1976 NBA draft
| 1976 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 8, 1976 |
| Location | Madison Square Garden,New York City, New York |
| Overview | |
| 173total selections in10rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | John Lucas,Houston Rockets |
The1976 NBA draftwas the 30th annualdraftof theNational Basketball Association( NBA ). The draft was held on June 8, 1976, before the1976–77 season.In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S.college basketballplayers and othereligible 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 acoin flip.[1]TheAtlanta Hawkswon the coin flip and were awarded thefirst overall pick,while theChicago Bullswere awarded the second pick.[2]The Hawks then traded the first pick to theHouston Rocketsbefore the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in theprevious season.TheNew York Knicksforfeited their first-round draft pick due to their illegal signing ofGeorge McGinniswhose rights were held by thePhiladelphia 76ers.[3]The 76ers, theGolden State Warriorsand theBuffalo Bravesalso forfeited their second, third and fourth-round picks respectively due to their participation in1975 supplementary draftAmerican 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 collegeunderclassmenwere 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 aDispersal draftfor ABA players from theKentucky ColonelsandSpirits of St. Louis,who were not included in theABA– NBA merger.
Draft selections and draftee career notes
[edit]John Lucasfrom theUniversity of Marylandwas selected first overall by the Houston Rockets.Adrian Dantleyfrom theUniversity of Notre Dame,who went on to win theRookie of the Year Awardin his first season, was selected 6th by theBuffalo Braves.[8]Four players from this draft, Dantley, 8th pickRobert Parish,23rd pickAlex Englishand 29th pickDennis Johnson,have been inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame.[9]Parish was also named to the list of the50 Greatest Players in NBA Historyannounced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[10]Dantley was selected to twoAll- NBA Teamsand sixAll-Star Games.[11]Parish won threeNBA championshipswith theBoston Celticsin the 1980s. Later in his career, he added another championship in1997with theChicago 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 theFinals Most Valuable Player Award,with theSeattle SuperSonicsin1979.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 nineAll-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 pickJohnny Davisand 99th pickMike Dunleavyall 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 theCoach of the Year Awardin1999with thePortland 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 pickQuinn Buckner.[20][21]
Key
[edit]| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotesplayer who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotesplayer who has been selected for at least one All-Star GameandAll- NBA Team |
| + | Denotesplayer 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
[edit]
Trades
[edit]- a 12On June 7, 1976, theHouston RocketsacquiredDwight Jonesand the first pick from theAtlanta Hawksin exchange forGus Bailey,Joe Meriweatherand the ninth pick.[22]The Rockets used the pick to draft John Lucas. The Hawks used the pick to draft Armond Hill.
- bOn May 29, 1975, theBuffalo Bravesacquired a first-round pick from thePhoenix Sunsin exchange for a 1975 first-round pick.[23]Previously, the Suns acquiredDennis Awtrey,Nate Hawthorne,Curtis Perryand the pick on September 16, 1974, from theNew Orleans Jazzin exchange forNeal Walkand a 1975 second-round pick.[24]The Braves used the pick to draft Adrian Dantley.
- cOn September 6, 1974, theGolden State Warriorsacquired a first-round pick from theLos Angeles Lakersas compensation for the signing ofCazzie Russellas a free agent.[25]The Warriors used the pick to draft Robert Parish.
- dOn July 30, 1975, theWashington Bulletsacquired a first-round pick from the Buffalo Braves in exchange forDick Gibbs.[26]The Bullets used the pick to draft Mitch Kupchak.
- e 12On October 22, 1975, theSeattle SuperSonicsacquired a second-round pick from theMilwaukee Bucksin exchange forJim Fox.[27]Previously, the Bucks acquired two 1976 second-round picks on June 5, 1975, from the Atlanta Hawks as a compensation when the Hawks illegally signedJulius Erving.[3][28]Previously the Hawks acquiredBob Kauffman,Dean Meminger,1974 and 1975 first-round picks, 1975 and 1976 second-round picks, and a 1980 third-round pick on May 20, 1974, from the New Orleans Jazz in exchange forPete Maravich.[29]The Sonics used the pick to draft Bayard Forrest. The Bucks used the pick to draft Alex English.
- fOn September 16, 1974, thePortland Trail BlazersacquiredBarry Clemensand future consideration (the Blazers acquired a second-round pick on May 25, 1976) from the New Orleans Jazz in exchange forRick Roberson.[30][31]Previously, the Jazz acquiredRon Behagenand the pick on May 28, 1975, from theKansas City Kingsin exchange for a 1975 first-round pick.[32]The Blazers used the pick to draft Major Jones.
- gOn November 3, 1975, the Los Angeles Lakers acquiredJohn Rocheand a second-round pick from the Phoenix Suns in exchange forPat Riley.[33]Previously, the Suns acquired the pick on September 30, 1975, from theDetroit Pistonsin exchange forEarl Williams.[34]The Lakers used the pick to draft Earl Tatum.
- hOn June 3, 1976, the New Orleans Jazz acquired a 1976 second-round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a 1977 second-round pick.[35]Previously, the Blazers acquired the pick on June 9, 1975, from the Phoenix Suns in exchange forPhil Lumpkin.[36]Previously, the Suns acquired the pick and a 1977 third-round pick on November 27, 1974, from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange forCorky Calhoun.[37]The Jazz used the pick to draft Jacky Dorsey.
- iOn October 8, 1973, the Atlanta Hawks acquired a 1976 second-round pick and a 1977 third-round pick from the Phoenix Suns in exchange forBob Christian.[38]The Hawks used the pick to draft Bob Carrington.
- jOn February 1, 1976, the Phoenix Suns acquiredGar Heardand a second-round pick from the Buffalo Braves in exchange forJohn Shumate.[39]The Suns used the pick to draft Al Fleming.
- kOn May 23, 1975, the Phoenix Suns acquiredPaul Westphal,1975 and 1976 second-round picks from theBoston Celticsin exchange forCharlie Scott.[40]The Suns used the pick to draft Butch Feher.
- lOn December 8, 1975, theChicago Bullsacquired a 1977 second-round pick and a 1976 third-round pick from the Kansas City Kings in exchange forMatt Guokas.[41]The Bulls used the pick to draft Lars Hansen.
Early entrants
[edit]College underclassmen
[edit]The followingcollege basketballplayers successfully applied for early draft entrance.[42]
Norm Cook– F,Kansas(junior)- Charles Daniels – G,Rice(junior)
- Adrian Dantley– F,Notre Dame(junior)
- Johnny Davis– G,Dayton(junior)
- Jacky Dorsey– F,Georgia(sophomore)
- Edward Douglas – F,Rutgers–Newark(sophomore)
- Daryl Gainey – F,Fairmont State(junior)
- Reggie Glasgow – G,UC Irvine(junior)
- Loy Hudson – F,Albany State(junior)
- Warnel Lamb – F, Lehigh County CC (sophomore)
- Lonnie Shelton– F,Oregon State(junior)
- Richard Washington– F,UCLA(junior)
- Larry Wright– G,Grambling State(junior)
ABA dispersal draft
[edit]
On August 5, 1976, the NBA hosted adispersal draftto select players from theKentucky ColonelsandSpirits of St. Louis,theAmerican Basketball Association(ABA) franchises that were not included in theABA– NBA merger.The eighteen NBA teams and the four ABA teams that joined the NBA, theDenver Nuggets,Indiana Pacers,New York NetsandSan Antonio Spurs,were allowed to participate in the draft. The teams selected in reverse order of their win–loss percentage in theprevious NBAandABA seasons.[43]The team that made a selection must pay 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. Players who were not selected would become free agents.[44]
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. TheChicago Bullsused the first pick to select five-time ABA All-StarArtis Gilmorewith a signing price of $1,100,000. ThePortland Trail Blazers,who acquired theAtlanta Hawks' second pick, selectedMaurice LucasandMoses Malonewith signing price of $300,000 and $350,000 respectively.Marvin Barnes,who was selected fourth by theDetroit Pistonswas 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 theKansas City Kingsused the second-round pick. The draft continued until the third round, but no other players were selected.[45]
Trades
[edit]- mOn the draft-day, thePortland Trail Blazersacquired the second pick from theAtlanta Hawksin exchange forGeoff PetrieandSteve Hawes.[47]The Blazers used the pick to draft Maurice Lucas.
- nOn the draft-day, theBuffalo Bravesacquired the seventh pick from theMilwaukee Bucksin exchange for a 1977 second-round pick.[52]The Braves used the pick to draft Bird Averitt.
Notes
[edit]^1:Lars Hansen was born in Denmark, but grew up in Canada and has represented theCanadian national team.[58]
^2:Gary Cole later changed his name into Abdul Jeelani. He used that name during his career in the NBA.[59]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- General
- "Complete First Round Results 1970–79".NBA.Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon July 25, 2010.RetrievedJuly 18,2010.
- "1976 NBA Draft".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 4, 2010.RetrievedJuly 18,2010.
- "1972–1976 NBA Drafts".The Association for Professional Basketball Research.RetrievedJuly 18,2010.
- "ABA Player Drafts".The Association for Professional Basketball Research.RetrievedJuly 18,2010.
- Specific
- ^"Evolution of the Draft and Lottery".NBA.Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon July 22, 2010.RetrievedJuly 18,2010.
- ^"Hawks win draft toss".Bangor Daily News.Bangor, Maine: Bangor Publishing Company. April 3, 1976.RetrievedOctober 2,2010.
- ^ab"McGinnis Deal Off; Hawks Get Fine".The Palm Beach Post.West Palm Beach, Florida. June 6, 1975.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Warriors Nab Wise In Draft".The Spartanburg Herald.Spartanburg, South Carolina: Public Welfare Foundation. December 31, 1975.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Rollins, 25 others go for hardship".Wilmington Morning Star.Wilmington, North Carolina. May 14, 1976.RetrievedJuly 18,2010.
- ^"Early Entry Candidate History".NBA.Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon September 14, 2009.RetrievedJuly 20,2010.
- ^"Spencer Haywood Bio".NBA.Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.RetrievedJuly 18,2010.
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- ^"Alex English Bio".NBA.Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Dennis Johnson Bio".NBA.Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Lonnie Shelton Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"John Lucas Coaching Record".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Johnny Davis Coaching Record".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
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- ^"Mike Dunleavy Coaching Record".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 21, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
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- ^"Jim Fox Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Bayard Forrest Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 21, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Pete Maravich Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 8, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Rick Roberson Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 30, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Portland has 4 Draft Choices".Gettysburg Times.Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. May 25, 1976.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Ron Behagen Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Pat Riley Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Earl Williams Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Kim Anderson Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 10, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Phil Lumpkin Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Corky Calhoun Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"Bob Christian Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 18, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
- ^"John Shumate Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
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- ^"Matt Guokas Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 25, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2010.
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- ^"Bulls make Gilmore first selection".Beaver County Times.Beaver, Pennsylvania. August 6, 1976.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Artis Gilmore Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 16, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^ab"Maurice Lucas Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 25, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Ron Boone Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 25, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Marvin Barnes Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 8, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Moses Malone Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 8, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Randy Denton Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on August 10, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^ab"Bird Averitt Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 15, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Wil Jones Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 7, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Ronald Thomas Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 26, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Louie Dampier Statistics".basketball-reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 27, 2010.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Jan Van Bread Kolff Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
- ^"Mike Barr Statistics".basketball-reference.RetrievedJuly 26,2010.
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