1975 NBA draft

Basketball player selection

The 1975 NBA draft was the 29th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 29, 1975, before the 1975–76 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible 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 a coin flip.^[1] The Atlanta Hawks, who obtained the New Orleans Jazz first-round pick in a trade, won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Los Angeles Lakers were awarded the second pick. Prior to the draft, the Kansas City-Omaha Kings were renamed the Kansas City Kings.^[2] Before the draft, 18 college underclassmen and 2 high school players were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule.^[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 until 2020, but the off-season was earlier at the time. The league also hosted a supplementary draft for American 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.

Draft selections and draftee career notes

David Thompson from North Carolina State University was selected first overall by the Atlanta Hawks. He was also drafted first overall in the 1975 ABA Draft by the Virginia Squires, before the Squires traded his draft rights to the Denver Nuggets. He opted to join the ABA with the Nuggets before moving to the NBA in 1976 after both 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 two All-NBA Team selections and four NBA All-Star Game selections.^[6] For his achievements, he has been inducted to the Basketball 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 the Seattle SuperSonics after two seasons with the Golden State Warriors. He then won the NBA championship with the Sonics in 1979. 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 the Indiana 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 the University of Oklahoma, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected 4th by the Phoenix Suns.^[13] Adams and 6th pick Lionel 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 the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies in 1999 and 2004 before becoming a permanent head coach in 2009.^[16]

Darryl Dawkins, the 5th pick, and Bill 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, after Moses Malone in the 1974 ABA Draft.^[18] They also became the second and third high school players ever drafted in the NBA, after Reggie Harding in the 1962 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 in 1963.^[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 a Soviet basketball player Alexander Belov with the 161st pick. Belov, who was playing with Spartak Leningrad before the draft, stayed with the club until the end of his career. He had a successful career, winning two European Cup Winners' Cup and one Soviet Union championship, as well as four gold medals with the Soviet Union national team. For his achievements, he has been inducted by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to the FIBA Hall of Fame.^[23]

Key

Draft

Darryl Dawkins was selected fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Lionel Hollins was selected 6th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Joe Bryant was selected 14th overall by the Golden State Warriors.

Gus Williams was selected 20th overall by the Golden State Warriors.

Lloyd (later World B. Free) was selected 23rd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 1975 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.

Trades

• a 1 2 On May 20, 1974, the Atlanta Hawks acquired Bob Kauffman, Dean Meminger, 1974 and 1975 first-round picks, 1975 and 1976 second-round picks, and a 1980 third-round pick from the New Orleans Jazz in exchange for Pete Maravich.^[26] The Hawks used the picks to draft David Thompson and Bill Willoughby.
• b 1 2 On October 8, 1974, the New Orleans Jazz acquired Russ Lee and a first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Steve Kuberski and a second-round pick.^[27] Previously, the Jazz acquired Neal Walk and the pick on September 16, 1974, from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Dennis Awtrey, Nate Hawthorne, Curtis Perry and a 1976 first-round pick.^[28] The Jazz used the pick to draft Rich Kelley. The Bucks used the pick to draft Clyde Mayes.
• c On May 17, 1974, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired a first-round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Jim Chones.^[29] The Lakers used the pick to draft Junior Bridgeman.
• d On May 28, 1975, the Kansas City Kings acquired the tenth pick from the New Orleans Jazz in exchange for Ron Behagen and a 1976 second-round pick.^[30] Previously the Jazz acquired Henry Bibby and a first-round pick on February 1, 1975, from the New York Knicks in exchange for Jim Barnett and Neal Walk.^[28] Previously the Knicks acquired the pick on December 26, 1974, from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Howard Porter.^[31] The Kings used the pick to draft Bill Robinzine.
• e On September 3, 1974, the Golden State Warriors acquired Clifford Ray and a first-round pick from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Nate Thurmond.^[32] The Warriors used the pick to draft Joe Bryant.
• f 1 2 On the draft-day, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Butch Beard, a first-round pick and a second-round pick from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Dwight Davis.^[33] The Cavaliers used the picks to draft John Lambert and Mel Utley.
• g On the draft-day, the Phoenix Suns acquired a first-round pick from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for a 1976 first-round pick.^[34] The Suns used the pick to draft Ricky Sobers.
• h On September 24, 1974, the Golden State Warriors acquired a second-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Zelmo Beaty.^[35] The Warriors used the pick to draft Gus Williams.
• i On January 7, 1974, the Chicago Bulls acquired a second-round pick from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for John Hummer.^[36] The Bulls used the pick to draft Steve Green.
• j On May 28, 1974, the New York Knicks acquired Howard Porter and a second-round pick from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for a 1974 first-round pick.^[31] Previously the Bulls acquired John Hummer, the pick and a 1974 second-round pick on September 10, 1973, from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for Gar Heard and Kevin Kunnert.^[36] The Knicks used the pick to draft Larry Fogle.
• k On September 6, 1974, the Phoenix Suns acquired Dave Stallworth and a second-round pick from the Washington Bullets in exchange for Clem Haskins.^[37] The Suns used the pick to draft Allen Murphy.
• l On May 23, 1975, the Phoenix Suns acquired Paul Westphal, 1975 and 1976 second-round picks from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Charlie Scott.^[38] The Suns used the pick to draft Jimmy Dan Conner.
• m On December 6, 1974, the New Orleans Jazz acquired a third-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Stu Lantz.^[39] The Jazz used the pick to draft Jim McElroy.
• n On August 20, 1974, the Washington Bullets acquired Dick Gibbs and a third-round pick from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Archie Clark.^[40] The Bullets used the pick to draft Tom Kropp.
• o On September 18, 1974, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired a third-round pick from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Mickey Johnson.^[41] The Blazers used the pick to draft Gus Gerard.
• p On October 9, 1973, the Phoenix Suns acquired 1974 and 1975 third-round picks from the Washington Bullets (as the Capital Bullets) in exchange for Walt Wesley.^[42] The Suns used the pick to draft Bayard Forrest.

Early entrants

College underclassmen

The following college basketball players successfully applied for an NBA hardship.^[43]

• 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)

High school players

The following high school basketball players successfully applied for an NBA hardship.^[43]

• Darryl Dawkins – C, Maynard Evans HS (Orlando, Florida)
• Bill Willoughby – F, Dwight Morrow HS (Englewood, New Jersey)

Supplementary draft

Moses Malone was selected by the New Orleans Jazz with the first pick.

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 the previous season. The team that made a selection must withdraw their equivalent selection in the 1976 draft.^[44] 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 ABA who accuse the NBA trying to reduce confidence in the stability of their league. Despite the initial postponement of the draft, the draft was finally held on December 30, 1975.^[45]

The New Orleans Jazz used the first pick to select Moses Malone, a former high school player who went directly to professional basketball after he was drafted in the 1974 ABA Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers used the second pick to select Mark 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 the 1977 draft.^[46] The other players selected were Mel Bennett, Skip Wise and Charles 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.^[47] They remained with their team until the end of the season. After the Virginia Squires folding before the ABA–NBA merger in June 1976, Bennett joined the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia 76ers.^[48] Under the merger agreement, the Jazz and the Lakers had to yield their rights to Malone and Olberding and they regained their 1977 first-round picks.^[49] Malone was later drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the ABA Dispersal Draft, while Olberding remained with the Spurs who joined the NBA.^[50][51] Two other draftees, Wise and Jordan never played in the NBA.^[52][53]

Notes

^ 1: Lloyd Free changed his first name into World, his nickname, in 1981 and is commonly known as World B. Free.^[54]

See also

• List of first overall NBA draft picks
• NBA records

References

General

• "Complete First Round Results 1970–79". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
• "1975 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
• "1972–1976 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved July 16, 2010.

Specific

1. "Evolution of the Draft and Lottery". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
2. "Kings Drop Omaha From Name". The Milwaukee Journal. Newspaper, Inc. March 18, 1975. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
3. "Burden, Dantley top list". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. Lawrence, Kansas: The World Company. May 9, 1975. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
4. "Spencer Haywood Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
5. "David Thompson Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
6. "David Thompson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
7. "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
8. "Marvin Webster Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
9. "Thompson Is Highest Paid Rookie Star". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. July 12, 1975. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
10. "Gus Williams Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
11. "World B. Free Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
12. "Dan Roundfield Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
13. "Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
14. "Alvan Adams Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
15. "Lionel Hollins Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
16. "Lionel Hollins Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
17. Broussard, Chris (November 16, 2003). "Why Pros Spent 20 Years Shunning High Schoolers". The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
18. Deford, Frank (February 19, 1979). "Bounding Into Prominence". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
19. "Pistons Can't Use 7-Foot Prep". Lawrence Journal-World. Lawrence, Kansas: The World Company. July 3, 1962. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
20. Hilton, Dan (July 14, 2008). "Doesn't the Extra Year Help Teams?". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
21. "Darryl Dawkins Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
22. "Bill Willoughby Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
23. "Aleksander Belov Bio". FIBA. February 24, 2007. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
24. "Bruce Seals Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
25. "Gus Gerard Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
26. "Pete Maravich Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
27. "Steve Kuberski Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
28. "Neal Walk Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
29. "Jim Chones Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
30. "Ron Behagen Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
31. "Howard Porter Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
32. "Nate Thurmond Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
33. "Butch Beard Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
34. "Adrian Dantley Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
35. "Zelmo Beaty Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
36. "John Hummer Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
37. "Clem Haskins Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
38. "Charlie Scott Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
39. "Stu Lantz Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
40. "Archie Clark Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
41. "Mickey Johnson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
42. "Walt Wesley Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
43. "1975 Underclassmen Hardship List". The Draft Review. August 4, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
44. "DeBusschere blasts ABA rival". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Public Welfare Foundation. December 7, 1975. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
45. "New Orleans must wait for Moses". Beaver County Times. Beaver, Pennsylvania. December 9, 1975. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
46. "Malone Drafted By Jazz". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. December 31, 1975. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
47. "Jazz Claims Moses Malone In Supplementary Draft". Florence Times Tri-Cities Daily. Florence, Alabama. December 31, 1975. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
48. "Mel Bennett Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
49. "...ABA Gets Wish". The News and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina: Evening Post Publishing Company. June 18, 1976. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
50. "Moses Malone Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
51. "Mark Olberding Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
52. "Skip Wise Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
53. "Charles Jordan Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
54. Gutierrez, Paul (March 8, 1999). "World B. Free, NBA Gunner". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.

External links

• NBA.com
• NBA.com: NBA Draft History