengelt G  United States Cincinnati Royals Auburn
2 22 Ted McClain G  United States Atlanta Hawks Tennessee State
2 23 Jim McDaniels F/C  United States Seattle SuperSonics Western Kentucky
2 24 Mike Newlin G/F  United States San Diego Rockets Utah
2 25 Charlie Yelverton G/F  United States Portland Trail Blazers (from San Francisco)[b] Fordham
2 26 Amos Thomas# F  United States Buffalo Braves Southwestern State
2 27 Rick Fisher# F  United States Portland Trail Blazers (from Baltimore)[c] Colorado State
2 28 Jim Rose# G  United States Boston Celtics Western Kentucky
2 29 Isaiah Wilson G  United States Detroit Pistons Baltimore
2 30 Spencer Haywood^ F/C  United States Buffalo Braves (from Philadelphia)[d] Seattle SuperSonics (NBA)[5]
2 31 Joe Bergman# F  United States Cincinnati Royals (from Los Angeles)[e] Creighton
2 32 Howard Porter F/C  United States Chicago Bulls (from Phoenix)[f] Villanova
2 33 Marvin Stewart# G  United States Philadelphia 76ers (from Chicago)[g] Nebraska
2 34 Gregg Northington# C  United States New York Knicks Alabama State
2 35 Willie Long# F/C  United States Cleveland Cavaliers (from Milwaukee)[h] New Mexico

Other picks

The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[21][22]

Clifford Ray was selected in 40th overall by the Chicago Bulls.
Artis Gilmore was selected in 117th overall by the Chicago Bulls.
Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/club team
3 37 Larry Steele G/F  United States Portland Trail Blazers Kentucky
3 39 Jeff Halliburton G  United States Atlanta Hawks Drake
3 40 Clifford Ray C  United States Chicago Bulls (from Seattle)[i] Oklahoma
3 41 Jackie Ridgle G  United States Cleveland Cavaliers (from San Diego)[j] California
3 42 William Smith C  United States Portland Trail Blazers (from San Francisco)[b] Syracuse
3 43 Rich Rinaldi G  United States Baltimore Bullets Saint Peter's
3 44 Dave Robisch F/C  United States Boston Celtics Kansas
3 45 Marv Roberts F/C  United States Detroit Pistons Utah State
3 46 Dave Wohl G  United States Philadelphia 76ers Pennsylvania
3 47 Mike Gale G  United States Chicago Bulls (from Los Angeles)[k] Elizabeth City State
3 48 Dennis Layton G  United States Phoenix Suns USC
3 49 Dick Gibbs G/F  United States Chicago Bulls Texas-El Paso
3 50 Kenny Mayfield G  United States New York Knicks Tuskegee
4 55 Sid Catlett F  United States Cincinnati Royals Notre Dame
4 58 Tom Owens F/C  United States San Diego Rockets South Carolina
4 61 Randy Denton C  United States Boston Celtics Duke
4 64 Roger Brown C  United States Los Angeles Lakers Kansas
5 76 Odis Allison F  United States San Francisco Warriors Nevada-Las Vegas
5 85 Barry Nelson C  United States Milwaukee Bucks Duquesne
6 89 Gil McGregor F  United States Cincinnati Royals Wake Forest
6 93 Charles Johnson G  United States San Francisco Warriors California
6 97 Jake Jones G  United States Philadelphia 76ers Assumption
7 104 Randy Smith* G/F  United States Buffalo Braves Buffalo State
7 117 Artis Gilmore^ C  United States Chicago Bulls Jacksonville
8 120 Charlie Davis G  United States Cleveland Cavaliers Wake Forest
8 125 Charlie Lowery G  United States Seattle SuperSonics Puget Sound
8 131 Barry Yates F  United States Philadelphia 76ers Maryland
9 139 Goo Kennedy F/C  United States Portland Trail Blazers Texas Christian
9 150 Jackie Dinkins F  United States Chicago Bulls Voorhees

Trades
  • a On October 20, 1970, the Chicago Bulls acquired a second-round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Shaler Halimon.[23][24] The Bulls used the pick to draft Willie Sojourner.
  • b 1 2 On March 23, 1971, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired 1971 and 1972 second-round picks and a 1971 third-round pick from the San Francisco Warriors in exchange for Jim Barnett.[25][26] The Blazers used the picks to draft Charlie Yelverton and William Smith.
  • c On October 22, 1970, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired a second-round pick from the Baltimore Bullets in exchange for Dorie Murrey.[27] The Blazers used the pick to draft Rick Fisher.
  • d On May 11, 1970, the Buffalo Braves acquired Bob Kauffman and a second-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Bailey Howell.[28][29] The Braves used the pick to draft Spencer Haywood.
  • e On the draft-day, the Cincinnati Royals acquired a second-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Flynn Robinson.[30] The Royals used the pick to draft Joe Bergman.
  • f On April 23, 1970, the Chicago Bulls acquired Jim Fox and a second-round pick from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Clem Haskins.[24][31] The Bulls used the pick to draft Howard Porte.
  • g On October 16, 1970, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired a second-round pick from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Matt Guokas.[24][32] The 76ers used the pick to draft Marvin Stewart.
  • h On February 1, 1971, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Gary Freeman and a second-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for McCoy McLemore.[33] The Cavaliers used the pick to draft Willie Long.
  • i On September 5, 1969, the Chicago Bulls acquired Bob Kauffman and a third-round pick from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Bob Boozer and Barry Clemens.[24][34] The Bulls used the pick to draft Clifford Ray.
  • j On December 9, 1970, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired a third-round pick from the San Diego Rockets in exchange for Johnny Egan.[35] The Cavaliers used the pick to draft Jackie Ridgle.
  • k On September 9, 1969, the Chicago Bulls acquired a third-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Mike Lynn.[24][36] The Bulls used the pick to draft Mike Gale.

Hardship draft
Phil Chenier was selected by the Baltimore Bullets with the fourth pick of the hardship draft.

On September 10, 1971, the NBA hosted a supplemental hardship draft for college underclassmen who wish to join the league. Prior to the 1971 Draft, college underclassmen were not eligible to be drafted until their college class graduated. These underclassmen fulfilled the "hardship" criteria and were allowed to enter the draft early. This new rule came as a result of Spencer Haywood winning the court case against the NBA which allowed him to play in the NBA before his college class graduated.[5][37] The teams selected in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The team that made a selection must withdraw their equivalent selection in the 1972 Draft.[38] The teams were allowed to not exercise their rights on this hardship draft and thus retained their full selection in the 1972 Draft.

Three teams that were supposed to have the first three selections, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Buffalo Braves and Portland Trail Blazers, declined to exercise their rights. Therefore, the Cincinnati Royals had the first selection, which they used to select Nate Williams from Utah State University. Phil Chenier, a junior guard from the University of California, was selected by the Baltimore Bullets.[39] He is the only player from the hardship draft who was selected to All-NBA Team and All-Star Game.[14] Joe Hammond, who had not played high school and college basketball, was selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Lakers.[40] Hammond, who had played for the Allentown Jets in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) prior to the draft, had to apply as the "hardship case" because his college class could not graduate until 1972 if he had gone to the college.[41] From the six players that were available for selection, only Ed Owens from Weber State University was not selected by any NBA team.[42]

Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/club team
1 1 Nate Williams G/F  United States Cincinnati Royals Utah State (Jr.)
1 2 Tom Payne C  United States Atlanta Hawks Kentucky (So.)
1 3 Cyril Baptiste# F/C  United States Golden State Warriors Creighton (Jr.)
1 4 Phil Chenier* G  United States Baltimore Bullets California (Jr.)
4 5 Joe Hammond# G  United States Los Angeles Lakers Allentown Jets (EBA)
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References
General
  • "Complete First Round Results 1970–79". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 March 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  • "1971 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  • "1967–1971 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
Specific
  1. "Evolution of the Draft and Lottery". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  2. "Owners, fans waited years before Rockets took off". The Houston Chronicle. September 20, 2001. Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  3. "Warriors take their hearts to Oakland". The Miami News. August 3, 1971. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  4. "Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  5. "Spencer Haywood Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  6. "Spencer Haywood Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  7. "Randy Smith Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  8. "Artis Gilmore Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  9. "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2011 – Mullin, Rodman, Gilmore and VanDerveer Headline Distinguished Group". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 7, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  10. "Fred Brown Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  11. "Austin Carr Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  12. "Sidney Wicks Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  13. "Curtis Rowe Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  14. "Phil Chenier Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  15. "Jim Cleamons Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  16. "Dave Wohl Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  17. Mike Recht (March 30, 1971). "Basketball War Heats Up As Braves Draft Haywood". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Public Welfare Foundation. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  18. Almond, Elliott (October 29, 1997). "The Original `Hardship' – Spencer Haywood, The First Player To Bolt Early For The Pros, Waits For History To Remember Him". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  19. "Darnell Hillman Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  20. "Can Warriors Sign Hillman?". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, California: The McClatchy Company. April 2, 1971. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  21. https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1971.html
  22. http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/past_drafts/1971
  23. "Shaler Halimon Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  24. "Chicago Bulls All-Time Transactions". NBA.com/Bulls. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 19 March 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  25. "Jim Barnett Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  26. "Golden State Warriors 2009–10 Media Guite: Draft & Transactions" (PDF). NBA.com/Warriors. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-30. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  27. "Dorie Murrey Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  28. "Bailey Howell Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  29. "Clippers: All-Time Transactions". NBA.com/Clippers. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-03-19. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  30. "Flynn Robinson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  31. "Clem Haskins Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  32. "Matt Guokas Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  33. "McCoy McLemore Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  34. "Bob Boozer Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  35. "Johnny Egan Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  36. "Mike Lynn Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  37. Aschburner, Steve (March 16, 2010). "Haywood made a stand, and today's players benefit from it". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  38. "Hardship Draft Set". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. September 10, 1971. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  39. Rosen, Andrew (June 25, 2008). "Draft History: Phil Chenier". NBA.com/Wizards. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  40. Mallozzi, Vincent M. (November 11, 1990). "BASKETBALL; Legend of the Playground". The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 17 April 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  41. "Payne, College Court Ace, Due to Go Into Pro Ranks". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania: Reading Eagle Company. September 2, 1971. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  42. "5 Players Chosen In Hardship Draft". Ludington Daily News. Ludington, Michigan: Ludington Daily News, Inc. September 11, 1971. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
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