1977 NBA draft


The 1977 NBA draft was the 31st annual draft of the National Basketball Association. 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. 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 were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule. 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. Four former American Basketball Association 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. The draft consisted of 8 rounds comprising the selection of 170 players.

Draft selections and draftee career notes

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. 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. 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; Johnson was selected to five All-NBA Teams and three All-Star Games; and King was selected to four All-NBA Teams and four All-Star Games. Jack Sikma, the eight pick, won the NBA championship with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979 and was selected to seven consecutive All-Star Games. Rickey Green, the 16th pick, Norm Nixon, the 22nd pick, and Eddie Johnson, the 39th pick, are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game. Two players drafted went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 33rd pick Eddie Jordan and 53rd pick John Kuester. Jordan has coached three teams in nine seasons, including five seasons with the Washington Wizards.
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. However, the league voided the Warriors' selection, thus Harris became the first and only woman to ever be officially drafted. Harris did not express an interest to play in the NBA and declined to try out for the Jazz. 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. 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 women 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.
Also in the seventh round, the Kansas City Kings selected track and field athlete Caitlyn Jenner with the 139th pick. Jenner had just won the gold medal for decathlon at the 1976 Olympic Games, but had not actually played basketball since high school. Jenner was presented with a Kings jersey bearing the number 8618, but he never appeared in a game.

Key

Draft

Other picks

The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.
RoundPickPlayerPos.NationalityTeamSchool/club team
346F/CUnited StatesLos Angeles Lakers Washington
348GUnited StatesAtlanta HawksUNLV
349+GUnited StatesAtlanta Hawks Auburn
352GUnited StatesSeattle SuperSonicsProvidence
353GUnited StatesKansas City KingsNorth Carolina
360GUnited StatesGolden State WarriorsSan Francisco
362GUnited StatesHouston RocketsLouisville
365GUnited StatesDenver NuggetsUNLV
366GUnited StatesPhoenix Suns Stanford
469CUnited StatesMilwaukee BucksUNLV
471FUnited StatesPhoenix SunsIdaho State
472GUnited StatesNew Orleans JazzDetroit
476CUnited StatesNew York KnicksIdaho State
488GUnited StatesLos Angeles LakersWest Virginia
5103GUnited StatesSan Antonio SpursMissouri
5104FUnited StatesGolden State WarriorsNorfolk State
6111FUnited StatesNew York NetsDuke
6115GUnited StatesPhoenix SunsNorthwestern
6117CUnited StatesIndiana PacersPurdue
7136G/FUnited StatesPhoenix SunsOral Roberts
7151C
Canada
Los Angeles LakersWashington
8152CUnited StatesNew York NetsUCLA
8165GUnited StatesGolden State WarriorsManhattan
8168FUnited StatesPhiladelphia 76ersVillanova

Trades