The 1968 NBA draft was the 22nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 3, 1968, and May 8 and 10, 1968 before the 1968–69 season.[1] In this draft, 14 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball 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 a coin flip.[2] The San Diego Rockets won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Baltimore Bullets 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 the previous season. Six teams that had the best records in previous season were not awarded second round draft picks. Two expansion franchises, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the seventh and eighth pick in the first round, along with the last two picks of each subsequent round. The St. Louis Hawks relocated to Atlanta and became the Atlanta Hawks prior to the start of the season.[3] The draft consisted of 21 rounds comprising 214 players selected.
| 1968 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | April 3, 1968 (first round) May 8 and 10, 1968 (Other rounds) |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Overview | |
| 214 total selections in 21 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Elvin Hayes, San Diego Rockets |
Draft selections and draftee career notes
editElvin Hayes from the University of Houston was selected first overall by the San Diego Rockets. Wes Unseld from the University of Louisville was selected second by the Baltimore Bullets. He went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the Most Valuable Player Award in his first season,[4][5] becoming only the second player to win both awards in the same season, after Wilt Chamberlain in 1960. Hayes and Unseld have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[6] They were also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[7] Hayes and Unseld both won the NBA championship with the Washington Bullets in 1978. In the Finals, Unseld was named as the Finals Most Valuable Player. Unseld, who spent all of his 13-year playing career with the Bullets, was also selected to one All-NBA Team and five All-Star Games, while Hayes was selected to six All-NBA Teams and twelve All-Star Games.[8][9] Bob Kauffman, the third pick, is the only other player from this draft who has been selected to an All-Star Game; he was selected to three All-Star Games during his career.[10]
Unseld became a head coach after ending his playing career. He coached the Washington Bullets for seven seasons.[11] Three other players drafted also went on to have a coaching career: 12th pick Don Chaney and 79th pick Rick Adelman. Chaney coached four NBA teams and won the Coach of the Year Award in 1991 with the Houston Rockets.[12][13] Adelman coached four NBA teams, most recently with the Houston Rockets. He lost the NBA Finals twice with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1990 and 1992.[14]
In the fourteenth round, the Seattle SuperSonics selected Mike Warren of UCLA. However, Warren never played professional basketball; he opted for an acting career in films and television instead.[15]
Key
edit| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
Draft
edit
Other picks
editThe following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[16][17]
Trades
edit- a On October 20, 1967, the Chicago Bulls acquired Flynn Robinson, 1968 and 1969 second-round picks from the Cincinnati Royals in exchange for Guy Rodgers.[18][19] The Bulls used the pick to draft Ron Dunlap.
- b On November 27, 1967, the Cincinnati Royals acquired a third-round pick from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Len Chappell.[20][21] The Royals used the pick to draft Fred Foster.
- c On January 9, 1968, the Chicago Bulls acquired Jim Barnes and a third-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Erwin Mueller.[19][22] The Bulls used the pick to draft Dave Newmark.
Notes
edit^ 1: Don Smith changed his name to Zaid Abdul-Aziz in 1976.[23]
See also
editReferences
edit- General
- "Complete First Round Results 1960–69". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- "1968 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- "1967–1971 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- "1968 NBA Draft". The Draft Review. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ "Atlanta Gets Cage Hawks". Ocala Star-Banner. May 5, 1968. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Evolution of the Draft and Lottery". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Hawks: Franchise History". NBA.com/Hawks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 19, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ^ "Most Valuable Player". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Wes Unseld Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- ^ "Elvin Hayes Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- ^ "Bob Kauffman Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ^ "Wes Unseld Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
- ^ "Don Chaney Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
- ^ "Coach of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ^ "Rick Adelman Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
- ^ Michael Warren (actor)
- ^ "1968 NBA draft".
- ^ "NBA Past Drafts - RealGM".
- ^ "Guy Rodgers Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ a b "Chicago Bulls All-Time Transactions". NBA.com/Bulls. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Len Chappell Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Pistons: All-Time Transactions". NBA.com/Pistons. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Jim Barnes Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ Abdul-Aziz, Zaid (2006). Darkness to Sunlight. Sunlight Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-0-9778861-0-4. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.