1972 ABA draft
| 1972 ABA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | March 2, 1972 (Rounds 1–5) April 12, 1972 (Rounds 6–20)[1] |
| Location | New York, New York |
| Overview | |
| 179 total selections in 20 rounds | |
| League | American Basketball Association |
| Teams | 11 |
| First selection | Bob McAdoo, Virginia Squires via Pittsburgh Condors[2] |
The 1972 ABA draft was the sixth draft done by the American Basketball Association (ABA), a rivaling professional basketball league to the National Basketball Association (NBA) that they would eventually merge as a part of the NBA only a few years later despite official merger talks ultimately being dead during the later, more competitive years of the ABA's history. This year would see an odd thing happen with the first five rounds of this year's draft not be recorded properly as of 2025 in terms of round ordering (outside of arguably the first round due to four teams losing their first round picks in situations relating to the previous draft year, if not the previous season) from March 2, 1972 (weeks before the 1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament was properly completed[1]) via standings from February 20 (though with the Pittsburgh Condors and Memphis Pros alternating between leading round orders this year since they both tied their official records that season at the time[2]), while the rest of the rounds of this draft would be recorded properly in terms of draft ordering on April 12 all at the ABA's headquarters in New York. This draft also was the first draft in the ABA to allow their teams to draft one college underclassman to the first five rounds of the draft after seeing major success with underclassmen like Spencer Haywood, Ralph Simpson, George McGinnis, and Julius Erving going from undrafted players to successful, All-Star quality players in the ABA. This new policy created by the ABA drew strong criticisms from both the NCAA and numerous college coaches when it first happened, but it would eventually help pave the way for numerous college underclassmen to take their chances with later ABA and NBA drafts the more years passed by following this draft period by the ABA.[1] However, the ABA wouldn't see as much success from this year's draft when compared to drafts from their previous years, with most of these college underclassmen opting to return to college for at least one more year instead and a number of Hall of Fame players, including that of their #1 pick in junior Bob McAdoo, going to the NBA instead despite him not being drafted at #1 that year there. This draft period would also be the last draft that the Memphis Pros would participate in under that name since they would rebrand themselves to the Memphis Tams after this main draft period by June 1972,[3] as well as be the last event altogether for "The Floridians" and the Pittsburgh Condors franchises, as they would both fold operations months after this draft concluded on July 13, 1972,[4] with a new team called the San Diego Conquistadors being created a month later on August 10 that same year.[5]
Draftee career notes
[edit]This year's #1 pick would mark the second year in a row where the ABA would not only have a different #1 pick from the NBA altogether, but also had a #1 pick that was owned by one team get itself traded to another team before the upcoming draft year began. While the NBA's draft had one of the biggest busts in NBA history via LaRue Martin from Loyola University Chicago going to the Portland Trail Blazers (which had the ABA see Martin being drafted fifth (presumably speaking) by the Dallas Chaparrals by comparison), the ABA's draft had one of the members of both the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors and later NBA 75th Anniversary Team in junior Bob McAdoo from the University of North Carolina as the #1 pick by the Virginia Squires by a trade with the Pittsburgh Condors (though he was selected second overall in the NBA by the Buffalo Braves). However, much like the previous #1 pick for the ABA draft, Jim McDaniels, McAdoo would not play for the ABA team that drafted him at all (though like most #1 picks done by the ABA, he ended up opting to play for the NBA instead). McAdoo would prove his success almost immediately once he went professional by winning the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award, be named a five-time All-Star there, be named a member of the All-NBA Second Team in 1974 and All-NBA First Team in 1975 (including the NBA's MVP award for the latter year), be named a three-time scoring champion for the NBA from 1974 until 1976, and later be named a two-time NBA Finals champion while with the Showtime Lakers before he later went to Italy for the rest of his career from 1986 until retiring in 1992 with two Italian and EuroLeague championships (the second one including the EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer and EuroLeague Final Four MVP honors) won with Tracer Milano in the process. His honors not just with the NBA, but also Italy would help him earn a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, with McAdoo also being joined by Denver Rockets pick Paul Westphal from the University of Southern California and Dallas Chaparrals selected sophomore Bill Walton from UCLA (the latter of whom would become the #1 pick for the 1974 NBA draft as well), who both won at least one NBA Finals championship themselves during their careers and had significant success during their professional careers in the NBA.
Out 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 the ABA All-Star Game either twice or once while the event existed: Brian Taylor, James Silas, and Swen Nater would make it to the All-Star Game twice in the ABA, while Claude Terry, the undrafted Don Buse, and the undrafted Dave Twardzik would make it to the All-Star Game only once there. Brian Taylor would be the player to see some of the most honors given to a player from this year's draft that actually played in the ABA with Taylor not only being named the Rookie of the Year in 1973 and an All-Star in the final two seasons of the ABA's existence, but also won the ABA Finals championship twice while with the New York Nets (including the final ABA Finals championship as a whole), was twice a member of the ABA's All-Defensive Team in the league's final seasons of play (joining six other players to join that team twice in their careers), and led the ABA in steals in 1975, though he would be strangely absent from the ABA All-Time Team in spite of his honors. One player that would make the ABA's All-Time Team, however, was James Silas, whose honors from the ABA included being a member of the ABA's All-Rookie Team in 1973, two All-Star appearances in the league's final seasons of play, an All-ABA Second Team spot in 1975, and an All-ABA First Team spot in 1976 (though he would later have his number retired by the San Antonio Spurs, the predecessors of the Dallas Chaparrals, in 1984, two years after retiring from play altogether and three years after last playing for the franchise in general). Another player from this draft that would also win Rookie of the Year honors by the ABA (albeit a year after Brian Taylor won his award there) was the Dutch-born Swen Nater, who returned to UCLA after the draft following "The Floridians" franchise folding operations entirely before being considered an undrafted signee for the following year's draft that later signed with the Virginia Squires after they had previously picked up his player rights in the ABA's first ever dispersal draft; Swen Nater would not only win the ABA's Rookie of the Year Award in 1974, but he'd also be named an ABA All-Star and a member of the All-ABA Second Team twice in two out of three seasons of play in the ABA (as well as lead not just the ABA in rebounding in 1975, but also the NBA in rebounding in 1980). The last player that was drafted this year to make it to an ABA All-Star Game, Claude Terry, was mainly named an All-Star due to the Denver Nuggets (the modern predecessors of the Denver Rockets) being the best team of the ABA during the final All-Star Game in the ABA's existence due to the unique circumstances from before the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. As for the other two players that made it to an ABA All-Star Game while also not being drafted during this year's draft period, Don Buse from the at the time Division II University of Evansville decided to forgo playing for the Phoenix Suns (who drafted him in the third round of the 1972 NBA draft) immediately for a shot at playing with his home state Indiana Pacers, which led to him being an ABA Finals champion in 1973, a two-time ABA All-Defensive team member in the league's final two seasons of existence, and an ABA All-Star (by replacing a player from the Denver Nuggets), an All-ABA Second Team member, and the ABA's leader in steals during that league's final season of existence before seeing similar looking success in the NBA following the eventual ABA-NBA merger with both the Pacers and Suns later in his career. Finally, Dave Twardzik from Old Dominion University stayed with the area's Virginia Squires team as an undrafted player, yet he was able to make it to the ABA's All-Star Game in 1975 (despite that team having the worst record in league history by that time) before later winning an NBA Finals championship in 1977 and then having his number be retired by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Historic draft notes
[edit]Strangely enough, this draft period would be the only draft period to have recorded inconsistencies in terms of even draft locations of certain players, never mind draft orderings found within the first five rounds of the 1972 ABA draft (if not even later than that), according to the select few basketball websites that are willing to record the ABA's draft record history in the first place.[1][6][7][2][8] As such, the ordering of not just certain players that were drafted, but even certain teams that might have drafted some of these players are expected to be wildly inconsistent in terms of provided results given out to the public as of 2025, meaning this draft order shown here is likely not going to be 100% accurate in terms of output, especially since it looked like many teams lost selections within the first five rounds of the draft during this year (potentially due to some stipulations relating to the first failed ABA-NBA merger plans made earlier in the decade). That being said, this draft period would be considered the last draft period where the Memphis Pros would participate under that team name, since they would later rename themselves to the Memphis Tams (Tams being an acronym of the states of Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi that the franchise hoped to gain a local fanbase from out of each state, with their new logo in that time reflecting that name by showcasing a tam o'shanter style hat in terms of a more physical representation of what the Tams in question were).[3] It also ultimately became the last draft event altogether for both "The Floridians" and the Pittsburgh Condors franchises since they would both fold operations entirely on July 13, 1972, leaving the ABA with only nine operating teams for less than a month before the creation of the San Diego Conquistadors months after this draft period ended on August 10 that same year effectively had the team taking on both of those teams' spots since they both looked at San Diego as a relocation option at one point in time, as well as led to the ABA working with 10 teams for most of its operating tenure instead of 11 teams going forward.
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
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| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Bob McAdoo^ | C |  United States
|
Virginia Squires (from Pittsburgh)[2] | North Carolina (Jr.) |
| 1 | Memphis Pros (forfeited #2 pick due to them acquiring Larry Cannon from the Denver Rockets[2]) | |||||
| 1 | 2 | Tom Riker | C/PF |  United States
|
Carolina Cougars | South Carolina (Sr.) |
| 1 | 3 | Bud Stallworth | SG/SF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 1 | 4 | Dwight Davis | PF | United States
|
The Floridians | Houston (Sr.) |
| 1 | New York Nets (forfeited #5 pick due to them signing Jim Chones, a player previously drafted by the Virginia Squires last year that got invalidated due to draft stipulations at the time[2]) | |||||
| 1 | 5 | LaRue Martin | C | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Loyola (Chicago) (Sr.) |
| 1 | 6 | Paul Stovall | SF | United States
|
Denver Rockets (from Indiana)[2] | Arizona State (Sr.) |
| 1 | Virginia Squires (forfeited what would have been the #7 pick due to them signing Julius Erving‡ last year after the previous draft ended[2]) | |||||
| 1 | Utah Stars (forfeited what would have been the new #7 pick due to them signing Jimmy Jones‡ from the Memphis Pros[2]) | |||||
| 1 | 7 | Corky Calhoun | SF | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Duke (Sr.) |
| 2 | 8 | David Brent# | C/PF | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Jacksonville (Fr.) |
| 2 | 9 | John Gianelli | C/PF | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Pacific (Sr.) |
| 2 | 10 | Dennis Wuycik | SF | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | North Carolina (Sr.) |
| 2 | 11 | Claude Terry+ | SG/SF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Stanford (Sr.) |
| 2 | 12 | Mike Stewart# | C | United States
|
The Floridians | Santa Clara (Jr.) |
| 2 | 13 | Bill Chamberlain | SF | United States
|
New York Nets | North Carolina (Sr.) |
| 2 | 14 | Mike Ratliff | C | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Wisconsin–Eau Claire (Sr.) |
| 2 | 15 | Chris Ford | SG | United States
|
Utah Stars | Villanova (Sr.) |
| 2 | 16 | Russ Lee | SG/SF | United States
|
Memphis Pros (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Kentucky)) | Marshall (Sr.) |
| 3 | 17 | Chuck Terry | SF | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Long Beach State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 18 | Jim Price | PG | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Louisville (Sr.) |
| 3 | 19 | Brian Taylor~* | PG | United States
|
New York Nets (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Carolina)) | Princeton (Sr.) |
| 3 | 20 | Paul Westphal^ | PG/SG | United States
|
Denver Rockets | USC (Sr.) |
| 3 | 21 | Scott English | SF | United States
|
The Floridians | UTEP (Sr.) |
| 3 | 22 | Joby Wright | PF/C | United States
|
New York Nets (from The Floridians via New York)[2] | Indiana (Sr.) |
| 3 | 23 | Bob Morse# | SF/PF | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Pennsylvania (Sr.) |
| 3 | 24 | Oscar Evans# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Butler (Sr.) |
| 3 | 25 | Will Franklin | F | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Purdue (Sr.) |
| 3 | 26 | Travis Grant | SF | United States
|
Utah Stars | Kentucky State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 27 | Rusty Clair# | C/PF | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Oregon (Sr.) |
| 4 | 28 | Bob Davis | SF | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Weber State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 29 | Fred Boyd | PG/SG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Oregon State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 30 | Doug Collins | SG | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Illinois State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 31 | Greg Starrick# | G | United States
|
The Floridians | Southern Illinois (Sr.) |
| 4 | 32 | Dwaine Dillard | SF | United States
|
New York Nets | Eastern Michigan (So.)[9] |
| 4 | 33 | Bill Walton^ | C | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | UCLA (So.) |
| 4 | 34 | Art White# | F | United States
|
New York Nets (acquired via trade of some sort) | Georgetown University (D.C.) (Sr.) |
| 4 | 35 | Chuck Jura# | C | United States
|
Utah Stars | Nebraska (Sr.) |
| 5 | 36 | Wil Robinson | SG | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | West Virginia (Sr.) |
| 5 | 37 | Dave Bustion | PF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Denver (Sr.) |
| 5 | 38 | Bob Lackey | SG | United States
|
New York Nets | Marquette (Sr.) |
| 5 | 39 | Steve Hawes | C/PF | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Washington (Sr.) |
| 5 | 40 | Nate Stephens# | C | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Long Beach State (Jr.) |
| 5 | 41 | Bob Nash | SF | United States
|
Utah Stars | Hawaii (Sr.) |
| 5 | 42 | Harold Fox | PG | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Kentucky)) | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
| 6 | 43 | Bob Ford | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Purdue (Sr.) |
| 6 | 44 | James Silas*‡ | PG | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Stephen F. Austin (Sr.) |
| 6 | 45 | Steve Bracey | PG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Tulsa (Sr.) |
| 6 | 46 | Sam Sibert | SF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Kentucky State (Sr.) |
| 6 | 47 | Charlie Thorpe# | C | United States
|
The Floridians | Belhaven College (Sr.) |
| 6 | 48 | Ron Harris# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | Wichita State (Sr.) |
| 6 | 49 | Jim Creighton | PF | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Colorado (Sr.) |
| 6 | 50 | George Adams | F | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Gardner–Webb College (Jr.) |
| 6 | 51 | Reggie Bird# | G | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Princeton (Sr.) |
| 6 | 52 | Tom Patterson | SF/PF | United States
|
Utah Stars | Ouachita Baptist (Jr.) |
| 6 | 53 | Matt Gantt# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) |
| 7 | 54 | Joe Mackey# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | USC (Sr.) |
| 7 | 55 | Rowland Garrett | SF | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Florida State (Sr.) |
| 7 | 56 | Dan Holcomb# | C | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Memphis State (Sr.) |
| 7 | 57 | Ron Riley | PF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | USC (Sr.) |
| 7 | 58 | Swen Nater~* | C |  The Netherlands
|
The Floridians | UCLA (Jr.) |
| 7 | 59 | Hank Siemiontkowski# | SF/PF | United States
|
New York Nets | Villanova (Sr.) |
| 7 | 60 | Frank Schade | G | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Wisconsin–Eau Claire (Sr.) |
| 7 | 61 | Richie Garner# | SG | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Manhattan (Sr.) |
| 7 | 62 | Al Sanders | PF | United States
|
Virginia Squires | LSU (Sr.) |
| 7 | 63 | Eric McWilliams | SF | United States
|
Utah Stars | Long Beach State (Sr.) |
| 7 | 64 | Bill Kennedy# | G | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Arizona State (Sr.) |
| 8 | 65 | Sam Simmons# | G | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Bradley (Sr.) |
| 8 | 66 | Marshall Wingate# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Niagara (Sr.) |
| 8 | 67 | Henry Bibby | PG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 8 | 68 | Ted Martiniuk# | F | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Saint Peter's (Sr.) |
| 8 | 69 | Ron Thomas | PF | United States
|
The Floridians | Louisville (Sr.) |
| 8 | 70 | Walter Jones# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | LIU Brooklyn (Sr.) |
| 8 | 71 | Ansley Truitt | PF | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | California (Sr.) |
| 8 | 72 | Cavin Andersen# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Valley City State (Sr.) |
| 8 | 73 | Billy Shepherd | PG | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Butler (Sr.) |
| 8 | 74 | Frank Russell | SG | United States
|
Utah Stars | Detroit (Sr.) |
| 8 | 75 | Terry Benton# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Wichita State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 76 | Charles Edge | SF | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | LeMoyne–Owen (Jr.) |
| 9 | 77 | Steve Davidson# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | West Texas State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 78 | Jerry Crocker# | G | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Guilford (Sr.) |
| 9 | 79 | Bernie Fryer | SG | United States
|
Denver Rockets | BYU (Sr.) |
| 9 | 80 | Ernie Fleming# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
| 9 | 81 | Ed Czernota# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | Sacred Heart (Sr.) |
| 9 | 82 | Wayne Grabiec# | G | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Michigan (Sr.) |
| 9 | 83 | Wardell Dyson# | F | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Shaw University (Sr.) |
| 9 | 84 | Mike Barr | G | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Duquesne (Sr.) |
| 9 | 85 | Mike Jackson | PF | United States
|
Utah Stars | Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.) |
| 9 | 86 | Ernest Pettis# | G | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Western Michigan (Sr.) |
| 10 | 87 | Jackie Young# | G | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Rocky Mountain (Sr.) |
| 10 | 88 | Bryan Adrian# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Davidson (Sr.) |
| 10 | 89 | Mike Collins# | F | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Seattle (Sr.) |
| 10 | 90 | Jerry Pender | SG | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Fresno State (Sr.) |
| 10 | 91 | Sam Cash | PF | United States
|
The Floridians | UC Riverside (Jr.) |
| 10 | 92 | Randy Noll# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | Marshall (Jr.) |
| 10 | 93 | Jerry Zielinski# | SG/SF | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Northern Illinois (Sr.) |
| 10 | 94 | Jolly Spight# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Santa Clara (Sr.) |
| 10 | 95 | Rick Aydlett# | F | United States
|
Virginia Squires | South Carolina (Sr.) |
| 10 | 96 | Kevin Porter | PG | United States
|
Utah Stars | Saint Francis (Jr.) |
| 10 | 97 | Cleveland Hill# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Nicholls State (Sr.) |
| 11 | 98 | Joe Gaines# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Belmont (Sr.) |
| 11 | 99 | Steve Turner# | C | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Vanderbilt (Jr.) |
| 11 | 100 | Wilbert Loftin# | F | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Southwest Louisiana (Sr.) |
| 11 | 101 | Gary Stewart# | F | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Canisius (Sr.) |
| 11 | 102 | Tracy Tripucka# | G | United States
|
The Floridians | Lafayette (Sr.) |
| 11 | 103 | Quinas Brower# | F | United States
|
New York Nets | Hofstra (Sr.) |
| 11 | 104 | Jeff Hickman# | SG | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Houston (Sr.) |
| 11 | 105 | Billy Burton# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Eastern Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 11 | 106 | Kent Hollenbeck# | G | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 11 | 107 | Willie Hart# | C | United States
|
Utah Stars | Grambling (Jr.) |
| 11 | 108 | Andrew Pettes# | G | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Oklahoma (Sr.) |
| 12 | 109 | Henry Bacon | SG | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Louisville (Sr.) |
| 12 | 110 | Chic Downing# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Benedictine College (Sr.) |
| 12 | 111 | Charles Dudley | PG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Washington (Sr.) |
| 12 | 112 | Michael Reid# | G | United States
|
Denver Rockets | UC Riverside (So.) |
| 12 | 113 | Jerry Brucks# | C | United States
|
The Floridians | Wyoming (Sr.) |
| 12 | 114 | Bill Phillips# | C | United States
|
New York Nets | St. John's (Sr.) |
| 12 | 115 | Stan Key# | G | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 12 | 116 | Wally Rice# | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | PMC Colleges (Sr.) |
| 12 | 117 | Milton Adams# | G | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Portland (Sr.) |
| 12 | 118 | Lloyd Neal | C/PF | United States
|
Utah Stars | Tennessee State (Sr.) |
| 12 | 119 | David Hall# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Kansas State (Sr.) |
| 13 | 120 | Billy Pleas# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Detroit (Sr.) |
| 13 | 121 | Ruppert Breedlove# | C | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Oglethorpe (Sr.) |
| 13 | 122 | Mike Sneed# | F | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Fayetteville State (Sr.) |
| 13 | 123 | John Burks# | F | United States
|
Denver Rockets | San Francisco (Sr.) |
| 13 | 124 | Bobby Jack# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Oklahoma (Sr.) |
| 13 | 125 | Kelly Utley# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Shaw University (Sr.) |
| 13 | 126 | Donn Weise#[10] | C | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Ripon College (Sr.) |
| 13 | 127 | Mel Sims#[11] | G | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.) |
| 13 | 128 | Ralph Houston | F | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Houston (Sr.) |
| 13 | 129 | Simpson Degrate# | SG/SF | United States
|
Utah Stars | TCU (Sr.) |
| 13 | 130 | Jerry Clack# | G | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Oklahoma State (Sr.) |
| 14 | 131 | Sam McCarney# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Oral Roberts (Sr.) |
| 14 | 132 | David Werthman# | SF | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | West Virginia (Sr.) |
| 14 | 133 | Steve Previs | PG | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | North Carolina (Sr.) |
| 14 | 134 | John Tschogl | SF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | UC Santa Barbara (Sr.) |
| 14 | 135 | Greg Flaker# | G | United States
|
The Floridians | Missouri (Sr.) |
| 14 | 136 | Paul Hoffman# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) |
| 14 | 137 | Rhea Taylor# | SF | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Arizona State (Sr.) |
| 14 | 138 | Nate Williams# | SF | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | Utah State (Sr.) |
| 14 | 139 | Rudolph Peele# | G | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Norfolk State (Sr.) |
| 14 | 140 | Mose Adolph# | G | United States
|
Utah Stars | Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.) |
| 14 | 141 | Tom Parker# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 15 | 142 | Henry Seawright# | G | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Manhattan (Sr.) |
| 15 | 143 | Gene Mack# | PG | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Iowa State (Sr.) |
| 15 | 144 | Kent Martens# | C | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Abilene Christian (Sr.) |
| 15 | 145 | Leon Huff# | G | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Drake (Sr.) |
| 15 | 146 | Ray Golson# | G | United States
|
The Floridians | West Texas State (Sr.) |
| 15 | New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 15 | 147 | Ron Williams# | G | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Murray State (Sr.) |
| 15 | Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 15 | 148 | Scott McCandlish# | C | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Virginia (Sr.) |
| 15 | 149 | Harvey Catchings | PF/C | United States
|
Utah Stars | Hardin–Simmons (So.) |
| 15 | 150 | Jerry Dunn# | F | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Western Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 16 | 151 | Ken May# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Dayton (Sr.) |
| 16 | 152 | Lee McCullough# | F | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Indiana (Pennsylvania) (Sr.) |
| 16 | 153 | Rod Behrens# | PF | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Samford (Sr.) |
| 16 | 154 | Phillip Sisk# | G | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Georgia Southern (Sr.) |
| 16 | 155 | Willie Cherry# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Denver (Sr.) |
| 16 | New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 16 | 156 | Rich Walker# | G | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Bowling Green (Sr.) |
| 16 | Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 16 | 157 | Harry Taylor# | G/F | United States
|
Virginia Squires | Los Angeles Baptist (Sr.) |
| 16 | 158 | Richard Dixon# | G | United States
|
Utah Stars | Loyola Los Angeles (Sr.) |
| 16 | 159 | Frank Lorthridge# | C/PF | United States
|
Kentucky Colonels | Pan American (Sr.) |
| 17 | 160 | Harry Anderson# | SG | United States
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Saint Peter's (Jr.) |
| 17 | 161 | Steve Schmidt# | G | United States
|
Memphis Pros | South Alabama (Sr.) |
| 17 | 162 | David Smith# | G | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | Western Carolina (Sr.) |
| 17 | 163 | Dave Hullman# | PF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Arizona State (Sr.) |
| 17 | 164 | Arnie Berman# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Brown (Sr.) |
| 17 | 165 | Ron Bradley# | G | United States
|
New York Nets | Eastern Nazarene (Jr.) |
| 17 | 166 | Al Vilcheck# | PF/C | United States
|
Dallas Chaparrals | Louisville (Sr.) |
| 17 | Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 17 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 17 | 167 | Henry Steele# | C | United States
|
Utah Stars | Northeast Louisiana (Sr.)[12] |
| 17 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | 168 | Terry Hankton# | F | United States
|
Memphis Pros | Arkansas Polytechnic College (Sr.) |
| 18 | 169 | Manuel Raga# | SG |  Mexico
|
Pittsburgh Condors | Ignis Varese (Italy) |
| 18 | 170 | Curtis Pritchett# | F | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | St. Augustine's (Sr.) |
| 18 | 171 | Harold Little# | SG/SF | United States
|
Denver Rockets | New Mexico (Sr.) |
| 18 | 172 | Fred DeVaughn# | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Westmont (Jr.) |
| 18 | New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | Dallas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 18 | 173 | Dwight Holiday# | SG | United States
|
Utah Stars | Hawaii (Sr.) |
| 18 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | Pittsburgh Condors (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | Memphis Pros (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | 174 | Paul Coder# | C | United States
|
Carolina Cougars | NC State (Sr.) |
| 19 | 175 | Andy Knowles# | PG | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Louisiana Tech (Sr.) |
| 19 | 176 | Bob Zender#[13] | F | United States
|
The Floridians | Kansas State (Sr.) |
| 19 | New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | Dallas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 19 | 177 | George Price# | G | United States
|
Utah Stars | Colorado State (Sr.) |
| 19 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | Memphis Pros (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | Pittsburgh Condors (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | Carolina Cougars (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | 178 | Al Davis# | F | United States
|
Denver Rockets | Hawaii (Sr.) |
| 20 | The Floridians (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | Dallas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
| 20 | 179 | George Bryant# | PG | United States
|
Utah Stars | Eastern Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 20 | Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) | |||||
Notable undrafted players
[edit]These players were officially considered draft eligible for the 1972 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.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Buse* | PG | United States
|
Evansville (Sr.) |
| Bill Newton | PF/C | United States
|
LSU (Sr.) |
| Dave Twardzik+ | PG | United States
|
Old Dominion (Sr.) |
1972 ABA dispersal draft
[edit]On July 13, 1972, two of the ABA's eleven inaugural teams in "The Floridians" and the Pittsburgh Condors would have their players be dispersed in the first dispersal draft in the ABA's history. This dispersal draft would involve all of the original ABA teams that remained alive and kicking at the time, but it would not include the San Diego Conquistadors expansion team since their creation was done after the dispersal draft happened. This draft would also be considered the debut drafting period of the Memphis Tams under their newly rebranded name.[3] There would be six total rounds of draft picks from this dispersal draft that the nine ABA teams that were left over at the time would utilize from taking either "The Floridians" or Pittsburgh Condors players that were available for themselves.[14] Any players that weren't selected after this draft concluded would be placed on waivers and enter free agency afterward.[4] Interestingly enough, the Denver Rockets were the only ABA team to select players from only one of the two defunct franchises, with them opting to select players only from "The Floridians" franchise instead of either both franchises like every other team here did or even just players from the Pittsburgh Condors only. Outside of that note, the following teams would select these players from either "The Floridians" or the Pittsburgh Condors franchises, with parentheses showcasing the original team they were either on or had the player rights to at the time before the dispersal draft commenced unless directly stated otherwise.
1972 ABA expansion draft
[edit]Following the dispersal draft of "The Floridians" and Pittsburgh Condors franchises, the ABA would host their first and only expansion draft in league history with the San Diego Conquistadors taking on one of the replacement spots for either "The Floridians" or the Pittsburgh Condors since both franchises, coincidentally enough, previously looked at San Diego as a relocation option before folding operations altogether. The expansion draft for the San Diego Conquistadors would take place on August 10, 1972, almost a month after the dispersal draft had concluded, with the Conquistadors being allowed to have two selections of players in essentially one total round (but really two rounds[7]) from the nine remaining inaugural ABA teams at hand. However, the Indiana Pacers would later negotiate a deal with San Diego to only allow them to acquire the negating draft rights to Dwight Jones alongside George Peeples instead of two of their actual players on their end.[5] In any case, Mike Barrett of the Virginia Squires would be named the #1 pick for the San Diego Conquistadors during the expansion draft. Alongside those particular notes of interest, the following players would be selected by the Conquistadors for the franchise's expansion draft.
- San Diego Conquistadors
- Expansion draft roster:
- Round 1: Stew Johnson, Carolina Cougars
- Round 1: George E. Johnson, Dallas Chaparrals
- Round 1: Art Becker, Denver Rockets
- Round 1: George Peeples, Indiana Pacers
- Round 1: Les Hunter, Kentucky Colonels
- Round 1: Don Sidle, Memphis Tams
- Round 1: Ollie Taylor, New York Nets
- Round 1: Red Robbins, Utah Stars
- Round 1: Mike Barrett, Virginia Squires
- Round 2: Larry Miller, Carolina Cougars
- Round 2: Simmie Hill, Dallas Chaparrals
- Round 2: Chuck Williams, Denver Rockets
- Round 2: Draft rights to Dwight Jones, Indiana Pacers
- Round 2: Lonnie Wright, Kentucky Colonels
- Round 2: Charlie Williams, Memphis Tams
- Round 2: Gene Moore, New York Nets
- Round 2: Mike Butler, Utah Stars
- Round 2: Craig Raymond, Virginia Squires
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 183
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "1972 ABA Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c Bradley, Robert. "Remember the ABA: New Orleans Bucs/Memphis Pros/Memphis Tams/Memphis Sounds/Baltimore Claws Year-to-Year Notes". Remember the ABA. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 426
- ^ a b Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 422
- ^ "1972 NBA Draft". DatabaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Bradley, Robert; Grasso, John. "ABA Player Drafts". APBR.org. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "American Basketball Association - 1971-72 ABA Draft Picks". 21 March 2023.
- ^ "Dwaine Dillard". The Draft Review. September 24, 2018. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Ripon College Men's Basketball Career Record Book". Ripon College Athletics. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Mel Sims". SRCBB. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Former NLU Hoops Standout & Longtime High School Coach Jesse Burnette Passes Away at Age 70". University of Louisiana Monroe Athletics. August 13, 2022. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "Bob Zender". SRCBB. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
- ^ "1972 ABA Draft". The Draft Review. June 6, 2007. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.