| 1967 NBA expansion draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | May 1, 1967 |
| Overview | |
| League | NBA |
| Expansion teams | San Diego Rockets Seattle SuperSonics |
The1967 NBA expansion draft was the thirdexpansion draft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 1, 1967, so that the newly foundedSan Diego Rockets andSeattle SuperSonics could acquire players for the upcoming1967–68 season.Seattle andSan Diego had been awarded theexpansion teams on December 20, 1966, and January 11, 1967, respectively.[1][2] The Rockets moved toHouston,Texas, in1971 and are currently known as theHouston Rockets.[3] The SuperSonics moved toOklahoma City, in2008 and are currently known as theOklahoma City Thunder.[4] 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 Rockets and the Sonics selected fifteen unprotected players each, while the ten other NBA teams lost three players each.
The Rockets, the 12th franchise in the NBA, were founded byRobert Breitbard. The Rockets name was chosen because it reflects the growth of the space-age industries in the city as well as the city's theme of "a city in motion".[3] FormerCincinnati Royals andChicago Zephyrs head coachJack McMahon was named asthe franchise's first head coach andgeneral manager.[5] The Rockets' selections included three-timeAll-StarJohnny Green. Ten players from the expansion draft joined the Rockets for their inaugural season, but only five played more than one season for the team.Don Kojis, who played three seasons with the Rockets, was named to the1968 All-Star Game, becoming the franchise's first All-Star.[6]
The SuperSonics, the 11th franchise in the NBA, were founded by a group of investors led bySam Schulman andEugene Klein.[7] Schulman then served as president of the team and head of operations. He hired formerChicago Bulls assistant coachAl Bianchi to becomethe franchise's first head coach.[8] The Sonics' selections included six-time All-StarRichie Guerin and one-time All-StarTom Meschery. Guerin, who was serving as theSt. Louis Hawks'player-coach when the Sonics selected him, decided to retire from playing and became a full-time head coach for the Hawks. He never played for the Sonics, even though he later came back from retirement to play with the Hawks.[9] Nine players from the expansion draft joined the Sonics for their inaugural season, but only four played more than one season for the team.Walt Hazzard, who only played one season with the Sonics, was named to the 1968 All-Star Game, becoming the franchise's first All-Star.[6]
| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| * | 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 |
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | Previous team | Years of NBA experience[a] | Career with the franchise[b] | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Barnett | G/F |  United States | San Diego Rockets | Boston Celtics | 1 | 1967–1970 | [10] |
| John Barnhill | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Baltimore Bullets | 5 | 1967–1968 | [11] |
| John Block+ | F/C | United States | San Diego Rockets | Los Angeles Lakers | 1 | 1967–1971 | [12] |
| Hank Finkel | C | United States | San Diego Rockets | Los Angeles Lakers | 1 | 1967–1969 | [13] |
| Dave Gambee | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Philadelphia 76ers | 9 | 1967–1968 | [14] |
| Johnny Green+ | F/C | United States | San Diego Rockets | Baltimore Bullets | 8 | 1967–1968 | [15] |
| Toby Kimball | F/C | United States | San Diego Rockets | Boston Celtics | 1 | 1967–1971 | [16] |
| Don Kojis+ | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Chicago Bulls | 4 | 1967–1970 | [17] |
| Freddie Lewis | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Cincinnati Royals | 1 | —[c] | [18] |
| Jon McGlocklin+ | G/F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Cincinnati Royals | 2 | 1967–1968 | [19] |
| Wayne Molis | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | New York Knicks | 1 | —[c] | [20] |
| Paul Neumann | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | San Francisco Warriors | 6 | —[c] | [21] |
| Chico Vaughn | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Detroit Pistons | 5 | —[c] | [22] |
| Gerry Ward | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Chicago Bulls | 4 | —[c] | [23] |
| Jim Ware | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Cincinnati Royals | 1 | 1967–1968 | [24] |
| Henry Akin | F/C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | New York Knicks | 1 | 1967–1968 | [25] |
| Nate Bowman | C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Philadelphia 76ers | 1 | —[c] | [26] |
| Dave Deutsch | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | New York Knicks | 1 | —[c] | [27] |
| Richie Guerin* | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | St. Louis Hawks | 11 | —[c] | [28] |
| Walt Hazzard+ | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Los Angeles Lakers | 3 | 1967–1968 | [29] |
| Tommy Kron | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | St. Louis Hawks | 1 | 1967–1969 | [30] |
| Tom Meschery+ | F | United States[d] | Seattle SuperSonics | San Francisco Warriors | 6 | 1967–1971 | [31] |
| Dorie Murrey | F/C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Detroit Pistons | 1 | 1967–1970 | [32] |
| Bud Olsen | F/C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | San Francisco Warriors | 1 | 1967–1968 | [33] |
| Ron Reed | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Detroit Pistons | 2 | —[c] | [34] |
| Rod Thorn | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | St. Louis Hawks | 4 | 1967–1971 | [35] |
| Ben Warley | G/F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Baltimore Bullets | 5 | —[c] | [36] |
| Ron Watts | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Boston Celtics | 2 | —[c] | [37] |
| Bob Weiss | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Philadelphia 76ers | 2 | 1967–1968 | [38] |
| George Wilson | C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Chicago Bulls | 3 | 1967–1968 | [39] |