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| 1987 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 22, 1987 |
| Location | Felt Forum,Madison Square Garden (New York City,New York)[1] |
| Network(s) | TBS Superstation |
| Overview | |
| 161 total selections in7 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs) |
The1987NBA draft was held on June 22, 1987, in New York City.
This draft included two future members of theNBA 50 Greatest Players list,David Robinson andScottie Pippen, as well as fellow Hall of FamerReggie Miller, who was named to theNBA 75th Anniversary Team. Other notable selections includeKevin Johnson,Kenny Smith,Horace Grant,Reggie Lewis,Muggsy Bogues,Mark Jackson, andŠarūnas Marčiulionis. Also in this draft, formerFlorida Gators men's basketball head coachBilly Donovan (drafted 68th by theUtah Jazz), who led that program to NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships in2006 and in2007.
David Robinson did not join the NBA until the1989–90 season due to his service commitment with theUnited States Navy. This was the last NBA draft to go over three rounds, as it was reduced to three next year and later to two since 1989.
| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | 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 |
| x | Denotesplayer who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
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These players were not selected in the draft but still appeared in at least one regular or postseason NBA game.
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Allen | F |  United States | Florida State(Sr.) |
| Sergei Bazarevich | SG |  Soviet Union | CSKA Moscow(Soviet Union) |
| Scott Brooks | PG | United States | UC Irvine(Sr.) |
| Mike Champion | PF | United States | Gonzaga(Sr.) |
| Tom Copa | C | United States | Marquette(Sr.) |
| Radisav Ćurčić | C |  Yugoslavia | Union Olimpija(Yugoslavia) |
| Andrew Gaze | F |  Australia | Melbourne Tigers(Australia) |
| Cedric Hunter | PG | United States | Kansas(Sr.) |
| Mark Wade | PG | United States | UNLV(Sr.) |
| David Wood | F | United States | Nevada(Sr.) |
| A. J. Wynder | PG | United States | Fairfield(Sr.) |
For the fifth year in a row and the ninth time in ten years, no college underclassman would withdraw their entry into the NBA draft. However, it would be the second year in a row that a player that qualified for the status of a "college underclassman" would be playing professional basketball overseas, as theHaitian bornOlden Polynice (who had previously played for theUniversity of Virginia for a year before travelling toItaly to play for theHamby Rimini) would qualify as an official entry there. Not only that, but it would also be the first time in NBA history (second time if you include the1973 entry of David Brent from theCarolina Cougars in the rivalingABA after previously playing forJacksonville University) that an underclassman would declare entry by playing in another American basketball league (in this case, Ricky Brown previously going from theUniversity of South Alabama to thePensacola Tornados of theContinental Basketball Association minor league) first before entering an NBA draft. If those two players get included into the list properly, the number of "college underclassmen" that would qualify for this year's draft would increase from seven to nine total players. Regardless, these followingcollege basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[2]
Vincent Askew – F,Memphis (junior)Norris Coleman – F,Kansas State (sophomore) Kenny Drummond – G,High Point (junior)Derrick McKey – F,Alabama (junior) Russell Pierre – F,Virginia Tech (junior) Reinhard Schmuck – F,Baruch (junior) Kevin Smith – F,Minnesota (junior)This would be the second year in a row that a player that previously played in college would enter the NBA draft as an underclassman (coincidentally also playing for an Italian basketball team while doing so). Not only that, but this would also be the second year in NBA history (third if you include David Brent's1973 NBA draft entry while he played for theCarolina Cougars in the rivalingAmerican Basketball Association) that an underclassman would enter the NBA draft by playing in another American basketball league (in this case, theContinental Basketball Association minor league) first; the first case happened in1971 withJoe Hammond from theAllentown Jets in what was formerly called theEastern Basketball Association. It was also the first year where a foreign-born player would qualify as an underclassman while also playing for an international team.
| Player | Team | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ricky Brown | Pensacola Tornados (CBA) | LeftSouth Alabama in 1986; playing professionally since the 1986–87 season | [3] |
 Olden Polynice | Hamby Ramini (Italy) | LeftVirginia in 1986; playing professionally since the 1986–87 season | [4] |
