1973 NBA draft

The 1973 NBA draft was the 27th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 24 and May 5, 1973, before the 1973–74 season.[1] In this draft, 17 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 Philadelphia 76ers 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 draft, the Baltimore Bullets relocated to Landover, Maryland, and became the Capital Bullets.[2] The Philadelphia 76ers were awarded an extra first-round draft pick as compensation when the Seattle SuperSonics signed John Brisker.[1][3] 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, 11 college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule.[4] 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.[5] The draft consisted of 20 rounds comprising the selection of 211 players.

1973 NBA draft
General information
SportBasketball
Date(s)April 24, 1973 (first 10 rounds)[1]
May 5, 1973 (remaining rounds)
LocationNew York City, New York
Overview
211 total selections in 20 rounds
LeagueNBA
First selectionDoug Collins, Philadelphia 76ers
A man, wearing a black suit and a tie, is making a gesture by raising his hands while standing on the side of a basketball court.
Doug Collins was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.

This was the last NBA draft to last until any number of rounds, or until teams run out of prospects; from the next year's draft until the 1984 draft they were fixed to 10 rounds.

Draft selections and draftee career notes

Doug Collins from Illinois State University was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. Jim Brewer from the University of Minnesota was second, taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers with a pick obtained from the Blazers in a trade. Ernie DiGregorio, from Providence College, was selected third by the Buffalo Braves, and went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award.[6] George McGinnis, selected by the 76ers with the 22nd pick, is the only player from the 1973 draft who was selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Star Game.[7] Collins, 5th pick Kermit Washington, and 50th pick Larry Kenon, are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game.[8][9][10] Collins's achievements include four All-Star Game selections.[8] After retiring as a player, he went on to coach the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards.[11] Brewer was a member of the 1982 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.[12][13] He later played basketball in Europe, earning the 1983 Euroleague championship with the Ford Cantù.[14] McGinnis had already played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) prior to the draft. He left college after his sophomore year in 1971 to play with the Indiana Pacers for four seasons. He later played in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, the team that drafted him, after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. He had one ABA Most Valuable Player Award, three ABA All-Star Game selections, three NBA All-Star Game selections, three All-ABA Team selections and two All-NBA Team selections.[7] Kenon initially opted to play in the ABA, spending three seasons there before joining the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs when both leagues merged.[10] He was selected to three ABA All-Star Games and two NBA All-Star Games.[10]

Mike D'Antoni, the 20th pick, only played four seasons in the NBA and ABA before he moved to Italy with the Olimpia Milano. He played there for thirteen seasons and won five Italian league titles and two Euroleague titles. After retiring as a player, he coached Olimpia Milano and Benetton Treviso, leading the latter to two Italian league titles.[15] He then returned to the NBA and coached three NBA teams.[16] He won the Coach of the Year Award in 2005 with the Phoenix Suns and in 2017 with the Houston Rockets.[17] M. L. Carr, the 76th pick, earned two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in 1981 and 1984 as a player. Carr later became the Celtics' head coach for two seasons in the 1990s.[18][19] Two other players drafted also went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 21st pick Allan Bristow and 66th pick George Karl.[20][21]

In the fifth round, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Krešimir Ćosić from Brigham Young University with the 84th pick. However, he opted to return to Yugoslavia after his college career. Ćosić had a successful career in Europe, winning numerous league and club titles, as well as six gold medals with the Yugoslavian national team. For his achievements, he has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to the FIBA Hall of Fame.[22][23] The Atlanta Hawks used the 79th pick to draft Dave Winfield, who starred at both baseball and basketball at the University of Minnesota.[24] He was also drafted in three other major sport leagues; Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and the ABA.[25] He chose baseball and played 22 seasons in MLB.[26]

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
Ernie DiGregorio was selected 4th overall by the Buffalo Braves.
A man, wearing a black suit and a gray tie, is surrounded by basketball players as he talks to them.
Mike D'Antoni was selected 20th overall by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.
George McGinnis was selected 22nd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/club team
1 1 Doug Collins+ G/F  United States Philadelphia 76ers Illinois State (Sr.)
1 2 Jim Brewer F/C  United States Cleveland Cavaliers (from Portland)[a] Minnesota (Sr.)
1 3 Ernie DiGregorio G  United States Buffalo Braves Providence (Sr.)
1 4 Mike Green C/F  United States Seattle SuperSonics[1] Louisiana Tech (Sr.)
1 5 Kermit Washington+ F/C  United States Los Angeles Lakers (from Cleveland)[b] American (Sr.)
1 6 Ed Ratleff F/G  United States Houston Rockets Long Beach State (Sr.)
1 7 Ron Behagen F/C  United States Kansas City-Omaha Kings Minnesota (Sr.)
1 8 Mike Bantom F/C  United States Phoenix Suns Saint Joseph's (Sr.)
1 9 Dwight Jones F/C  United States Atlanta Hawks (from Detroit)[c] Houston (Jr.)
1 10 John Brown F  United States Atlanta Hawks Missouri (Sr.)
1 11 Kevin Joyce# G  United States Golden State Warriors South Carolina (Sr.)
1 12 Kevin Kunnert C/F  United States Chicago Bulls Iowa (Sr.)
1 13 Nick Weatherspoon F  United States Capital Bullets Illinois (Sr.)
1 14 Mel Davis F  United States New York Knicks St. John's (Sr.)
1 15 Barry Parkhill# G  United States Portland Trail Blazers (from Los Angeles via Cleveland)[a] Virginia (Sr.)
1 16 Swen Nater C  Netherlands Milwaukee Bucks UCLA (Sr.)
1 17 Steve Downing C  United States Boston Celtics Indiana (Sr.)
1 18 Raymond Lewis# G  United States Philadelphia 76ers[1] Cal State L.A. (So.)
2 19 Louie Nelson G  United States Capital Bullets (from Philadelphia)[d] Washington (Sr.)
2 20 Mike D'Antoni G  Italy[2] Kansas City-Omaha Kings (from Buffalo via Detroit)[e] Marshall (Sr.)
2 21 Allan Bristow F/G  United States Philadelphia 76ers (from Portland)[f] Virginia Tech (Sr.)
2 22 George McGinnis^ F/C  United States Philadelphia 76ers (from Seattle)[g][1] Indiana Pacers (ABA)[7]
2 23 Billy Schaeffer# F  United States Los Angeles Lakers (from Cleveland)[b] St. John's (Sr.)
2 24 Kevin Stacom G  United States Chicago Bulls (from Houston)[h] Providence (Sr.)
2 25 Larry McNeill F/G  United States Kansas City-Omaha Kings Marquette (Jr.)
2 26 Allan Hornyak# G  United States Cleveland Cavaliers (from Phoenix)[i] Ohio State (Sr.)
2 27 Tom Ingelsby G  United States Atlanta Hawks (from Detroit)[j] Villanova (Sr.)
2 28 Patrick McFarland# F/G  United States New York Knicks (from Atlanta)[k] Saint Joseph's (Sr.)
2 29 Derrek Dickey F  United States Golden State Warriors Cincinnati (Sr.)
2 30 Wendell Hudson# F  United States Chicago Bulls Alabama (Sr.)
2 31 Jim Chones C/F  United States Los Angeles Lakers (from Capital)[l] New York Nets (ABA)[27]
2 32 Caldwell Jones C/F  United States Philadelphia 76ers (from New York via Chicago)[m] Albany State (Sr.)
2 33 Gary Melchionni G  United States Phoenix Suns (from Milwaukee via Philadelphia)[n] Duke (Sr.)
2 34 Pete Perry# C  United States Los Angeles Lakers Pan American (Sr.)
2 35 Phil Hankinson F  United States Boston Celtics Pennsylvania (Sr.)

Other picks

The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[28][29]

A man, wearing a black suit and a blue tie, is watching the basketball game while sitting courtside.
George Karl was selected 66th overall by the New York Knicks.
Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/club team
3 36 Ted Manakas G  United States Atlanta Hawks (from Philadelphia)[o] Princeton (Sr.)
3 38 Ken Charles G  Trinidad and Tobago Buffalo Braves Fordham (Sr.)
3 42 Joe Reaves F  United States Phoenix Suns (from Kansas City–Omaha)[p] Bethel (Tennessee) (Sr.)
3 44 Bo Lamar G  United States Detroit Pistons Southwestern Louisiana (Sr.)
3 45 Leonard Gray F  United States Atlanta Hawks Long Beach State (Sr.)
3 48 Tom Kozelko F  United States Capital Bullets Toledo (Sr.)
3 49 Allie McGuire G  United States New York Knicks Marquette (Sr.)
3 50 Larry Kenon+ F  United States Detroit Pistons (from Los Angeles)[q] Memphis State (Jr.)
3 51 E. C. Coleman F  United States Houston Rockets (from Milwaukee)[r] Houston Baptist (Sr.)
4 55 Bird Averitt G  United States Portland Trail Blazers Pepperdine (Jr.)
4 57 Luke Witte C  United States Cleveland Cavaliers Ohio State (Sr.)
4 64 Mark Sibley G  United States Chicago Bulls Northwestern (Sr.)
4 66 George Karl G  United States New York Knicks North Carolina (Sr.)
5 74 John Coughran F  United States Cleveland Cavaliers California (Sr.)
5 76 M. L. Carr F  United States Kansas City-Omaha Kings Guilford (Sr.)
5 83 Dennis Bell F  United States New York Knicks Drake (Sr.)
6 88 Mike Macaluso F  United States Buffalo Braves Canisius (Sr.)
6 96 John Williamson G  United States Atlanta Hawks New Mexico State (Jr.)
6 98 Johnny Neumann G/F  United States Chicago Bulls Mississippi (Sr.)
7 106 Tim Bassett F/C  United States Buffalo Braves Georgia (Sr.)
7 118 Nate Hawthorne G  United States Los Angeles Lakers Southern Illinois (Sr.)
8 128 Jim Owens F  United States Phoenix Suns Arizona State (Sr.)
8 129 Ben Kelso G  United States Detroit Pistons Central Michigan (Sr.)
9 138 Harvey Catchings C/F  United States Philadelphia 76ers Hardin–Simmons (Sr.)
11 166 Rod Freeman F  United States Philadelphia 76ers Vanderbilt (Sr.)
17 204 Jim Garvin F  United States Buffalo Braves Boston University (Sr.)

Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 1973 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.

Player Pos. Nationality School/club team
Henry Dickerson G  United States Morris Harvey (Sr.)
Slick Watts G  United States Xavier (Louisiana) (Sr.)

Trades
  • a 1 2 On the draft-day, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired a first-round pick and a third-round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for John Johnson, Rick Roberson and Los Angeles Lakers' first-round pick.[12] The Cavaliers used the picks to draft Jim Brewer and Jim O'Brien. The Blazers used the pick to draft Barry Parkhill.
  • b On October 13, 1971, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired a 1973 first-round pick, 1972 and 1973 second-round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Rick Roberson.[9] The Lakers used the picks to draft Kermit Washington and Bill Schaeffer.
  • c On April 13, 1973, the Atlanta Hawks acquired the ninth pick from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for George Trapp.[30] The Hawks used the pick to draft Dwight Jones.
  • d On October 18, 1971, the Capital Bullets (as the Baltimore Bullets) acquired a second-round pick and Archie Clark from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Fred Carter and Kevin Loughery.[31] The Bullets used the pick to draft Louie Nelson.
  • e On November 9, 1972, the Kansas City-Omaha Kings acquired a second-round pick from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for John Mengelt. Previously, the Pistons acquired the pick on September 29, 1972, from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for Howard Komives.[32] The Kings used the pick to draft Mike D'Antoni.
  • f On July 31, 1972, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired a second-round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Fred Foster.[33] The 76ers used the pick to draft Allan Bristow.
  • g On April 18, 1973, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired a 1973 second-round pick from Seattle SuperSonics as a compensation when the Sonics signed John Brisker on August 15, 1972.[3][34] The 76ers used the pick to draft George McGinnis.
  • h On June 9, 1971, the Chicago Bulls acquired a second-round pick from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Dick Gibbs.[35] The Bulls used the pick to draft Kevin Stacom.
  • i On November 22, 1972, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired a second-round pick from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Walt Wesley.[36] The Bulls used the pick to draft Allan Hornyak.
  • j On October 31, 1972, the Atlanta Hawks acquired a second-round pick from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Don Adams.[37] The Hawks used the pick to draft Tom Ingelsby.
  • k On October 9, 1972, the New York Knicks acquired a second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Eddie Mast.[38] The Bulls used the pick to draft Patrick McFarland.
  • l On December 6, 1972, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired a second-round pick from the Capital Bullets (as the Baltimore Bullets) in exchange for Flynn Robinson and future considerations.[27] The Lakers used the pick to draft Jim Chones.
  • m On October 18, 1972, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired a second-round pick from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Dennis Awtrey. Previously, the Bulls acquired the pick on December 10, 1971, from the New York Knicks in exchange for Charlie Paulk.[39] The 76ers used the pick to draft Caldwell Jones.
  • n On October 10, 1972, the Phoenix Suns acquired a second-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Mel Counts. Previously, the 76ers acquired the pick on the same day from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Gary Gregor.[40] The Suns used the pick to draft Gary Melchionni.
  • o On January 26, 1973, the Atlanta Hawks acquired a third-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jeff Halliburton.[41] The Hawks used the pick to draft Ted Manakas.
  • p On December 27, 1971, the Phoenix Suns acquired a third-round pick from the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (as the Cincinnati Royals) in exchange for Fred Taylor.[42] The Suns used the pick to draft Joe Reaves.
  • q The Detroit Pistons acquired a third-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the 1969 trade for Happy Hairston.[43]
  • r On December 9, 1971, the Houston Rockets acquired a third-round pick and Greg Smith from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a 1972 first-round pick and Curtis Perry.[44] The Rockets used the pick to draft E. C. Coleman.

Early entrants

College underclassmen

The following college basketball players successfully applied for an NBA hardship.[45]

Notes

^ 1: NBA commissioner Walter Kennedy originally awarded Seattle SuperSonics's fourth overall pick in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers in compensation for John Brisker, who signed with the Sonics despite being on Philadelphia's negotiation list. However, the federal court invalidated Kennedy's decision, ruling that only the NBA Board of Governors had the power to do so. Subsequently, the Board decided to award the 76ers with an extra first-round draft pick and the Sonics' second-round pick as compensations. The Sonics maintained possession of the fourth pick. In addition, the date of the draft, which was originally scheduled for April 16, was postponed to April 24.[3][46]
^ 2: Mike D'Antoni was born in the United States, but he has represented the Italian national team.[47]

See also

References
General
  • "Complete First Round Results 1970–79". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  • "1973 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  • "1972–1976 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
Specific
  1. "Evolution of the Draft and Lottery". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  2. Colston, Chris (November 25, 2009). "Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin dies at 85". USA Today. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  3. "Seattle Regains First-Round Pick". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: E. W. Scripps Company. April 19, 1973. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  4. "11 College Cagers Are 'Hardship'". The Spartanburg Herald. Spartanburg, South Carolina: Public Welfare Foundation. April 10, 1973. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  5. "Spencer Haywood Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
  6. "Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  7. "George McGinnis Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  8. "Doug Collins Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  9. "Kermit Washington Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  10. "Larry Kenon Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  11. "Doug Collins Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  12. "Jim Brewer Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  13. "1981–82 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  14. "Celebrations: Cantù". Euroleague.net. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  15. "Mike D'Antoni Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  16. "Mike D'Antoni Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  17. "Coach of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  18. "M. L. Carr Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  19. "M. L. Carr Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  20. "Allan Bristow Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  21. "George Karl Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  22. "Krešimir Ćosić Bio". FIBA. February 24, 2007. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  23. "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  24. Kim, Randy (June 29, 2003). "Draft Oddities". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  25. Reilly, Rick (June 29, 1992). "'I Feel A Whole Lot Better Now'". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  26. "Dave Winfield Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  27. "Jim Chones Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  28. "1973 NBA draft".
  29. "NBA Past Drafts - RealGM".
  30. "Dwight Jones Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  31. "Louie Nelson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  32. "Mike D'Antoni Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  33. "Allan Bristow Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  34. "John Brisker Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  35. "Dick Gibbs Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  36. "Walt Wesley Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  37. "Tom Ingelsby Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  38. "Eddie Mast Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  39. "Caldwell Jones Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  40. "Gary Melchionni Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  41. "Ted Manakas Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  42. "Joe Reaves Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  43. "Pistons get Lamar, Kenon in Pro Draft". The Argus-Press. Owosso, Michigan. April 25, 1973. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  44. "E. C. Coleman Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  45. "1973 Underclassmen Hardship List". The Draft Review. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  46. "NBA Calls Delay in Draft Plan". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. April 14, 1973. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  47. "Mike D'Antony Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2010.

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