The1961 NBA expansion draft was the inauguralexpansion draft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 26, 1961, so that the newly foundedChicago Packers could acquire players for the upcoming1961–62 season. The Packers were the second NBA team fromChicago, after theChicago Stags, whichfolded in 1950.^[1] The Packers later underwent several name changes and relocations before moving to Washington, D.C.. They are currently known as theWashington Wizards.^[2] In an NBA expansion draft, new NBA teams are allowed to acquire players from the previously established teams in the league. Not all players on a given team are available during an expansion draft, since each team can protect a certain number of players from being selected.

The Packers appointed four-timeAll-Star and formerMinneapolis Lakers head coachJim Pollard asthe franchise's first head coach.^[3][4] The Packers selected eight unprotected players, one from each of the other NBA teams. Their selections included former second overall pickArchie Dees from theDetroit Pistons. However, he andBarney Cable only played briefly for the Packers before he was traded to theSt. Louis Hawks in exchange for formerfirst overall pickSihugo Green, one-time All-StarWoody Sauldsberry andJoe Graboski.^[5]Dave Budd, who was selected from theNew York Knicks, was traded back to the Knicks without playing any games for the Packers. He was traded in exchange for former second overall pickCharlie Tyra andBob McNeill.^[6] Six players from the expansion draft joined the Packers for their inaugural season, but only two played more than one season for the team.Bobby Leonard would later go on to become the team's head coach.

Player	Pos.	Nationality	Previous team	Years of NBA experience[a]	Career with the franchise[b]	Ref.
Dave Budd	F	United States	New York Knicks	1	—[c]	[6]
Barney Cable	F	United States	Syracuse Nationals	3	1961;1963–1964	[7]
Gene Conley	F/C	United States	Boston Celtics	4	—[c]	[8]
Ralph Davis	G	United States	Cincinnati Royals	1	1961–1962	[9]
Archie Dees	F/C	United States	Detroit Pistons	3	1961	[5]
Andy Johnson	G/F	United States	Philadelphia Warriors	3	1961–1962	[10]
Bobby Leonard	G	United States	Los Angeles Lakers	5	1961–1963	[11]
Dave Piontek	F/C	United States	St. Louis Hawks	5	1961–1962	[12]

• ^a Number of years played in the NBA prior to the draft
• ^b Includes career with the Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963) and Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973)
• ^c Never played a game for the franchise

General

Specific

• NBA.com
• NBA.com: NBA Draft History

• 1961–62 NBA season
• NBA expansion draft
• April 1961 sports events in the United States
• Washington Wizards lists

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2023
• Articles with hCards