| 1975 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | May 29, 1975 |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Overview | |
| 174 total selections in10 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | David Thompson,Atlanta Hawks |
| Hall of Famers | |
The1975 NBA draft was the 29th annualdraft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 29, 1975, before the1975–76 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S.college basketball players and othereligible players, including international players. 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] TheAtlanta Hawks, who obtained theNew Orleans Jazz first-round pick in a trade, won the coin flip and were awarded thefirst overall pick, while theLos Angeles Lakers were awarded the second pick. Prior to the draft, theKansas City-Omaha Kings were renamed to just theKansas City Kings due to the completion of theKemper Arena.[2] Before the draft, 18 collegeunderclassmen and 2 high school players were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule, marking the first time since the days of theBasketball Association of America andNational Basketball League operating as separate leagues when high schoolers were allowed to play professionally there.[3] These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier.[4]
This was the most recent NBA draft to be held in a month other than June until2020, but the off-season was earlier at the time. The league also hosted a supplementary draft forAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) players who never were never drafted by the NBA teams on December 30, 1975. 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.
David Thompson fromNorth Carolina State University was selected first overall by the Atlanta Hawks. He was also drafted first overall in the 1975 ABA Draft by theVirginia Squires, before the Squires traded his draft rights to theDenver Nuggets. He opted to join the ABA with the Nuggets before moving to the NBA in1976 afterboth leagues merged.[5] During his first and only season in the ABA, he won the ABA All-Star Game MVP and ABA Rookie of the Year, as well as selected to the ABA All-Star Game and All-ABA Team. His NBA achievements include twoAll-NBA Team selections and four NBAAll-Star Game selections.[6] For his achievements, he has been inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame.[7]Marvin Webster, the 3rd pick, also opted to join the ABA with the Nuggets before moving to the NBA in 1976.[8] Thompson and Webster were the only first-round picks from the draft who declined to play in the NBA and opted to play in the ABA. Coincidentally, Webster was also drafted by the Hawks, which means that both the Hawks' first-round picks did not play with them. Instead, both signed to play for the Nuggets in the ABA.[9]
Gus Williams, the 20th pick, joined theSeattle SuperSonics after two seasons with theGolden State Warriors. He then won theNBA championship with the Sonics in1979. He was also selected to two All-NBA Team and two All-Star Games.[10]World B. Free (then known as Lloyd Free), the 23rd pick, played for five teams in his 13-year career and was selected to one All-NBA Team and one All-Star Game.[11]Dan Roundfield, the 28th pick, was also drafted in the 1975 ABA Draft. He opted to join the ABA with theIndiana Pacers before moving to the NBA in 1976. His achievements include one All-NBA Team selection, three NBA All-Star Game selections, three NBA All-Star Game selections and four NBA All-Defensive Team selections.[12]Alvan Adams from theUniversity of Oklahoma, who went on to win theRookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected 4th by thePhoenix Suns.[13] Adams and 6th pickLionel Hollins are the only other players from this draft who was selected to an All-Star Game.[14][15] After retiring as a player, Hollins went on to have a coaching career. He was twice named as the interim head coach for theVancouver/Memphis Grizzlies in1999 and2004 before becoming a permanent head coach in2009.[16]
Darryl Dawkins, the 5th pick, andBill Willoughby, the 19th pick, became the first two high school players to directly enter the NBA after their high school graduation.[17] They also became the second and third players to go directly from high school basketball to professional league, afterMoses Malone in the 1974 ABA Draft.[18] They also became the second and thirdhigh school players ever drafted in the NBA, afterReggie Harding in the1962 draft. However, because the rules prevented Harding from playing in the league until one year after his high school class graduated, he had to wait a year before entering the league in1963.[19][20] Dawkins played 14 seasons in the NBA with four different NBA teams, while Willoughby played 8 seasons with six teams.[21][22]
In the tenth round, the New Orleans Jazz selected aSoviet basketball playerAlexander Belov with the 161st pick. Belov, who was playing withSpartak Leningrad before the draft, stayed with the club until the end of his career. He had a successful career, winning twoEuropean Cup Winners' Cup and oneSoviet Union championship, as well as fourgold medals with theSoviet Union national team. For his achievements, he has been inducted by theInternational Basketball Federation (FIBA) to theFIBA Hall of Fame.[23]
| 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 |
These players were not selected in the 1975 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Jones | F |  United States | Saint Louis(Sr.) |
| Irv Kiffin | F | United States | Oklahoma Baptist(Sr.) |
For the fifth straight year in a row, the NBA would utilize the hardship exception for young underclassmen to enter the NBA draft. For the second straight year in a row, twenty underclassmen initially declared entry for this year's draft, but three of these players in theUniversity of Notre Dame'sAdrian Dantley,Morris Brown College'sHarry Davis, andTunxis Community College's Glenn Matthews would later decline entry into this year's draft. The followingcollege basketball players successfully applied for an NBA hardship.[44]
Alvan Adams – C/F,Oklahoma (junior)Joe Bryant – F,La Salle (junior)Luther Burden – G,Utah (junior) Henry Fields – G,Ohio State (freshman)Larry Fogle – G,Canisius (junior)Bayard Forrest – C,Grand Canyon (junior)Lloyd Free – G,Guilford (junior)Robert Hawkins – G,Illinois State (junior)Walter Luckett – G,Ohio (junior)Cyrus Mann – C,Illinois State (freshman) Glen Matthews – F,Tunxis CC (junior)Frank Oleynick – G,Seattle (junior)Joe Pace – C,Coppin State (junior)Eugene Short – F,Jackson State (junior) Larry Smith – F,North Carolina A&T (junior)This year's draft was also the first one in NBA history to officially allow for high school seniors to enter the NBA draft via hardship exceptions. This year saw two high school players qualify for these hardships. It was also the only NBA draft to see high school declare their entry into the NBA directly from high school until1995. The following high schoolers successfully applied for an NBA hardship.[44]
On December 9, 1975, the NBA planned to host a supplementary draft to settle negotiating rights to five ABA players who had never been eligible for the NBA draft because their college classes had not graduated and they had not apply for hardship. 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 the1976 draft.[45] The teams were allowed to not exercise their rights on this hardship draft and thus retained their full selection in the 1976 draft. The draft itself attracted strong opposition from the rivaling ABA, who accused the NBA of trying to reduce confidence in the stability of their own league since they had gone from ten teams to seven in a three month period, with theVirginia Squires also facing significant struggles that saw them be likely to fold next during the season. Despite the initial postponement of the draft, the draft was finally held on December 30, 1975.[46]
TheNew Orleans Jazz used the first pick to selectMoses Malone, a former high school player who went directly to professional basketball after he was drafted in the1974 ABA draft. TheLos Angeles Lakers used the second pick to selectMark Olberding, a college freshman who was drafted in the 1974 ABA draft. Because the Jazz and the Lakers had traded their first-round picks in the 1976 draft, they had to forfeit their first-round pick in the1977 draft.[47] The other players selected wereMel Bennett,Skip Wise andCharles Jordan in the second, third and fourth-round respectively. All players, except Wise, were under contract with their ABA team at the time of the draft.[48] Those same four players also remained with their ABA teams in question until the end of the season as well. After theVirginia Squires folded before theABA–NBA merger in June 1976, Bennett joined the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia 76ers.[49] Under the merger agreement, the Jazz and the Lakers had to yield their rights to Malone and Olberding, but they regained their 1977 first-round picks.[50] Malone was later drafted by thePortland Trail Blazers in theABA Dispersal Draft, while Olberding remained with the Spurs who joined the NBA.[51][52] Mel Bennett would later end up signing a new free agency deal with theIndiana Pacers following theABA-NBA merger and subsequentABA dispersal draft due to the Squires folding operations a month before the official merger occurred and Bennett being a proper free agent at the time.[53] Two other draftees, Wise and Jordan, never played in the NBA, with Wise being waived by the Spurs during the season and never playing professionally again in either league afterward due to drug troubles (primarily withheroin) and Jordan being cut by the Pacers following the eventual ABA-NBA merger and later playing overseas instead.[54][55]
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | ABA team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Moses Malone^ | F/C | United States | New Orleans Jazz | Spirits of St. Louis |
| 1 | 2 | Mark Olberding | F | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2 | 3 | Mel Bennett | F | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Virginia Squires |
| 3 | 4 | Skip Wise# | G | United States | Golden State Warriors | San Antonio Spurs |
| 4 | 5 | Charles Jordan# | F | United States | Buffalo Braves | Indiana Pacers |
^ 1: Lloyd Free changed his first name into World, his nickname, in 1981 and is commonly known as World B. Free.[56]
