The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 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. The Dallas Mavericks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Detroit Pistons 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. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 223 players.
The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto Raptors, they were not allowed to select first in this draft. The team with the second-highest probability, the Philadelphia 76ers, won the lottery and obtained the first selection. The Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies were second and third, respectively. The Raptors won the first overall pick in 1996, but they had to give that up due to the expansion agreement with the league.
Alfred "Butch" Beard Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He was the starting point guard with the 1975 NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
The 1977–78 NBA season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Washington Bullets winning the NBA Championship, beating the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
The 1998 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1997–98 season. The tournament concluded with the two-time defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Bulls achieved a second three peat, a goal unrivaled since the Boston Celtics in 1966. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the sixth and final time.
The 1994 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP.
Timothy Daniel McCormick is an American former 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.
Lonnie Jewel Shelton was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player who played from 1976 to 1985.
Lowes Lee Moore is a former American National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Moore was a 2-time Continental Basketball Association (CBA) champion for the Albany Patroons under coaches Phil Jackson and George Karl. Most known for his 40-point performance against Notre Dame.
Thomas Ray Williams was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1977 to 1987. Born in Mount Vernon, New York, he was the younger brother of Gus Williams, who also played in the NBA.
Reading Senior High School, colloquially known as The Castle on The Hill, is a 9–12 public high school in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1927 and is part of the Reading School District. With an enrollment of 5,213 as of the 2022-23 school year, it is the largest traditional high school in Pennsylvania and one of the largest high schools in the nation.
Carlton Lamont "Scooter" McCray is an American former professional basketball player. He had a career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1983 to 1987. He was selected large-school player of the year in 1978 by the New York State Sportswriters Association after his senior season at Mount Vernon High School. His younger brother Rodney, with whom he played alongside for the Cardinals at the University of Louisville, also played in the NBA.
Earl Rashad Clark is an American professional basketball player for the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He played college basketball for the University of Louisville and was drafted 14th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2009 NBA draft.
Iman Asante Shumpert is an American former professional basketball player and actor. He played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Shumpert was selected by the New York Knicks with the 17th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015 and won an NBA championship with them in 2016. Shumpert also had stints with the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets.
Rashad DeAndre Vaughn is an American professional basketball player for Lavrio of the Greek Basketball League (GBL). He played college basketball for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
Damyean Da'Kethe Dotson is an American professional basketball player for Petkim Spor of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) and the Champions League. Dotson previously has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Oregon and Houston before being selected with the 44th pick of the 2017 NBA draft by the Knicks.
Mamadi Diakite is a Guinean professional basketball player for the Valley Suns of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers, with whom he won an NCAA national championship in 2019. He also won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
