The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by acoin flip.[3] TheLos Angeles Lakers, who obtained theNew Orleans Jazz' first-round pick in a trade, won the coin flip and were awarded thefirst overall pick, while theChicago Bulls 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. 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.Larry Bird would have been eligible to join this draft class because his "junior eligible" draft status from being taken by Boston in1978 would expire the minute the 1979 draft began, but Bird and the Celtics agreed on a five-year contract on June 8 to avoid that.[4] Before the draft, five collegeunderclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule.[5] 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.[6] Prior to the draft, the Jazz relocated fromNew Orleans toSalt Lake City and became theUtah Jazz.[7]
Magic Johnson fromNCAA championMichigan State University, one of the "hardship" players, was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.[2] Johnson, who had just finished hissophomore season in college, became the first underclassman to be drafted first overall.[8] He went on to win theNBA championship with the Lakers in his rookie season. He also won theFinals Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the first rookie ever to win the award. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Lakers and won five NBA championships. He also won threeMost Valuable Player Awards, three Finals Most Valuable Player Awards, ten consecutiveAll-NBA Team selections and twelveAll-Star Game selections.[9] For his achievements, he has been inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame.[10] He was also named to the list of the50 Greatest Players in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[11] After retiring as a player, Johnson went on to have a brief coaching career as an interim head coach of the Lakers in1994.[12]
Sidney Moncrief, the fifth pick, won twoDefensive Player of the Year Awards and was selected to five consecutive All-NBA Teams, five consecutiveAll-Defensive Teams and five consecutive All-Star Games. In "The Book of Basketball",Bill Simmons noted that then-Lakers head coachJerry West had actually wanted to trade down from the #1 pick and use it to get Moncrief along with more players and picks, but Jerry Buss vetoed West's plans because Buss wanted Magic to be the new face of the team he was just finishing his full purchase of.[13]Jim Paxson, the twelfth pick, was selected to one All-NBA Team and two All-Star Games.[14]Bill Cartwright, the third pick, wonthree consecutive NBA championships with theChicago Bulls from1991 through1993. He also had one All-Star Game selection, which occurred in his rookie season.[15] He then became the Bulls' head coach for three seasons.[16]Bill Laimbeer, the 65th pick, won two NBA championships with theDetroit Pistons in1989 and1990 and was selected to four All-Star Games.[17] After retiring, he coached theDetroit Shock of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for eight seasons, leading them to threeWNBA championships in2003,2006 and2008.[18]Mark Eaton, who had only completed one year of college basketball, was selected by thePhoenix Suns with the 107th pick.[19] He opted to return to college basketball and later joined the NBA in1982, after he was drafted again by the Utah Jazz in the1982 draft. During his eleven-year career with the Jazz, he won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards and was selected to five consecutive All-Defensive Team and one All-Star Game.[20] Two other players from this draft, eighth pickCalvin Natt and 73rd pickJames Donaldson, were also selected to one All-Star Game each.[21][22]
In the fourth round, theBoston Celtics selectedNick Galis fromSeton Hall University with the 68th pick. However, he suffered a serious injury in the training camp and was waived by the Celtics before the season started. Galis, who was born in the United States to Greek parents, opted to play in Greece. He never played in the NBA and spent all of his professional career in Greece, where he helped the country emerge as an international basketball power. He won aEurobasket title, 8Greek championships, 7Greek cups as well as numerous personal honors and awards. He has been inducted into both theFIBA Hall of Fame and theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[23][24]
a On August 5, 1976, theLos Angeles Lakers acquired 1977, 1978 and 1979 first-round picks, and a 1980 second-round pick from theNew Orleans 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.[28] The Lakers used the pick to draft Magic Johnson.
c 12 On the draft-day, theDetroit Pistons acquired the fifth pick from theMilwaukee Bucks in exchange for the sixth pick and cash considerations.[32] Previously, the Bucks acquired the pick from theCleveland Cavaliers on June 1, 1978, in exchange for a 1978 first-round pick.[33] The Pistons used the pick to draft Greg Kelser. The Bucks used the pick to draft Sidney Moncrief
d On October 24, 1975, the Seattle SuperSonics acquiredGene Short and a first-round pick from the New York Knicks in exchange forSpencer Haywood.[34] The Sonics used the pick to draft James Bailey.
e On October 4, 1978, the Seattle SuperSonics acquiredLonnie Shelton and a 1979 first-round pick from the New York Knicks in exchange for a 1981 first-round pick. This trade was arranged as compensation when the Knicks signedMarvin Webster on September 29, 1978.[35] Previously, the Knicks acquired the 1978 and 1979 first-round picks on June 8, 1978, from theNew Jersey Nets in exchange forPhil Jackson, a 1978 first-round pick and US$3.2-million settlement of their indemnification debt to the Knicks.[36][37] The Sonics used the pick to draft Vinnie Johnson.
f On May 31, 1979, the New Jersey Nets acquiredJohn Gianelli and the eighth pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange forHarvey Catchings.[38] Previously, the Bucks acquired the pick on June 8, 1978, from theIndiana Pacers as compensation for the signing ofAlex English as a free agent.[39] The Nets used the pick to draft Calvin Natt.
g On November 23, 1977, the Detroit Pistons acquiredGus Gerard,John Shumate and 1979 first-round pick from theSan Diego Clippers in exchange forMarvin Barnes, a 1978 second-round pick and a 1978 fourth-round pick.[40] Previously, the Clippers acquired the pick on September 2, 1977, from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for John Gianelli.[38] The Pistons used the pick to draft Roy Hamilton.
h On September 1, 1977, the New Jersey Nets acquiredGeorge E. Johnson, 1978 and 1979 first-round picks from the San Diego Clippers in exchange forNate Archibald.[41] The Nets used the pick to draft Cliff Robinson.
i On June 9, 1978, the Indiana Pacers acquired a first-round pick from theAtlanta Hawks as compensation for the signing ofDan Roundfield as a free agent.[42] The Pacers used the pick to draft Dudley Bradley.
j On February 1, 1978, the Detroit Pistons acquiredJim Price and a first-round pick from theDenver Nuggets in exchange forRalph Simpson.[43] The Pistons used the pick to draft Phil Hubbard.
k On January 12, 1979, the Utah Jazz acquiredMarty Byrnes,Ron Lee, 1979 and 1980 first-round picks from thePhoenix Suns in exchange forTruck Robinson.[44] The Jazz used the pick to draft Larry Knight.
l On June 22, 1979, the Phoenix Suns acquired the 22nd pick and a 1980 third-round pick from theWashington Bullets in exchange forSteve Malovic.[45] The Suns used the pick to draft Kyle Macy.
m On October 11, 1978, the Phoenix Suns acquired a second-round pick from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Dennis Awtrey.[31] The Suns used the pick to draft Johnny High.
For the second year in a row, no underclassmen decided to opt out of the NBA draft, with only four total players deciding to declare entry into this year's draft. The followingcollege basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[46]
^Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according toFIBA rules.
^Pinder possessed Australian citizenship from 1986 until it was revoked in 2007.
^Even though Mark Eaton was a freshman, 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.[19]
^The Washington Bullets selected Conrad Whisenton who was a graduate student at theUniversity of Alabama and had last played basketball atFisk University in 1978. Whisenton had graduated from high school in 1974 which would have made him automatically eligible four years later for the1978 NBA draft where he was not selected. The NBA originally upheld the Bullets' selection of Whisenton but it was deemed ineligible several weeks later.[26]
^The San Antonio Spurs attempted to selectEd "Too Tall" Jones who was a professional boxer and former football player at the time of drafting. The NBA disallowed the pick because Jones had been out of college for more than five years.[27]
"1979 NBA Draft".basketball-reference.com.Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. RetrievedOctober 1, 2010.
"1977–1981 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research.Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. RetrievedOctober 1, 2010.
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