1949 BAA Draft

The 1949 BAA Draft occupies a unique place in professional basketball history. It was the third and final draft conducted by the Basketball Association of America. Several months later, the BAA and National Basketball League completed the merger that produced the National Basketball Association.

Providence selected Kansas State guard Howie Shannon with the first regular pick. The class ultimately produced an exceptional collection of professional talent, including Hall of Famers Ed Macauley, Vern Mikkelsen, Dick McGuire, Harry Gallatin and Slater Martin.

The draft also included Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Leo Barnhorst, Bob Harrison, Jack Coleman, Dwight "Dike" Eddleman, Fred Schaus and Paul Walther. Many became NBA All-Stars during the league's formative years.

Records from the earliest professional drafts are incomplete. Sources disagree on the exact number and numbering of some later selections. For that reason, this page gives overall pick numbers where they are reliably documented and leaves the pick field blank for selections whose precise overall number is uncertain rather than assigning a speculative number.

The following players are documented as selections in historical draft records, but surviving records do not consistently identify a precise round or overall pick. They are listed separately rather than assigning speculative pick numbers.

Final BAA Draft: The 1949 draft was the final player draft conducted under the Basketball Association of America name. On August 3, 1949, the BAA and National Basketball League completed their merger, creating the National Basketball Association.

Howie Shannon: Providence selected Kansas State guard Howie Shannon with the first regular selection. Shannon played two professional seasons, appearing for Providence and the Boston Celtics.

Territorial selections: St. Louis claimed Saint Louis University star Ed Macauley while Minneapolis claimed Hamline star Vern Mikkelsen. Both became Hall of Fame players and major stars during the NBA's first decade.

Ed Macauley: Macauley became one of the early NBA's premier big men. He later starred for Boston and was included in the 1956 trade that sent the draft rights to Bill Russell from the St. Louis Hawks to the Celtics.

Vern Mikkelsen: Mikkelsen became a cornerstone of the Minneapolis Lakers dynasty alongside George Mikan and Jim Pollard. He won four NBA championships with Minneapolis and was eventually inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Alex Groza: Indianapolis selected Kentucky center Alex Groza near the top of the draft. Groza immediately became one of professional basketball's leading scorers and earned All-NBA First Team honors in each of his two seasons. His professional career ended following the 1951 college basketball point-shaving scandal.

Dick McGuire: New York selected St. John's guard Dick McGuire in the first round. McGuire became a seven-time NBA All-Star and one of the greatest playmakers of the league's early era.

Ralph Beard: Chicago selected Kentucky guard Ralph Beard in the first round. Like college teammate Alex Groza, Beard became an immediate NBA star before his career was ended by the fallout from the 1951 point-shaving scandal.

Harry Gallatin: The Knicks selected Northeast Missouri State's Harry Gallatin in the second round. Gallatin became a seven-time All-Star and led the NBA in rebounding during the 1953-54 season.

Slater Martin: Minneapolis selected Texas guard Slater Martin in the third round. Martin became one of the great defensive guards of his era, won five NBA championships and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bob Harrison: Minneapolis selected Michigan guard Bob Harrison in the second round. Harrison became an NBA All-Star and won three championships with the Lakers.

Jack Coleman: Rochester selected Louisville forward Jack Coleman in the second round. Coleman became an NBA All-Star and helped the Royals win the 1951 NBA championship.

Fred Schaus: Fort Wayne selected West Virginia star Fred Schaus. Schaus became an NBA All-Star before beginning a long coaching and executive career that included coaching the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dike Eddleman: Chicago selected Illinois multi-sport star Dwight "Dike" Eddleman. He became an NBA All-Star and also competed internationally in track and field.

Paul Walther: Minneapolis selected Tennessee guard Paul Walther in a later round. Walther became an NBA All-Star in 1952 while playing for the Indianapolis Olympians.

Historic depth: The class produced numerous players who became important figures during the NBA's first decade. Basketball-Reference credits the class with 13 future BAA/NBA All-Stars.

Incomplete early records: Unlike modern drafts, complete contemporary documentation of every late-round selection has not survived in a consistent form. Historical databases differ in their totals and in the assignment of rounds to several players. NBAHoopsOnline therefore lists documented players without manufacturing an overall selection number where one cannot be reliably established.