| 1965 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | May 6, 1965 |
| Location | Plaza Hotel (New York City, New York)[1] |
| Overview | |
| 112 total selections in17 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| Territorial picks | Bill Bradley,New York Knicks Bill Buntin,Detroit Pistons Gail Goodrich,Los Angeles Lakers |
| First selection | Fred Hetzel,San Francisco Warriors |
| Hall of Famers | |
The1965 NBA draft was the 19th annualdraft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 6, 1965, before the1965–66 season.
In thisdraft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S.college basketball 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. Teams that finished last in each division, theSan Francisco Warriors and theNew York Knicks, were awarded the first four picks in 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.
Before the draft, a team could forfeit its first-round draft pick and then select any player from within a 50-mile radius of its home arena as theirterritorial pick.[2][3] The draft consisted of 17 rounds comprising 112 players selected. This draft was the last in which the territorial pick rule remained in effect before it was eliminated prior to the1966 draft.[4]
Bill Bradley,Bill Buntin andGail Goodrich were selected before the draft asNew York Knicks',Detroit Pistons' andLos Angeles Lakers' territorial picks respectively.Fred Hetzel fromDavidson College was selectedfirst overall by theSan Francisco Warriors.Rick Barry from theUniversity of Miami, who went on to win theRookie of the Year Award in his first season, was drafted second by the Warriors.[5] Four players from this draft, Barry, Bradley, Goodrich and fifth pickBilly Cunningham, have been inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame.[6] Barry and Cunningham were also named in the50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[7]
The Los Angeles Lakers had intended on selectingWayne Estes, a Montana native who played for theUtah State Aggies, in the first round. However, Estes died on February 8, 1965, aged 21, when he was electrocuted by a downed wire at the scene of an auto accident he and teammates were visiting. Less than two hours before dying, Estes completed a game where he scored 48 points; his 47th point of the game was also the 2,000th of his college career.[8]
Barry's achievements include oneNBA championship with the Warriors in1975, oneFinals MVP, five All-NBA Team selections and fourAll-Star Game selections.[9] Cunningham's achievements include an NBA championship with thePhiladelphia 76ers in1967, four All-NBA Team selections and four All-Star Game selections.[10] He also played two seasons in theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) with theCarolina Cougars. In his first season there, he won the ABA Most Valuable Player Award and was selected to the ABA All-Star Game and All-ABA Team.[11] He later coached the 76ers for eight seasons and won the NBA championship in1983.[12] Goodrich's achievements include an NBA championship with theLos Angeles Lakers in1972, one All-NBA Team selection and five All-Star Game selections.[13] Bradley, who spent all of his 10-year playing career with the Knicks, won the NBA championships twice in1970 and1973 and was also selected to one All-Star Game.[14] Bradley became a successful politician after retiring from basketball. He was elected as aDemocrat to theUnited States Senate for 18 years. He was also a candidate for the Democraticpresidential nomination in 2000, losing to incumbentVice PresidentAl Gore in thepresidential primaries.[15]
Bob Love, the 33rd pick, was selected to two All-NBA Teams and three All-Star Games.[16]Jerry Sloan, the 4th pick, was selected to two All-Star Games during his playing career before becoming a head coach. He coached theChicago Bulls for three seasons before being fired during the1981–82 season. He then became the head coach of theUtah Jazz in1988, the position he held until resigning in early2011.[17] He has been inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame as a coach.[6] Twin brothersDick andTom Van Arsdale, who were drafted with the 10th and 11th picks, became the first set of twins to play in the NBA.[18][19] Each of them had three All-Star Game selections. They played for different NBA teams until their last season, which they spent together as a member of thePhoenix Suns.[20][21] Dick Van Arsdale also had a coaching career. He was the interim head coach of the Suns in1987.[22] Two other players from this draft, 15th pickFlynn Robinson and 24th pickJon McGlocklin, have also been selected to an All-Star Game.[23][24]Bob Weiss, the 22nd pick, also became a head coach after ending his playing career. He coached four NBA teams, most recently with theSeattle SuperSonics.[25]Tal Brody, the 12th pick, never played in the NBA. He joinedIsrael I clubMaccabi Tel Aviv in 1966 and played there until his retirement in 1980, winning severalIsraeli league titles and aEuropean Cup Championship in 1977. He also became an Israeli citizen and played forIsraeli national team.[26][27] Aside from playing in the NBA, 20th pickRon Reed also playedprofessional baseball in theMajor League Baseball (MLB). He ended his dual-sport career in 1967 to focus on baseball.[28] He played 19 seasons in the MLB with three teams, winning theWorld Series once. He was also anMLB All-Star.[29] He is one of only 12 athletes who have played in both NBA and MLB.[30][31][32]
| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least oneAll-Star Game andAll-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least oneAll-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game |
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The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[33][34]
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 18 | Keith Erickson | G/F |  United States | San Francisco Warriors | UCLA |
| 3 | 19 | Barry Clemens | F | United States | New York Knicks | Ohio Wesleyan |
| 3 | 20 | Ron Reed | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | Notre Dame |
| 3 | 22 | Bob Weiss | G | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Pennsylvania State |
| 3 | 24 | Jon McGlocklin+ | G/F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Indiana |
| 3 | 25 | Jim Caldwell | C | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Georgia Tech |
| 3 | 26 | Toby Kimball | F/C | United States | Boston Celtics | Connecticut |
| 4 | 31 | Hank Finkel | C | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Dayton |
| 4 | 33 | Bob Love* | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Southern |
| 7 | 56 | Willie Somerset | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Duquesne |
| 8 | 67 | Jim Fox | F/C | United States | Cincinnati Royals | South Carolina |
| 10 | 75 | Wayne Molis | F | United States | New York Knicks | Lewis |
| 11 | 82 | Thales McReynolds | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Miles |
These players were not selected in the 1965 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Miller | F | United States | Notre Dame |
^ 1: Jerry Sloan was selected as an eligible junior in the 3rd round of the1964 draft by the Baltimore Bullets but decided to stay in college.
^ 2: Tal Brody was born in the United States and became an Israeli citizen in 1970. He has represented bothUnited States andIsrael in international basketball competitions.[26][27]
