The NBA draft is an annual event dating back to 1947 in which the teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA) can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These are typically college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted. College players who have finished their four-year college eligibility are automatically eligible for selection, while the underclassmen have to declare their eligibility and give up their remaining college eligibility. International players who are at least 22 years old are automatically eligible for selection, while the players younger than 22 have to declare their eligibility. Players who are not automatically eligible but have declared their eligibility are often called "early-entrants" or "early-entry candidates".
Ernest DiGregorio, also known as "Ernie D.", is an American former professional basketball player. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1973–74 season and shares the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. Due to a severe knee injury suffered early in DiGregorio's professional career, he played only five NBA seasons.
The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible 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 a coin flip. The Detroit Pistons won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the San 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 the previous season. Three expansion franchises, the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland 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.
Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1975. He won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their Showtime era in the 1980s. In 2000, McAdoo was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Troy Delvon Bell is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other leagues mostly in Europe. He is also a R&B producer. He was an All-American college player at Boston College and finished as one of the greatest players in the program's history.
Walter Berry is an American former professional basketball player. After spending three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he had a very successful career in various leagues around Europe and the EuroLeague. Berry played the power forward position. Out of New York, Berry was originally nicknamed "The Truth."
Orlando Vernada Woolridge was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1994. He was known for his scoring ability, especially on slam dunks. He played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Charlie Will Bell III is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of Flint United of The Basketball League (TBL). Previously he served as an assistant coach for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. and as an assistant coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Michigan State.
Joseph Xavier Forte is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was an All-American player at North Carolina.
Terry Michael Teagle is a retired American professional basketball player, whose National Basketball Association (NBA) career lasted from 1982 to 1993. During his playing career, at a height of 6'5" tall, he played at the shooting guard position.
Sidney Wicks is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of California, he played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Wicks was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1971 NBA draft with the second overall pick. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and was a four-time NBA All-Star with the Trail Blazers. He also played professionally for the Boston Celtics and San Diego Clippers, finishing his career after one season in Italy.
Steven Dwayne Burtt is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'2" point guard played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) sporadically from 1984 until 1993. He also had an established playing career overseas. Born in New York City, Burtt played high school basketball for Charles Evans Hughes before enrolling to Iona to play for the Gaels. Burtt now teaches at Bronx Collegiate Academy
Michael Alan Iuzzolino is an assistant men's basketball coach at Robert Morris University and a retired professional basketball player. He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 1991 NBA draft. Iuzzolino, a 5-foot 10 inch point guard, played two years in the National Basketball Association (NBA), both with the Mavericks. He averaged 9.0 points per game in his career. In 1993, he signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic, but was waived. After his NBA career, Iuzzolino played professionally in Italy and Spain.
Ronald Henry Lee is an American former basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Oregon, and epitomized the "Kamikaze Kids" under coach Dick Harter with his all-out, fearless hustle and relentless desire to win. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Lee played four seasons for the Ducks between 1972 and 1976. The Phoenix Suns made him the tenth selection in the NBA draft in 1976. Despite not playing football in high school and college, the NFL's San Diego Chargers also made him a 12th round selection in the 1976 NFL draft. In the NBA, Lee was named to the 1977 NBA All-Rookie Team and led the NBA in steals the following season. Overall, Lee had a solid, but not spectacular career as a reserve, and became a fan favorite because of his effort on the court.
Michael Wayne Young is an American retired professional basketball player. He had a 15-year playing career spent in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and overseas. He was most recently the director of basketball operations and performance enhancement at the University of Houston, his alma mater.
Raymond Anthony Townsend is a Filipino-American retired professional basketball player. He played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors and the Indiana Pacers. Townsend played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, earning all-conference honors in the Pacific-8. He was selected by the Warriors in the first round of the 1978 NBA draft, with the 22nd overall pick, and became the first Filipino-American to play in the NBA. During his playing career, he was listed at 6'3" tall and 175 lbs. (79 kg). He played at the point guard position.
Antonio Ray Dawson is a retired American professional basketball player. At a height of 6'7" tall, and a weight of 220 lb. (100 kg), he played at the small forward position.
Audie James Norris is an American retired professional basketball player and coach. Norris played for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, from 1982 to 1985. His former teammate Mychal Thompson, who is the father of Klay Thompson, gave him the nickname "The Atomic Dog", because of his brutal in-game dunks.
Basketball began with its invention in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith as a less injury-prone sport than football. Naismith was a 31-year old graduate student when he created the indoor sport to keep athletes indoors during the winters. The game became established fairly quickly and grew very popular as the 20th century progressed, first in America and then in other parts of the world. After basketball became established in American colleges, the professional game followed. The American National Basketball Association (NBA), established in 1946, grew to a multibillion-dollar enterprise by the end of the century, and basketball became an integral part of American culture.
Paolo Napoleon James Banchero is an American-Italian professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Banchero played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Following his freshman season, Banchero declared for the 2022 NBA draft, where he was selected with the first overall pick by the Orlando Magic. In 2022, he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year.
