The 1977 NBA draft was the 31st annual
draft of the
National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1977, before the
1977–78 season. In this draft, 22 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
Milwaukee Bucks won the coin flip and were awarded the
first overall pick, while the
Kansas City Kings, who obtained the
New York Nets first-round pick in a trade, 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 eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Before the draft, six college
underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule.[2] 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.[3] Four former
American Basketball Association (ABA) franchises who joined the NBA when
both leagues merged, the
Denver Nuggets, the
Indiana Pacers, the
New York Nets and the
San Antonio Spurs, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time. Prior to the start of the season, the Nets relocated to
New Jersey and became the
New Jersey Nets.[4] The draft consisted of 8 rounds comprising the selection of 170 players.
Draft selections and draftee career notes
Kent Benson from
Indiana University was selected first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Walter Davis from the
University of North Carolina, who went on to win the
Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected fifth by the
Phoenix Suns.[5] Davis was also selected to both the
All-NBA Team and the
All-Star Game in his first season. He collected a total of six All-NBA Team selections and two All-Star Game selections.[6] Three other players from this draft, second pick
Otis Birdsong, third pick
Marques Johnson and seventh pick
Bernard King, were also selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Star Game. Birdsong was selected to four All-NBA Teams and one All-Star Game;[7] Johnson was selected to five All-NBA Teams and three All-Star Games;[8] and King was selected to four All-NBA Teams and four All-Star Games.[9]Jack Sikma, the eighth pick, won the
NBA championship with the
Seattle SuperSonics in
1979 and was selected to seven consecutive All-Star Games.[10]Rickey Green, the 16th pick,
Norm Nixon, the 22nd pick, and
Eddie Johnson, the 49th pick, are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game.[11][12][13] Two players drafted went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 33rd pick
Eddie Jordan and 53rd pick
John Kuester.[14] Jordan has coached three teams in nine seasons, including five seasons with the
Washington Wizards.[15]
In the seventh round, the
New Orleans Jazz selected
Lusia Harris, a female college basketball star from
Delta State University, with the 137th pick. She became the second woman ever drafted by an NBA team, after Denise Long, who was selected by the
San Francisco Warriors in the
1969 draft.[16] However, the league voided the Warriors' selection, thus Harris became the first and only woman to ever be officially drafted.[17] Harris did not express an interest to play in the NBA and declined to try out for the Jazz.[18] It was later revealed that she was pregnant at the time, which made her unable to attend the Jazz's training camp, even if she had wanted to.[19] She never played in the NBA but she later played briefly in the
Women's Professional Basketball League. In 1992, she was inducted to the
Basketball Hall of Fame and became the first woman ever inducted to the Hall of Fame. She was also part of the inaugural class of inductees of the
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.[20]
Also in the seventh round, the
Kansas City Kings selected
track and field athlete
Caitlyn Jenner (then known as Bruce)[3] with the 139th pick (needling the cross-town
Kansas City Chiefs, who would often claim to select the "best athlete available" in the
NFL Draft). Jenner had just won the
gold medal for
decathlon at the
1976 Olympic Games,[16] but had not actually played basketball since high school. Jenner was presented with a Kings jersey bearing the number 8618 (her Olympics decathlon score), but she never appeared in a game.[21] (The closest Jenner would come to a basketball career was a few years later in the film Can't Stop The Music, in a sequence where she shot hoops with her co-stars
The Village People.)
b 123 On the draft-day, the
Chicago Bulls re-acquired their first-round pick from the
Buffalo Braves, while the Braves re-acquired their second-round pick from the Bulls.[23] Previously, the Braves acquired
Swen Nater and the Bulls' pick on June 7, 1977, from the
Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for the Braves' first-round pick.[24] Previously, the Bucks acquired the Bulls' pick on November 2, 1976, from the Braves in exchange for
Jim Price.[25] Previously, the Braves acquired the Bulls' pick on November 27, 1975, from the Bulls in exchange for
Jack Marin.[26] Previously, the Bulls acquired
Matt Guokas, the Braves' pick and a second-round pick on September 4, 1974, from the Braves in exchange for
Bob Weiss.[27] The Bucks used the Braves' first-round pick to draft Marques Johnson.
d 12 On August 5, 1976, the
Los Angeles Lakers acquired 1977, 1978 and 1979 first-round picks, and a 1980 second-round pick from the
New Orleans Jazz in exchange for a 1978 first-round pick and a 1977 second-round pick. This trade was arranged as compensation when the Jazz signed
Gail Goodrich on July 19, 1976.[30] The Lakers used the pick to draft Kenny Carr. The Jazz used the pick to draft Essie Hollis.
f 12 On May 25, 1977, the
Denver Nuggets acquired Brian Taylor and the ninth pick from the Kansas City Kings in exchange for
Tommy Burleson and a second-round pick. Previously, the Nuggets acquired Tommy Burleson,
Bob Wilkerson and the second-round pick from the
Seattle SuperSonics on May 24, 1977, in exchange for
Paul Silas,
Marvin Webster and
Willie Wise.[32] Previously, the
Chicago Bulls acquired the second-round pick and a 1976 third-round pick from the Kings on December 8, 1975, in exchange for Matt Guokas.[27] The Nuggets used the pick to draft Tom LaGarde. The Bulls used the pick to draft Steve Sheppard.
h On November 16, 1976, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired a first-round pick from the
San Antonio Spurs in exchange for
Mack Calvin.[34] The Lakers used the pick to draft Brad Davis.
i On January 18, 1977, the
Golden State Warriors acquired a first-round pick from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for
George Johnson.[35] Previously, the Braves acquired the pick and a 1978 first-round pick from the
Houston Rockets on October 24, 1976, in exchange for
Moses Malone.[36] The Warriors used the pick to draft Wesley Cox.
j On November 30, 1976, the Chicago Bulls acquired a second-round pick from the New York Nets in exchange for
Bob Love.[37] The Bulls used the pick to draft Mike Glenn.
k On December 8, 1976, the
Philadelphia 76ers acquired 1977 and 1978 second-round picks from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for
Fred Carter.[38] The 76ers used the pick to draft Wilson Washington.
l On October 1, 1976, the
New York Knicks acquired a second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for
Randy Denton.[39] The Knicks used the pick to draft Glen Gondrezick.
m On August 5, 1976, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired a second-round pick from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for the seventh pick in the
ABA dispersal draft.[40] Previously, the Braves acquired the pick the
Phoenix Suns on August 25, 1976, in exchange for
Tom Van Arsdale.[41] The Bucks used the pick to draft Glenn Williams.
n On June 3, 1976, the
Portland Trail Blazers acquired a 1977 second-round pick from the New Orleans Jazz in exchange for a 1976 second-round pick.[42] The Blazers used the pick to draft Kim Anderson.
o On June 9, 1977, the Houston Rockets acquired 1977 and 1978 second-round picks from the
Boston Celtics in exchange for
John Johnson.[43] The Rockets used the pick to draft Larry Moffett.
p On August 5, 1976, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired a second-round pick from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for
Roland Taylor.[44] The 76ers used the pick to draft Herm Harris.
q On August 5, 1976, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired a third-round pick from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for
Johnny Neumann.[45] The Lakers used the pick to draft James Edwards.
r On October 8, 1973, the Atlanta Hawks acquired a 1976 second-round pick and a 1977 third-round pick from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for
Bob Christian.[46] The Hawks used the pick to draft Eddie Johnson.
s On November 27, 1974, the Phoenix Suns acquired a 1976 second-round pick and a 1977 third-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for
Corky Calhoun.[47] The Suns used the pick to draft Mike Bratz.
Early entrants
College underclassmen
The following
college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[48]
"1977 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com.
Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
"1977–1981 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research.
Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
^
abKim, Randy (June 19, 2003).
"Draft Oddities". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from
the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010.