The Basketball Draft Fact Book

A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts

Robert D. Bradley

On June 2^nd, 1947, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) held the first college basketball draft in the history of the sport. The two leagues selected a combined 100 college seniors, including future Hall of Famers Harry Gallatin, Andy Phillips, and Jim Pollard. Since then, over 9,000 draft choices have been made by the major professional basketball leagues. The Basketball Draft Fact Book is the first detailed and comprehensive listing of all professional basketball drafts in the history of the sport, from the first draft in 1947 to the present.

In The Basketball Draft Fact Book, each season’s draft is summarized, noting significant events and circumstances pertinent to that year and providing insight into the unique conditions and notable players involved. Following the summary is a complete list of all players drafted that season. This book includes not only the NBA, but the American Basketball League, American Basketball Association, and the Women’s National Basketball Association, as well. Additional sections cover expansion and dispersal drafts, international players selected in the draft, the processes used to determine the order of the drafts, the impact of trades, and more.

The Basketball Draft Fact Book provides an authoritative history of basketball drafts in the U.S., with more complete and accurate information than any other source. Containing corrections to hundreds of errors in the draft information currently available, this volume is a valuable resource for basketball fans, historians, writers, and researchers.

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 656 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼

978-0-8108-9068-8 • Hardback • May 2013 • $205.00 • (£158.00)

978-0-8108-9069-5 • eBook • May 2013 • $194.50 • (£150.00)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Basketball, Sports & Recreation / History, Sports & Recreation / Reference

The Basketball Draft Fact Book

A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts

Hardback

eBook

Summary

On June 2^nd, 1947, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) held the first college basketball draft in the history of the sport. The two leagues selected a combined 100 college seniors, including future Hall of Famers Harry Gallatin, Andy Phillips, and Jim Pollard. Since then, over 9,000 draft choices have been made by the major professional basketball leagues. The Basketball Draft Fact Book is the first detailed and comprehensive listing of all professional basketball drafts in the history of the sport, from the first draft in 1947 to the present.

In The Basketball Draft Fact Book, each season’s draft is summarized, noting significant events and circumstances pertinent to that year and providing insight into the unique conditions and notable players involved. Following the summary is a complete list of all players drafted that season. This book includes not only the NBA, but the American Basketball League, American Basketball Association, and the Women’s National Basketball Association, as well. Additional sections cover expansion and dispersal drafts, international players selected in the draft, the processes used to determine the order of the drafts, the impact of trades, and more.

The Basketball Draft Fact Book provides an authoritative history of basketball drafts in the U.S., with more complete and accurate information than any other source. Containing corrections to hundreds of errors in the draft information currently available, this volume is a valuable resource for basketball fans, historians, writers, and researchers.

Details

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 656 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼

978-0-8108-9068-8 • Hardback • May 2013 • $205.00 • (£158.00)

978-0-8108-9069-5 • eBook • May 2013 • $194.50 • (£150.00)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Basketball, Sports & Recreation / History, Sports & Recreation / Reference

Author

Robert D. Bradley is the founder of the Association for Professional Basketball Research. A contributor to Total Basketball, he is also the author of The Compendium of Professional Basketball (2010).

Table of Contents

Glossary of Basketball Terms
General Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Sources
Franchise Abbreviations
Professional Draft Dates

Chapter 1 - BAA, NBA, ABL and ABA Draft Lists
Chapter 2 - BAA, NBA and ABA Expansion and Dispersal Drafts
NBA Expansion Drafts
ABA Expansion Draft
BAA and NBA Dispersal Drafts
ABA Dispersal Drafts
Chapter 3 - Determining the Order of the Draft
NBA Territorial Picks
Coin Flips to Determine the First Pick in the NBA Draft
The NBA Draft Lottery
NBA Draft Lottery Methodology
NBA Lottery Results
Chapter 4 - Determining Eligibility for the Draft
Players Drafted as Junior Eligibles
Players Selected in Multiple Drafts
Underclassmen Turning Professional
Players Who Entered the BAA/NBA with No Previous Professional or College Experience Prior to the Hardship Draft
NBA Players Who Signed Before Becoming Eligible for the NBA Draft
NBA Hardship Draft
Early Entry Candidates
International Players in the Draft Who Appeared in a BAA or NBA Game
Chapter 5 - Miscellaneous Draft Facts
BAA/NBA/ABA First Round Draft Choices by Team
BAA/NBA First Round Draft Choices Who Did Not Sign the Year of Their Selection
Colleges with the Most Players Selected in the First Round of the BAA/NBA Draft
First Round Picks From Historically Black Colleges and Universities
ABA & NBA Rookie Signings 1967-68 to 1975-76
Selections in the NBA Draft That Were Ruled Ineligible
NBA Draft Rights Lost Due to the ABA/NBA Merger
Fathers and Sons Who Were Both First Round NBA Draft Choices
Brothers Who Were Both First Round NBA Draft Choices
NBA, ABA and ABL Draft Oddities
Chapter 6 - ABL and WNBA Draft Lists

About the Author

Reviews

Massive book, hefty price, and highly specialized are terms that all describe The Basketball Draft Fact Book. Yet this is an impressive array of research that provides year-by-year listings of professional basketball player drafts of both men and women since 1996. Author Bradley includes all four major men’s leagues and two women’s leagues, and clearly the bulk of the book (over 400 pages) covers the now well-established NBA. Beginning with the initial Basketball Association of America draft in 1947, the volume lists draft rounds, teams, and players selected. Although the now popularly televised NBA draft includes only two rounds, in 1968 the NBA draft went into a twenty-first round with 214 players selected. Especially interesting are the American Basketball Association (ABA) drafts with an intriguing cast of characters who made up the original ABA. Each draft is introduced by a brief synopsis where users will find interesting facts such as only one player from the 200 draft ever made an All-Star team (Michael Redd, the 43d choice). Additional chapters cover draft order, eligibility, draft facts, and the women’s draft. Other features include television draft coverage, site and dates of drafts, a glossary, resources, and an incomplete index. This is an excellent reference volume for academic and larger public libraries.
— American Reference Books Annual

The Basketball Draft Fact Book

A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts

Robert D. Bradley

The Basketball Draft Fact Book

A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts

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