| 1968 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Dates | April 3, 1968 (first round) May 8 and 10, 1968 (Other rounds) |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Overview | |
| 214 total selections in21 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Elvin Hayes,San Diego Rockets |
| Hall of Famers | |
The1968 NBA draft was the 22nd annualdraft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 3, 1968, and May 8 and 10, 1968, before the1968–69 season.[1] In thisdraft, 14 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. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by acoin flip.[2] TheSan Diego Rockets won the coin flip and were awarded thefirst overall pick, while theBaltimore Bullets 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 theprevious season. Six teams that had the best records in previous season were not awarded second round draft picks. Two expansion franchises, theMilwaukee Bucks and thePhoenix Suns, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the seventh and eighth pick in the first round, along with the last two picks of each subsequent round. TheSt. Louis Hawks relocated toAtlanta and became theAtlanta Hawks prior to the start of the season.[3] The draft consisted of 21 rounds comprising 214 players selected. It would also be a catalyst for the upstart rivalingAmerican Basketball Association to either force anantitrust lawsuit against the NBA due to a leaked document that was sent to the ABA by a disgruntled ex-employee revealing the NBA's plans to show how much each team was to contribute to get the college star players to sign with the NBA teams over the ABA teams or engage in a merger between the two leagues, which eventually resulted in theNBA–ABA merger happening years later.[4]
Elvin Hayes from theUniversity of Houston was selectedfirst overall by the San Diego Rockets.Wes Unseld from theUniversity of Louisville was selected second by the Baltimore Bullets. He went on to win theRookie of the Year Award and theMost Valuable Player Award in his first season,[5][6] becoming only the second player to win both awards in the same season, afterWilt Chamberlain in1960. Hayes and Unseld have been inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame.[7] They were also named in the50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[8] Hayes and Unseld both won theNBA championship with theWashington Bullets in1978. In theFinals, Unseld was named as theFinals Most Valuable Player. Unseld, who spent all of his 13-year playing career with the Bullets, was also selected to oneAll-NBA Team and fiveAll-Star Games, while Hayes was selected to six All-NBA Teams and twelve All-Star Games.[9][10]Bob Kauffman, the third pick, is the only other player from this draft who has been selected to an All-Star Game; he was selected to three All-Star Games during his career.[11]
Unseld became a head coach after ending his playing career. He coached theWashington Bullets for seven seasons.[12] Three other players drafted also went on to have a coaching career: 12th pickDon Chaney and 79th pickRick Adelman. Chaney coached four NBA teams and won theCoach of the Year Award in1991 with theHouston Rockets.[13][14] Adelman coached four NBA teams, most recently with theHouston Rockets. He lost theNBA Finals twice with thePortland Trail Blazers in1990 and1992.[15]
In the fourteenth round, theSeattle SuperSonics selectedMike Warren ofUCLA. However, Warren never played professional basketball; he opted for an acting career in films and television instead.[16]
| 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 |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game |
The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[17][18]
This player was not selected in the 1968 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Williams | SG |  United States | Bowling Green(Sr.) |
^ 1: Don Smith changed his name to Zaid Abdul-Aziz in 1976.[25]