| 1970 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | March 23, 1970 |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Overview | |
| 239 total selections in19 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Bob Lanier,Detroit Pistons |
| Hall of Famers | |
The1970 NBA draft was the 24th annualdraft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the1970–71 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 division, with the order determined by acoin flip.[1] TheDetroit Pistons won the coin flip and were awarded thefirst overall pick, while theSan Diego Rockets 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. Three expansion franchises, theBuffalo Braves, theCleveland Cavaliers and thePortland Trail Blazers, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the seventh, the eighth and the ninth pick in each round. In the first round, the Cavaliers had the seventh pick, while the Blazers and the Braves had the eighth and the ninth pick respectively. In the subsequent rounds, the Cavaliers and the Braves exchanged their order of selection, while the Blazers had the eighth pick throughout the draft. The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising the selection of 239 players; it holds the record for the most prospects selected in any NBA draft.
Bob Lanier fromSt. Bonaventure University was selected first overall by the Detroit Pistons.Rudy Tomjanovich from theUniversity of Michigan andPete Maravich fromLouisiana State University were selected second and third respectively. Fourth pickDave Cowens fromFlorida State University and eighth pickGeoff Petrie fromPrinceton University went on to be named as joint winners of theRookie of the Year Award in their first season.[2] Six players from this draft, Lanier, Maravich, Cowens, 18th pickCalvin Murphy, 19th pickNate Archibald and 122nd pickDan Issel, have been inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame.[3] Maravich, Cowens and Archibald were also named to the list of the50 Greatest Players in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[4] Maravich had fourAll-NBA Team selections and fiveAll-Star Game selections.[5] Cowens won twoNBA championships with theBoston Celtics in1974 and1976, oneMost Valuable Player Award in1973, and had three All-NBA Team selections and seven All-Star Game selections.[6] Archibald won one NBA championship with the Celtics in1981 and had five All-NBA Team selections and six All-Star Game selections.[7] Lanier and Murphy were selected to eight and one All-Star Games respectively.[8][9] Dan Issel initially opted to play in theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) with theKentucky Colonels. He played six seasons in the ABA before finally joining the NBA with theDenver Nuggets whenboth leagues merged. He was selected to five All-ABA Teams, six ABA All-Star Games and one NBA All-Star Game.[10][11]
Randy Smith, who was selected by theDetroit Pistons with the 205th pick, did not enter the league until the1971–72 season, after he was drafted again in the1971 NBA draft by the Buffalo Braves with the 104th pick. He was selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Star Game.[12] Tomjanovich was selected to five All-Star Games during his career.[13]Charlie Scott, the 106th pick, initially opted to play in the ABA with theVirginia Squires before joining the NBA in1972. He was selected to two All-ABA Teams, two ABA All-Star Games and three NBA All-Star Games.[14] Three other players from this draft, fifth pickSam Lacey, seventh pickJohn Johnson and eighth pick Geoff Petrie, was also selected to at least one All-Star Game.[15][16][17] The Rockets' first and second round picks, Tomjanovich and Murphy spent all of their playing career with the Rockets. Tomjanovich played 11 seasons while Murphy played 13 seasons with the Rockets.[9][13]
Lanier, Tomjanovich, Cowens and Issel all became head coaches after ending their playing career. Lanier was the interim head coach of theGolden State Warriors in the1995.[18] Tomjanovich coached two NBA teams, theHouston Rockets and theLos Angeles Lakers. He coached the Rockets for 12 seasons, leading them to the NBA championship twice in1994 and1995.[19] He also coached theUnited States national basketball team to agold medal at the2000 Olympic Games. Cowens started his coaching career as aplayer-coach with the Celtics during the1978–79 season, before returning to a full-time player in the next season. He later coached two more NBA teams, most recently with theGolden State Warriors.[20] Issel coached the Denver Nuggets for six seasons in two separate three-year stints.[21] Two other players drafted also went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 40th pickGar Heard and 125th pickGeorge Irvine.[22][23]
The 1970 draft class is considered to be one of the best in NBA history as it produced eight Hall of Famers and twelve All-Stars from those draftees who played in the NBA.[24] The first four picks were inducted to the Hall of Fame and seven of the first eight picks became All-Stars. The 1970 Draft is also known as the first draft where international players who had never played U.S. high school and college basketball were selected. In the 10th and 11th round, theAtlanta Hawks drafted MexicanManuel Raga and ItalianDino Meneghin; both were playing in theItalian league at the time.[25] They became the first two international players drafted to the NBA.[26] However, neither of them ever played in the league as the Hawks did not have US$35,000 to buy out either of their contracts with their teams.[27] Meneghin, who played 28 seasons in Italy, has been inducted by theInternational Basketball Federation (FIBA) to theFIBA Hall of Fame and also to theBasketball Hall of Fame.[28][29][30] Raga has also been inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.
| 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 |
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These players were not selected in the 1970 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Criss | G |  United States | New Mexico State(Sr.) |
| Jeff Webb | G | United States | Kansas State(Sr.) |
