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.
Westley Sissel Unseld Sr. was an American professional basketball player, coach and executive. He spent his entire National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. Unseld played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected with the second overall pick by the Bullets in the 1968 NBA draft. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Rookie of the Year during his rookie season and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players in NBA history to accomplish the feat. Unseld won an NBA championship with the Bullets in 1978, and the Finals MVP award to go with it. After retiring from playing in 1981, he worked with the Bullets/Wizards as a vice president, head coach, and general manager.
Elvin Ernest Hayes, nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and an inductee in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Known for both his offensive and defensive prowess, Hayes is often regarded as one of the best power forwards in NBA history. Hayes is also known for his longevity, being third all-time in NBA minutes played, and missing only nine games during his 16 season career.
Terry Gilbert Dischinger is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dischinger was a three-time NBA All-Star and the 1963 NBA Rookie of the Year, after averaging 28 points per game in his three seasons at Purdue University.
John Francis Egan was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Baltimore Bullets, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and San Diego / Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association from 1961 to 1972. He coached the Rockets from 1973 to 1976.
James Walker was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, he played nine seasons (1967–1976) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Kansas City-Omaha / Kansas City Kings. Walker was a two-time All-Star who scored 11,655 points in his career. He was also the father of former NBA player Jalen Rose, though he left Rose's mother prior to his birth and took no part in his child's upbringing. Walker died on July 2, 2007, at the age of 63, from complications related to lung cancer.
Rodney King Thorn is an American basketball executive and a former professional player and coach, Olympic Committee Chairman, with a career spanning over 50 years. In 2018, Thorn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Robert J. Houbregs was a Canadian professional basketball player. Houbregs was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Robert Kauffman was an American professional basketball player and coach. Kaufmann was a three time NBA All-Star.
Bailey E. Howell is an American former professional basketball player. After playing college basketball at Mississippi State, Howell played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howell was a six-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA champion and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Donald Jay Ohl is an American former professional basketball player who spent 10 seasons (1960–1970) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nickname was Waxie because of his crew cut.
John M. "Jumpin' Johnny" Green is an American retired professional basketball player.
The 1967 NBA draft was the 21st annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 3 and 4, 1967 before the 1967–68 season. In this draft, 12 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. The Detroit Pistons 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. Five teams that had the best records in previous season were not awarded second round draft picks. Two expansion franchises, the Seattle SuperSonics and the San Diego Rockets, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the sixth and seventh pick in the first round, along with the last two picks of each subsequent round. The draft consisted of 20 rounds comprising 162 players selected.
Kevin Porter is a retired American professional basketball player. He played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and led the league in assists four times in his pro career.
Timothy Daniel McCormick is a retired American professional basketball player from Detroit who played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He currently is a pre- and post-game analyst for the Detroit Pistons.
Archie L. Clark is an American former professional basketball player. At 6'2", he played guard for five National Basketball Association (NBA) teams.
Wayne A. Hightower was an American professional basketball player who had a long and productive career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1962 to 1972. He stood 6 foot 8 inches (2.03 m) and primarily played the forward positions. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Overbrook High School from 1955 to 1958, where he played basketball. His professional career began in 1961 after his departure from the University of Kansas at the end his junior year. Hightower stated he did so to financially support his family, but he would have been ineligible to play basketball his senior year due to his poor academic standing.
Robert L. Quick is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) player.
Dorie S. Murrey is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'8" (2.03 m) 215 lb forward and he played collegiately at the University of Detroit Mercy. He has played in the NBA from 1966 to 1972. He was originally selected with the second pick in the 2nd round of the 1966 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. He was taken in two expansion drafts. In 1967 he was made available by the Pistons to be selected by the Seattle SuperSonics, and in 1970 he was made available by the Sonics to be selected by the Portland Trail Blazers. He was traded 3 games into the 1970–71 season, on October 10, 1970, by the Trail Blazers to the Baltimore Bullets in exchange for a 1971 2nd round draft choice. During his six-year NBA career Murrey averaged 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 357 career games.
Michael Patrick Gbinije is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League. He played one season of college basketball for Duke before transferring to Syracuse in 2012. He was drafted 49th overall by the Pistons in the 2016 NBA draft. He has represented the Nigerian national team.
