The1978 NBA draft was the 32nd annualdraft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1978, at thePlaza Hotel in New York City, New York,[1] before the1978–79 season. In this draft, 22 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.[2] TheIndiana Pacers won the coin flip and were awarded thefirst overall pick, while theKansas City Kings, who obtained theNew Jersey Nets' first-round pick in a trade, were awarded the second pick.[3] The Pacers then traded the first pick to thePortland Trail Blazers before 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.
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. Before the draft, five collegeunderclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule.[4] 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.[5] Prior to the start of the season, theBuffalo Braves relocated toSan Diego and became theSan Diego Clippers.[6] The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 202 players.
Before the draft, Larry Bird had just finished hisjunior year at Indiana State. However, he was eligible to be drafted without applying for "hardship" because his original college class atIndiana University had graduated.[10][15] He initially enrolled at Indiana University in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. After sitting out a year, he enrolled at Indiana State.[16] Despite being eligible for the draft, he stated that he would return to college for hissenior season. His hometown team, the Indiana Pacers, initially held the first overall pick. However, when they failed to persuade him to leave college early, they traded the first pick to the Blazers, who also failed to convince him into signing.[17][18] Five teams, including the Pacers who held the third pick, passed on Bird until the Celtics used the sixth pick to draft him. They drafted him even though they knew that they might lose the exclusive rights to him if he didn't sign before the next draft. He could reenter the draft in1979 and sign with the other team that drafted him, and in negotiations withRed Auerbach Bird's agent Bob Woolf bluntly dismissed Red's lowball salary offers (he said that he would not offer Bird a contract that paid him more than the $400,000 annual salary of the team's highest-paid player at the time,Dave Cowens) and made it clear that Bird would enter the 1979 Draft without any regrets if Boston didn't change its plans. Nevertheless, in April 1979, he signed a five-year, US$3.25-million contract with the Celtics, which made him the highest-paid rookie in the history of team sport at that time.[19]
c 12 On June 8, 1978, theNew York Knicks acquired the fourth pick and a 1979 first-round pick from the New Jersey Nets in exchange forPhil Jackson, the thirteenth pick and US$3.2-million settlement of their indemnification debt to the Knicks.[35][36] Previously, the Nets acquiredGeorge E. Johnson, the pick and a 1979 first-round pick on September 1, 1977, from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for Nate Archibald.[34] Previously, the Braves acquired the pick and a 1977 first-round pick on October 24, 1976, from theHouston Rockets in exchange for Moses Malone.[33] The Knicks used the pick to draft Micheal Ray Richardson. The Nets used the pick to draft Winford Boynes.
d 12 On September 14, 1977, theGolden State Warriors acquired a first-round pick and cash considerations from theLos Angeles Lakers. This trade was arranged as compensation when the Lakers signedJamaal Wilkes on July 11, 1977.[37][38] Previously, the Lakers acquiredOllie Johnson, the pick and a second-round pick on June 1, 1977, from theKansas City Kings in exchange forLucius Allen.[39] The Warriors used the pick to draft Purvis Short. The Lakers used the pick to draft Ron Carter.
e On November 11, 1977, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired a 1978 first-round pick and a 1979 second-round pick from theSeattle SuperSonics in exchange forWally Walker.[40] Previously, the Sonics acquired the pick on September 25, 1975, from theDetroit Pistons in exchange forArchie Clark.[41] The Blazers used the pick to draft Ron Brewer.
f 12 On December 27, 1977, theBoston Celtics acquiredDon Chaney,Kermit Washington and a first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange forCharlie Scott.[42] On October 13, 1977, theAtlanta Hawks acquired a first-round pick from theNew Orleans Jazz in exchange forJoe Meriweather.[43] Previously, the Lakers acquired 1977, 1978 and 1979 first-round picks, and a 1980 second-round pick on August 5, 1976, from the Jazz in exchange for a 1978 first-round pick and a 1977 second-round pick. This trade was arranged as compensation when the Jazz signedGail Goodrich on July 19, 1976.[44] The Celtics used the pick to draft Freeman Williams. The Hawks used the pick to draft Jack Givens.
g On October 3, 1977, the New Orleans Jazz acquired a first-round pick from the Golden State Warriors as compensation for the signing ofE. C. Coleman as a free agent.[45] The Jazz used the pick to draft James Hardy.
i On June 1, 1978, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired the 15th pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a 1979 first-round pick.[47] The Cavaliers used the pick to draft Mike Mitchell.
j On the draft-day, theDenver Nuggets acquired the 17th pick from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange forTom LaGarde.[48] The Nuggets used the pick to draft Rod Griffin.
k On October 11, 1977, theWashington Bullets acquired a first-round pick from the Denver Nuggets in exchange forBo Ellis.[49] The Bullets used the pick to draft Dave Corzine.
l On the draft-day, the Denver Nuggets acquired the 21st pick from thePhiladelphia 76ers in exchange for a 1984 first-round pick.[50][51] The Nuggets used the pick to draft Mike Evans.
m On June 7, 1978, the Golden State Warriors acquired the 22nd pick from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a 1981 first-round pick.[52] The Warriors used the pick to draft Raymond Townsend.
This year's draft only saw five total players that qualified as underclassmen entering the draft, with none of them opting to withdraw from this draft year. The followingcollege basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[53]
The 1978 NBA draft is considered to be the first official NBA draft to have utilized what's properly considered the "green room" experience for NBA prospects. The NBA's green room is a staging area where anticipated draftees often sit with their families and representatives, waiting for their names to be called on draft night. Often being positioned either in front of or to the side of the podium (in this case, being positioned in the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom[54]), once a player heard his name, he would walk to the podium to shake hands and take promotional photos with the NBA commissioner. From there, the players often conducted interviews with various media outlets while backstage. However, during the late 1970s specifically, these select players were often called to the hotel to take promotional pictures with the NBA commissioner a day or two after the draft concluded. The NBA compiled its list of green room invites through collective voting by the NBA's team presidents and general managers alike, which in this year's case belonged to only what they believed were the top five prospects at the time.[55] As such, the following five players were the first ever invited attendees for the NBA draft's history.[54]
^1: Even though Larry Bird was a junior, he was eligible to be drafted because he was already four years out of high school and therefore he did not need to apply for early entry.[10] ^2: Nelson became known as David Stergakos during his career in Greece.[56]
"1978 NBA Draft".basketball-reference.com.Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2010.
"1977–1981 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research.Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2010.
^"Yao Ready For This?".NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 25, 2002.Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2010.
^"Rookie of the Year".NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived fromthe original on September 13, 2010. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2010.
^Deford, Frank (March 21, 1988)."A Player for the Ages".Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Archived fromthe original on September 30, 2013. RetrievedOctober 1, 2010.
United States
Canada
Butch Lee – PG,Marquette
Mychal Thompson – PF/C,Minnesota
