1971 ABA draft
| 1971 ABA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | January 22, 1971 (Rounds 1–3) January 23, 1971 (Completion of Round 3) March 15, 1971 (Rounds 4–20) |
| Location | Greensboro, North Carolina (January 22–23) New York, New York (March)[1] |
| Overview | |
| 190 total selections in 20 rounds | |
| League | American Basketball Association |
| Teams | 11 |
| First selection | Jim McDaniels, Utah Stars via Texas Chaparrals[2][3] |
The 1971 ABA draft was the fifth draft done by the American Basketball Association (ABA), a rivaling professional basketball league to the National Basketball Association (NBA) that they would eventually merge with as a part of the NBA later in the decade. Much like the previous year's draft, this year's draft would be first conducted on January 22, 1971 (with its third round being completed the following day afterward due to the first day of the draft going over the midnight hour while out in Greensboro, North Carolina (one of the home areas of the Carolina Cougars)) before being completed on March 15 later that year in New York, New York (home of not just the ABA’s newer headquarters, but also the New York Nets), with New York being the permanent home area of all major ABA drafts going forward. This year's draft period for the ABA and its aftermath months later would see arguably its greatest impact upon the league for success with not just some of the players that joined the ABA instead of the NBA, but also with a couple of its undrafted players from this draft period as well (which related to earlier conditions the NBA laid out to the ABA in their initial merger talks before the United States Senate helped nix the first merger talks entirely[4]), primarily that of the ABA's All-Time MVP Julius Erving and George McGinnis. The ABA would steal away three players that NBA teams had drafted in the first round of the 1971 NBA draft (Darnell Hillman from the Golden State Warriors, John Roche from the Phoenix Suns, and Collis Jones from the Milwaukee Bucks by the Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and Texas Chaparrals respectively), though none of them would hold a great impact upon either the NBA or ABA despite Roche being a member of the ABA's All-Rookie Team during his first season,[1] while the only Hall of Famers from the NBA's draft class that year as of 2025 (Spencer Haywood from 1969 and #8 pick Artis Gilmore) would both play in the ABA first before entering the NBA in later years, with the ABA's draft actually producing more Hall of Famers by comparison this time around. Interestingly, the final pick of this draft, an individual named "Slick Pinkham", would be drafted in what was essentially a prank draft pick by the Indiana Pacers since he was a gag name that was a portmanteau of head coach Bobby "Slick" Leonard and team owner Dick Tinkham, who actually did attend DePauw University.[5] This year would also see only one team rebrand themselves some months after this draft period concluded, with the Texas Chaparrals returning to their original Dallas Chaparrals name following their only draft under the Texas regional name instead, thus making this the ABA's most successful draft period by that point in time.[6]
Draftee career notes
[edit]This year marked the first time the ABA draft would not have the same #1 draft pick as the NBA draft did in the same year. While the NBA draft had Austin Carr from the University of Notre Dame get selected at #1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers (who became an All-Star in the NBA and had his number retired by the Cavaliers), the ABA draft had Jim McDaniels from Western Kentucky University get selected at #1 by the Utah Stars via trading with the Texas Chaparrals instead (McDaniels would be selected in the second round as the 23rd pick by the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, while Carr would be selected in the third round as, funnily enough, the 23rd pick by the ABA's Virginia Squires by comparison). However, McDaniels never played for either team by comparison and instead signed up with the Carolina Cougars after the draft ended, where he played well enough in his rookie season to be named one of the league's All-Stars from his draft class, but left the Cougars to join the SuperSonics in the NBA instead due to him being dissatisfied with his contract that would have had it be paid out throughout the course of 25 years,[1] after which he never gained the same level of success afterward either in the NBA or in his brief return back in the ABA in 1976. By contrast, the biggest success story in terms of players drafted by the ABA that year would occur with what became the eighth pick of the draft that year, center Artis Gilmore from the University of Jacksonville. During his time with the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA, Gilmore would not only be considered both the ABA's Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, but he'd also be named both an All-Star (including an All-Star MVP in 1974) and All-ABA First Team member in every season of play, as well as be named an All-ABA Defensive Team member in every season of play that grouping existed in (the only player to earn such a distinction), lead the league in rebounding for every season of play outside of his penultimate season there, and being named the ABA Playoffs' MVP in 1975 for the work he did with the Colonels in getting them their only championship before being shut out of the ABA-NBA merger a year later due to the Chicago Bulls wanting to gain Gilmore back in the NBA and them already having his draft rights beforehand (with Chicago drafting him as the 117th pick in the seventh round that year by comparison). His results in the ABA made him an easy ABA All-Time Team member, but his work with both the ABA and NBA would help propel him into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Of the 92 overall ABA All-Stars, there were six players eligible to be selected in this year's draft that would make it to at least one ABA All-Star Game, with Roger Brown from the University of Kansas in particular being named an All-Star in the league's final season of existence in 1976 for the Denver Nuggets (the current team name of the Denver Rockets) due to them being the best team in the ABA that season under the unique circumstances the ABA dealt with that year. Outside of the previously mentioned players, the final drafted player to be named an All-Star in the ABA was Ted McClain, who became an All-Star during his final season with the Carolina Cougars due to his defensive prowess, primarily with leading the league in steals into earning him an All-ABA Defensive Team spot in 1974 before winning the final two ABA championships with the Kentucky Colonels and New York Nets respectively. As for the undrafted players that made it big, the first player that did so was George McGinnis, a sophomore player from the University of Indiana that signed with the local Indiana Pacers despite him not only violating the initial conditions set by the NBA in order to allow for the initial ABA-NBA merger to have happened by this time, but also facing threats by the NCAA for potentially violating their rules for signing away a player of theirs years earlier then they were intended to do so before the NCAA ultimately changed their own system for later drafts at hand. McGinnis would prove to be one of the ABA's most important players during the league's later years of existence (despite his youth questions at the time), as after he made it to the ABA's All-Rookie Team, he would not only be named an All-Star for the ABA three different times, but also made it to three different All-ABA Teams (once in the second team, twice in the first team), won two straight ABA championships with the Pacers (including the ABA Finals' MVP in 1973), and was named the ABA's co-MVP in 1975 due to him also leading the league in scoring that year before leaving the ABA later that year to play for the Philadelphia 76ers in the rivaling NBA, where he'd also see some success with (though not at the same level as with the ABA's Pacers). Still, his success in both the ABA and NBA later on would lead to him being named a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, as well as lead to him being one of three ABA players (four overall Pacers player) to have his number retired by the Indiana squad as of 2025. The second, and arguably biggest, player that was undrafted that year to see major success in the ABA was Julius Erving, a junior player from the University of Massachusetts that signed with the Virginia Squires some time after the draft ended. Erving would showcase why he would be named the ABA's All-Time MVP in the five seasons of play with the league following his appearance in their All-Rookie First Team with five straight All-Star Game appearances (tying Artis Gilmore, Ralph Simpson, Mack Calvin, and Donnie Freeman for the third-most ABA All-Star appearances) alongside the league's only Slam Dunk Contest champion, five straight All-ABA Team appearances (tying Artis Gilmore, Dan Issel, and Mel Daniels for the most All-ABA Team appearances, though Erving would have four first team appearances and one second team appearance when compared to Gilmore's five straight first team appearances), three straight ABA MVP awards in the league's final seasons of play (though he'd share his MVP award in 1975 with George McGinnis), a three-time scoring champion for the ABA, an All-Defensive Team member in the ABA's final season, and two ABA Finals MVPs relating to championships won by the New York Nets (including the final ABA championship won altogether), as well as become the only ABA player to have a combined total of over 30,000 career points when combining both his ABA scoring totals with his NBA scoring totals, later earning the right to have his number be retired by both the Brooklyn Nets (the modern-day rendition of the New York Nets) and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA.[7] Another undrafted player eligible for this year's draft, Johnny Neumann from the University of Mississippi, was notable for signing a five year deal worth a total of $2 million, though while he made it to the All-Rookie Team as well, he didn't do much with his career by comparison to the other players. One other notable player from this draft year, fifth round pick Mike Gale of the Kentucky Colonels, would also make it to the All-Defensive Team twice in the league, thus being one of seven players to take part in the All-Defensive Team twice by comparison.
Historic draft notes
[edit]Unlike the first four years of the ABA's existence, this year would mark the first year where the ABA would properly record every round's draft ordering for their draft system, with it working similarly to the NBA's own draft system at the time with the worst team having the first pick in each round available and the best team in terms of records picking last.[3] This draft period also marked the first time where the #1 draft pick in the ABA would be traded to another team, with the recently rebranded Texas Chaparrals trading their first round pick alongside Donnie Freeman and Wayne Hightower to the Utah Stars (who later won the ABA Finals Championship that year) in exchange for Ron Boone, Glen Combs, and the Stars' own first round pick instead, though neither player drafted would play for the teams that went and drafted them. This also was the only draft year that the Texas Chaparrals would participate in a draft under that specific name, as the Chaparrals would ditch the regional branding with the entire state of Texas months after the draft concluded to return to their original Dallas Chaparrals name out in Dallas, Texas for their next two seasons of play.[6] Outside of that, no other team would otherwise move to a different location or otherwise rebrand themselves following the draft period's conclusion, which made this year the most stable draft period for the ABA yet. Also following the draft were the initial plans of the NBA–ABA merger that would have seen every ABA team join the NBA except for the Virginia Squires (the reason for their exclusion related to them being too close of proximity to the Baltimore Bullets, now Washington Wizards (who the owner had beef with when the Squires first moved to Washington D.C. back when the Oakland Oaks briefly became the Washington Caps)), which would have forced the Squires to either move yet again in order to join the NBA or fold operations altogether) starting by May 1971 before the Oscar Robertson v. National Basketball Association antitrust lawsuit ruined that merger plan entirely.[4] This draft also saw Howard Porter's early leave for the ABA result in Villanova University vacate their NCAA Tournament wins during the season and three selections by the Virginia Squires (Tom Riker, Barry Parkhill, and Jim Chones) be later ruled as ineligible selections due to the planned merger talks that later failed in 1971.[4] This draft also was the only draft where a prank selection was given out, with "Slick Pinkham" being selected by the Indiana Pacers as the last pick of the draft.[5]
Key
[edit]| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame | ‡ | Denotes player that was selected to the ABA All-Time Team |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-ABA Team | + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| ~ | Denotes a player that won the ABA Rookie of the Year Award | # | Denotes player who has never appeared in either an ABA or NBA regular season or playoff game |
Draft
[edit]
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| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jim McDaniels+ | PF/C |  United States
|
Utah Stars (from Texas)[3] | Western Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 1 | 2 | Elmore Smith | C |  United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Kentucky State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 3 | Howard Porter | PF/SF | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Villanova (Sr.) |
| 1 | Denver Rockets (forfeited their initial #4 pick due to the acquisition of sophomore Ralph Simpson after the previous draft year) | |||||
| 1 | 4 | Cliff Meely | PF | United States
|
Denver Rockets (from The Floridians)[3] | Colorado (Sr.) |
| 1 | 5 | Ken Durrett | PF | United States
|
Denver Rockets (from New York via Virginia)[3] | La Salle (Sr.) |
| 1 | 6 | Randy Denton | C | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Duke (Sr.) |
| 1 | 7 | Willie Sojourner | C/PF | United States
|
Virginia Squires (from Indiana via Kentucky)[3] | Weber State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 8 | Artis Gilmore~^‡ | C | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
| 1 | 9 | Stan Love | PF | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals (from Utah)[3] | Oregon (Sr.) |
| 1 | 10 | Dana Lewis# | C | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Tulsa (Sr.) |
| 2 | 11 | Sidney Wicks | PF | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 2 | 12 | Levi Wyatt# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Alcorn A&M College (Sr.) |
| 2 | 13 | Rich Yunkus | PF/C | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Georgia Tech (Sr.) |
| 2 | 14 | Marv Roberts | PF/C | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Utah State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 15 | Willie Long | SF/PF | United States
|
The Floridians | New Mexico (Sr.) |
| 2 | 16 | Charlie Davis | PG | United States
|
New York Nets | Wake Forest (Sr.) |
| 2 | 17 | Bob Kissane# | F | United States
|
New York Nets (from Virginia)[3] | Holy Cross (Sr.) |
| 2 | 18 | Darnell Hillman | PF/C | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | San Jose State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 19 | Jake Ford# | SG | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Western Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 2 | 20 | Roger Brown+ | C | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals (from Utah)[3] | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 2 | 21 | Garry Nelson# | C | United States
|
Utah Stars | Duquesne (Sr.) |
| 3 | 22 | Gregg Northington# | C | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Alabama State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 23 | Austin Carr | SG | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
| 3 | 24 | John Mengelt | SG | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Auburn (Sr.) |
| 3 | 25 | John Roche | PG | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | South Carolina (Sr.) |
| 3 | 26 | Mike Newlin | SG | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Utah (Sr.) |
| 3 | 27 | Jim O'Brien | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Boston College (Sr.) |
| 3 | 28 | Walt Szczerbiak | SF | United States West Germany
|
Texas Chaparrals | George Washington (Sr.) |
| 3 | 29 | Thorpe Weber# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Vanderbilt (Sr.) |
| 3 | 30 | Ted McClain+ | PG/SG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Tennessee State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 31 | Rick Fisher | PF | United States
|
Utah Stars | Colorado State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 32 | Marvin Stewart# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Nebraska (Sr.) |
| 4 | 33 | Gene Phillips | SG | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | SMU (Sr.) |
| 4 | 34 | Al Smith | PG | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Bradley (Sr.) |
| 4 | 35 | Bill Smith# | C | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors (from Carolina)[3] | Syracuse (Sr.) |
| 4 | 36 | Tom Owens | C/PF | United States
|
Memphis Pros (from The Floridians)[3] | South Carolina (Sr.) |
| 4 | 37 | Bubba Jones# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Ashland (Sr.) |
| 4 | 38 | Amos Thomas# | SG/SF | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Southwestern State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 39 | Dick Gibbs | SF | United States
|
New York Nets | UTEP (Sr.) |
| 4 | 40 | Fred Brown | PG/SG | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Iowa (Sr.) |
| 4 | 41 | Dana Pagett | G | United States
|
Virginia Squires | USC (Sr.) |
| 4 | 42 | Jim Cleamons | PG/SG | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Ohio State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 43 | Mo Layton | PG | United States
|
Utah Stars | USC (Sr.) |
| 5 | 44 | Collis Jones | SF/PF | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
| 5 | 45 | Dave Robisch | C/PF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 5 | 46 | Luke Adams# | F | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Lamar State (Sr.) |
| 5 | 47 | Rich Rinaldi | G | United States
|
The Floridians | Saint Peter's (Sr.) |
| 5 | 48 | Mike Jordan# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Savannah State (Sr.) |
| 5 | 49 | Kennedy McIntosh | PF | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Eastern Michigan (Sr.) |
| 5 | 50 | Glen Summors# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | Gannon College (Jr.) |
| 5 | 51 | Mike Gale | PG/SG | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Elizabeth City State (Sr.) |
| 5 | 52 | Tom Riker | C/PF | United States
|
Virginia Squires | South Carolina (Jr.) |
| 5 | 53 | Clarence Glover | SF | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Western Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 5 | 54 | Lee Dedmon# | F | United States
|
Utah Stars | North Carolina (Sr.) |
| 6 | 55 | George Trapp | PF/C | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Cal State Long Beach (Sr.) |
| 6 | 56 | William Graham# | F | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Kentucky State (Sr.) |
| 6 | 57 | Ron Rippetoe# | G | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | David Lipscomb College (Sr.) |
| 6 | 58 | Larry Holliday# | G | United States
|
The Floridians | Oregon (Sr.) |
| 6 | 59 | Barry Nelson | C | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Duquesne (Sr.) |
| 6 | 60 | Fred Hilton | SG | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Grambling (Sr.) |
| 6 | 61 | Matt Necaise# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | William Carey College (Sr.) |
| 6 | 62 | Jim Welch# | G | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Houston (Sr.) |
| 6 | 63 | Barry Parkhill | SG | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Virginia (So.) |
| 6 | 64 | Jeff Halliburton | SG | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Drake (Sr.) |
| 6 | 65 | Bobby Fields | G | United States
|
Utah Stars | La Salle (Sr.) |
| 7 | 66 | Sterling Quant# | PF |  The Bahamas[8]
|
Texas Chaparrals | Central State (Sr.) |
| 7 | 67 | Ken Gardner | SF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Utah (Sr.) |
| 7 | 68 | Ed Kemp# | F | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Adams State (Sr.) |
| 7 | 69 | Greg Starrick# | G | United States
|
The Floridians | Southern Illinois (Sr.) |
| 7 | 70 | John Sutter# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Tulane (Sr.) |
| 7 | 71 | Loyd King | SG | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Virginia Tech (Sr.) |
| 7 | 72 | Odis Allison | SF | United States
|
New York Nets | UNLV (Sr.) |
| 7 | 73 | Larry Steele | SG/SF | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 7 | 74 | Clifford Ray | C/PF | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Oklahoma (Sr.) |
| 7 | 75 | Dean Meminger | PG | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Marquette (Sr.) |
| 7 | 76 | Erwin Johnson# | F | United States
|
Utah Stars | Augusta (Sr.) |
| 8 | 77 | Curtis Rowe | PF | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 8 | 78 | Tyrone Marioneaux# | C | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Loyola (New Orleans) (Sr.) |
| 8 | 79 | Kenneth Davis# | PG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Georgetown College (KY) (Sr.) |
| 8 | 80 | Tom Lee# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Arizona (Sr.) |
| 8 | 81 | Charlie Yelverton | SG/SF | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Fordham (Sr.) |
| 8 | 82 | James Douglas# | G | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Memphis State (Sr.) |
| 8 | 83 | John Duncan# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | Kentucky Wesleyan (Sr.) |
| 8 | 84 | Clarence Sherrod# | G | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Wisconsin (Sr.) |
| 8 | 85 | Bill Gerry# | F | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Virginia (Sr.) |
| 8 | 86 | Vic Bartolome# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 8 | 87 | Jim Day# | F | United States
|
Utah Stars | Morehead State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 88 | Jimmie Guymon# | G | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Eastern New Mexico (Sr.) |
| 9 | 89 | Mike Childress# | C | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Colorado State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 90 | Dave Wohl | PG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Pennsylvania (Sr.) |
| 9 | 91 | Jim Haderlein# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Loyola Los Angeles (Sr.) |
| 9 | 92 | Vincent White# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Savannah State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 93 | Henry Smith# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Missouri (Sr.) |
| 9 | 94 | Jarrett Durham | F | United States
|
New York Nets | Duquesne (Sr.) |
| 9 | 95 | Mike O'Brien# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Saint Leo (Sr.) |
| 9 | 96 | Jim Chones | C/PF | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Marquette (Jr.) |
| 9 | 97 | Tom Crosswhite# | F | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Dayton (Sr.) |
| 9 | 98 | Willie Humes# | G | United States
|
Utah Stars | Idaho State (Sr.) |
| 10 | 99 | Gene Knoll# | G | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Texas Tech (Sr.) |
| 10 | 100 | George Faerber#[9] | F | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Purdue (Sr.) |
| 10 | 101 | Ken Mayfield | SG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Tuskegee (Sr.) |
| 10 | 102 | Doug Rex# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | UC Santa Barbara (Sr.) |
| 10 | 103 | James Fleming# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Alcorn A&M College (Sr.) |
| 10 | 104 | Jim Gregory# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | East Carolina (Sr.) |
| 10 | 105 | Eric Hill# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors (from New York)[3] | Minnesota (Sr.) |
| 10 | 106 | Larry Saunders# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Duke (Sr.) |
| 10 | 107 | Gil McGregor | PF | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Wake Forest (Sr.) |
| 10 | 108 | Larry Weatherford# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Purdue (Sr.) |
| 10 | 109 | Jake Jones | SG | United States
|
Utah Stars | Assumption College (Sr.) |
| 11 | 110 | Al Shumate#[10] | SF | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | North Texas State (Sr.) |
| 11 | 111 | John Ribock# | F | United States
|
Denver Rockets | South Carolina (Sr.) |
| 11 | 112 | Bobby McKenney#[11] | C | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Pepperdine (Sr.) |
| 11 | 113 | Gerald Lockett# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Arkansas AM&N College (Sr.) |
| 11 | 114 | Rayford McCambry# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Miles College (Sr.) |
| 11 | 115 | Danny Davis# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Henderson State (Sr.) |
| 11 | 116 | Bill Warner# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Arizona (Sr.) |
| 11 | 117 | Sid Catlett | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
| 11 | 118 | Héctor Blondet# | F |  Puerto Rico
|
Virginia Squires | Murray State (Sr.) |
| 11 | 119 | Jim England# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Tennessee (Sr.) |
| 11 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 12 | 120 | Willie Hart# | C | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Grambling (So.)[12] |
| 12 | 121 | Gary Brell# | F | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Marquette (Sr.) |
| 12 | 122 | Craig Love# | F | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Ohio (Sr.) |
| 12 | 123 | Will Allen | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Miami (FL) (Sr.) |
| 12 | 124 | Isaiah Wilson | SG | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Baltimore (Sr.) |
| 12 | 125 | Gary Reist# | G | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Rice (Sr.) |
| 12 | 126 | Blaine Henry# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Marshall (Sr.) |
| 12 | 127 | Jim Dinwiddie# | G | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 12 | 128 | Luis Grillo#[13] | PG | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Sunbury Mercuries (EBA)[14] |
| 12 | 129 | Jeff Smith# | F | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | New Mexico State (Jr.) |
| 12 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 13 | 130 | Goo Kennedy | PF/C | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | TCU (Sr.) |
| 13 | 131 | Glen Richgels# | C | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Wisconsin (Sr.) |
| 13 | 132 | Bob Wenzel# | G | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Rutgers (Sr.) |
| 13 | 133 | Jackie Ridgle | SG | United States
|
The Floridians | California (Sr.) |
| 13 | 134 | Ray Greene# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | California State (Pennsylvania) (Sr.) |
| 13 | 135 | Edward Hoskins# | SF | United States
|
Memphis Pros | LeMoyne–Owen (Sr.) |
| 13 | 136 | Don Ward# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Colgate (Sr.) |
| 13 | 137 | Pierre Russell | SG | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 13 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 13 | 138 | Rick Katherman# | F | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Duke (Sr.) |
| 13 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 14 | 139 | Bill Brickhouse# | G | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Montana State (Sr.) |
| 14 | 140 | Jerry Hyder# | G | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Eastern New Mexico (Sr.) |
| 14 | 141 | Ron Dorsey | SF | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Tennessee State (Sr.) |
| 14 | 142 | Pembrook Burrows# | C | United States
|
The Floridians | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
| 14 | 143 | Gene Mumford# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Scranton (Sr.) |
| 14 | 144 | Ken Riley# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Middle Tennessee (Sr.) |
| 14 | 145 | Skip Young# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Florida State (Sr.) |
| 14 | 146 | Jerome Perry# | G | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Western Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 14 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 14 | 147 | Clarence Smith# | F | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Villanova (Sr.) |
| 14 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 15 | 148 | William Chatmon# | F | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Baylor (Sr.) |
| 15 | 149 | David Hall# | C/PF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Kansas State (Jr.) |
| 15 | 150 | Hank Commodore# | G | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Northwestern State (Sr.) |
| 15 | 151 | Ken May# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Dayton (Sr.) |
| 15 | 152 | Lee McCullough# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Indiana (Pennsylvania) (Sr.) |
| 15 | 153 | Rod Behrens# | PF | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Samford (Sr.)[15][16] |
| 15 | 154 | Phillip Sisk#[17] | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Georgia Southern (Sr.) |
| 15 | 155 | Willie Cherry# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Denver (Sr.) |
| 15 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 15 | 156 | Rich Walker# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Bowling Green (Sr.) |
| 15 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 16 | 157 | Harry Taylor# | G/F | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Los Angeles Baptist (Sr.) |
| 16 | 158 | Richard Dixon# | G | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Loyola Los Angeles (Sr.) |
| 16 | 159 | Frank Lorthridge# | C/PF | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Pan American (Sr.) |
| 16 | 160 | Wayman Terrell# | PF/C | United States
|
The Floridians | Oklahoma Baptist (Sr.) |
| 16 | 161 | Russell Golden# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Jacksonville (Jr.) |
| 16 | 162 | Don Johnson# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Tennessee (Sr.) |
| 16 | 163 | Brian Mahoney | SG | United States
|
New York Nets | Manhattan (Sr.) |
| 16 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 16 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 16 | 164 | Tom Bush# | C | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Drake (Sr.) |
| 16 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 17 | 165 | Dan McGhee# | PF/C | United States
|
Texas Chaparrals | Howard Payne (Sr.)[18] |
| 17 | 166 | David Walls Jr.#[19] | PF/C | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Jackson State (Sr.) |
| 17 | 167 | Dan Fife# | G | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Michigan (Sr.) |
| 17 | 168 | Bill Drozdiak# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Oregon (Sr.) |
| 17 | 169 | Harry James# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Montclair State (Sr.)[20] |
| 17 | 170 | Haywood Hill# | SG/SF | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Oral Roberts (Sr.) |
| 17 | 171 | Ollie Shannon# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Minnesota (Sr.) |
| 17 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 17 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 17 | 172 | Jim Irving# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Saint Louis (Sr.) |
| 17 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | Texas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | 173 | Paul Botts# | G | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Central Michigan (Sr.) |
| 18 | 174 | Cliff Harris# | F | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Hardin–Simmons (Sr.) |
| 18 | 175 | Eddie Myers# | C | United States
|
The Floridians | Arizona (Sr.) |
| 18 | 176 | John Novey# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Mount St. Mary's (Sr.) |
| 18 | 177 | Reggie Wood# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | College of Steubenville (Sr.) |
| 18 | 178 | Bob Doyle# | SG | United States
|
New York Nets | UTEP (Sr.) |
| 18 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | 179 | Bob Bissant# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Loyola (New Orleans) (Sr.) |
| 18 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | Texas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | 180 | Ron Smith# | C | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Wichita State (Sr.) |
| 19 | 181 | Steve Bilsky# | PG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Pennsylvania (Sr.) |
| 19 | 182 | Steve Sims# | SG | United States
|
The Floridians | Pepperdine (Sr.) |
| 19 | Pittsburgh Condors (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | 183 | Billy Barnes# | PF/C | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Southern State (Sr.)[21] |
| 19 | 184 | Calvin Oliver# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | Pan American (Sr.) |
| 19 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | 185 | Rudy Benjamin# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Michigan State (Sr.) |
| 19 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | Texas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | 186 | Bobby Jones# | G | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Drake (Sr.) |
| 20 | Carolina Cougars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | 187 | Pat Biber# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Tampa (Sr.)[22] |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Condors (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | 188 | Allan Dalton#[23] | G | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Suffolk (Sr.) |
| 20 | 189 | Greg Cluess# | C/PF | United States
|
New York Nets | St. John's (Jr.) |
| 20 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | 190 | Slick Pinkham# | PG | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | DePauw ("Sr.") |
| 20 | Utah Stars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
Notable undrafted players
[edit]These players were officially considered draft eligible for the 1971 ABA draft and went undrafted this year, yet played at least one regular season or playoff game for the ABA before the ABA-NBA merger actually commenced a few years later when it actually happened in 1976.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Dover | PG | United States
|
LeMoyne–Owen (Sr.) |
| Julius Erving^‡ | SF | United States
|
UMass (Jr.) |
| George McGinnis^‡ | PF | United States
|
Indiana (Jr.) |
| Johnny Neumann | SG/SF | United States
|
Ole Miss (So.) |
| Pete Smith | PF | United States
|
Hartford Capitols (EBA) |
1971 ABA special circumstances draft
[edit]The ABA would also host a "Special Circumstances" Draft later in the year on September 10, 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee (home of the Memphis Pros in what ultimately became the last time the ABA would ever host a draft event outside of their new headquarters located in New York) as a response to the (at the time) recently implemented "NBA Hardship Draft" that the NBA was forced to utilize following the results of the Spencer Haywood v. National Basketball Association 1971 Supreme Court case. Unlike the NBA's "Hardship Draft", which saw six players enter that specific draft for the first time ever (though only five of those players would get drafted by the NBA's teams), the ABA's "Special Circumstances Draft" only saw three players from that special draft get selected there: Duquesne University's Mickey Davis for the Denver Rockets in the second round, the University of California's Phil Chenier for the Carolina Cougars in the second round, and North Carolina State University's Ed Leftwich for the New York Nets in the fourth round; no players were selected during the first or third rounds in question for that event (though technically speaking, Mickey Davis would be considered the #1 pick of the Special Circumstances Draft that year).[24] It is ultimately unknown how many players that the ABA had considered eligible for this particular draft were actually available during the time it happened. Nevertheless, there were no drafted choices in either the first round or the third round, meaning the listing below, including what their year in college was at the time of the selection for these players, is as such.
- Round 2, Pick 1 (#1): Mickey Davis, Duquesne University (Jr.)
- Round 2, Pick 2 (#2): Phil Chenier, University of California (Jr.)
- Round 4, Pick 1 (#3): Ed Leftwich, North Carolina State University (Jr.)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 164
- ^ Jet [Sports] Staff (February 1971). "College Star Denies He Signed $350,000 Pro Pact". Jet. 39 (21): 50. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "1971 ABA Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c Pluto, Terry, Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association (Simon & Schuster, 1990), ISBN 978-1-4165-4061-8, pg. 425
- ^ a b Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 165
- ^ a b Bradley, Robert. "Dallas Chaparrals/San Antonio Gunslingers/Spurs Year-to-Year Notes". Remember the ABA. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Points".
- ^ "Hall of Fame Sterling Quant". The All Bahamian Brand. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "George Faerber". SRCBB. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Al Shumate". SRCBB. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Bobby McKenney". SRCBB. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Southwestern Athletic Conference". College Hoopedia. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Luis Grillo". The Mount. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Lou Grillo". Stats Crew. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Rod Behrens". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Samford University Basketball Team, 1969". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ Georgia Southern Athletics (Jun 29, 2012). "2011-12 Georgia Southern Men's Basketball Media Guide". Issuu. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ David, Marc (November 9, 2016). "McGhee Was Key Figure in HPU's Success in '70s". Sports. Abilene Reporter News. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "David Walls Obituary". Clarion Ledger. Jackson, MS. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Harry James Hits a High Note for Montclair State". New York Times. December 27, 1970. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ "Billy Barnes". Southern Arkansas University Athletics. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Pat Biber". University of Tampa Athletics. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Allan Dalton". The Draft Review. December 26, 2016. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 182