| 1971 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | March 29, 1971 (first 10 rounds) March 30, 1971 (remaining rounds) |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Overview | |
| 237 total selections in19 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Austin Carr,Cleveland Cavaliers |
The1971 NBA draft was the 25th annualdraft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 29 and 30, 1971, before the1971–72 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S.college basketball players and othereligible players, including international 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 conference, with the order determined by acoin flip.[1] TheCleveland Cavaliers won the coin flip and were awarded thefirst overall pick, while thePortland 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 theprevious season. Prior to the start of the season, theSan Diego Rockets and theSan Francisco Warriors relocated toHouston, Texas, andOakland, California, and became theHouston Rockets andGolden State Warriors respectively.[2][3] The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising the selection of 237 players. The league also hosted a supplemental hardship draft on September 20, 1971, for collegeunderclassmen who wished to join the league.
Austin Carr from theUniversity of Notre Dame was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.Sidney Wicks from theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, who went on to win theRookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected second by the Portland Trail Blazers.[4]
Spencer Haywood, the 30th pick, andRandy Smith, the 104th pick, were selected to both theAll-NBA Team and theAll-Star Game. Haywood was selected to four All-NBA Teams and five All-Star Games. He also won theNBA championship with theLos Angeles Lakers in1980.[5] During his first and only season in theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA), he won the ABA Most Valuable Player Award, and was selected to the ABA All-Star Game and All-ABA Team.[6] Smith was selected to one All-NBA Team and two All-Star Games.[7]
Artis Gilmore, the 117th pick, initially opted to play in the ABA. Gilmore spent five seasons with theKentucky Colonels before finally joined the NBA in 1976 afterboth leagues merged. His achievements include ABA Most Valuable Player Award in 1972, five All-ABA Team selections, five ABA All-Star Game selections and six NBA All-Star Game selections.[8] For his achievements, he was inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame in 2011.[9]
Fred Brown, the 6th pick, spent all of his 13-year playing career with the Sonics and was selected to one All-Star Game.[10] Carr, Wicks, and 11th pickCurtis Rowe are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game.[11][12][13]Phil Chenier, a college underclassman selected in the supplemental hardship draft, was also selected to both All-NBA Team and All-Star Game.[14] Two players drafted went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 13th pickJim Cleamons and 46th pickDave Wohl.[15][16]
Spencer Haywood was selected in the second round by theBuffalo Braves although he already played in the NBA with theSeattle SuperSonics in the previous season.[17] He leftcollege basketball in 1969 with two years remaining in his college eligibility. At that time, the NBA prohibited the drafting or signing of a player before his college class had graduated. He then played in the ABA with theDenver Rockets for a season before controversially signed by the Sonics. The league and the other NBA teams opposed the move and argued Haywood should be prohibited to join and play with the Sonics. This led to acourt case between the NBA against the Sonics and Haywood. He argued that he should be allowed to play because he was a "hardship case", due to his position as the sole wage earner in his family. He then won the case and was allowed to play late in the 1970–71 season. This led to the NBA allowing college underclassmen to enter the draft provided they could give evidence of "hardship". With the existing rules, Haywood was eligible for this year's draft, when his college class graduated. The Braves used one of their three second-round picks to select him, hoping that they would win the rights to sign him. However, he remained with the Sonics and never played for the Braves.[5][18]
| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotesplayer who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotesplayer who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game andAll-NBA Team |
| + | Denotesplayer 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 |
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On September 10, 1971, the NBA hosted a supplemental hardship draft for college underclassmen who wish to join the league. Prior to the 1971 Draft, college underclassmen were not eligible to be drafted until their college class graduated. These underclassmen fulfilled the "hardship" criteria and were allowed to enter the draft early. This new rule came as a result ofSpencer Haywood winningthe court case against the NBA which allowed him to play in the NBA before his college class graduated.[5][34] The teams selected in reverse order of their win–loss record in theprevious season. The team that made a selection must withdraw their equivalent selection in the1972 draft.[35] The teams were allowed to not exercise their rights on this hardship draft and thus retained their full selection in the 1972 draft. Seventeen different players had initially entered the hardship draft, but only six players would ultimately commit to entering the NBA's hardship draft that year. The first hardship draft sawNorth Carolina'sBill Chamberlain,Marquette'sJim Chones,St. John'sMel Davis,Duquesne'sMickey Davis,Villanova'sChris Ford, the first potential high school prospect inRaymond Lewis fromVerbum Dei High School, future Hall of FamerBob McAdoo fromVincennes Community College, another first potential high school prospect inCampy Russell fromPontiac Central High School,Princeton'sBrian Taylor, future Hall of FamerBill Walton fromUCLA, andMichigan'sHenry Wilmore all initially enter this year's draft by the hardship draft, but later declined their entry for at least another year.[36]
Three teams that were supposed to have the first three selections, theCleveland Cavaliers,Buffalo Braves andPortland Trail Blazers, declined to exercise their rights. Therefore, theCincinnati Royals had the first selection, which they used to selectNate Williams fromUtah State University.Phil Chenier, ajunior guard from theUniversity of California, was selected by theBaltimore Bullets.[37] He is the only player from the hardship draft who was selected toAll-NBA Team andAll-Star Game.[14]Joe Hammond, who had not played high school andcollege basketball, was selected in the fourth round by theLos Angeles Lakers.[38] Hammond, who had played for theAllentown Jets in theEastern Basketball Association (EBA) prior to the draft, had to apply as the "hardship case" because his college class could not graduate until 1972 if he had gone to the college.[39] From the six players that were available for selection, onlyEd Owens fromWeber State University was not selected by any NBA team.[40] The rivalingABA would also host their own hardship draft later that year called the "Special Circumstances Draft" in response to the NBA's hardship draft, though the ABA would only see three total selections from that specific event, including a repeat selection of Phil Chenier there.[41]
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Nate Williams | G/F |  United States | Cincinnati Royals | Utah State(Jr.) |
| 1 | 2 | Tom Payne | C | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Kentucky(So.) |
| 1 | 3 | Cyril Baptiste# | F/C | United States | Golden State Warriors | Creighton(Jr.) |
| 1 | 4 | Phil Chenier* | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | California(Jr.) |
| 4 | 5 | Joe Hammond# | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Allentown Jets(EBA) |
