1953 NBA Draft

The 1953 NBA Draft produced three future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers: Bob Houbregs, Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan. It also produced seven future NBA All-Stars, including Ray Felix, Walter Dukes, Richie Regan, Jack Molinas and Kenny Sears.

Philadelphia used its opening territorial selection on University of Pennsylvania star Ernie Beck. Baltimore then selected Ray Felix, who had played for the Manchester British-Americans of the American Basketball League, with the first regular pick. Felix immediately won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

The draft was particularly valuable to Boston. The Celtics selected Frank Ramsey in the first round, Cliff Hagan in the third round and Lou Tsioropoulos in the seventh round. Ramsey and Hagan both became Hall of Famers, although Hagan eventually began his NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks.

Unlike a modern NBA Draft, teams continued selecting until they chose to pass. By the final rounds only Rochester and Minneapolis were still making selections, and Rochester made the lone selection of the 19th round.

122 total selections: The 1953 NBA Draft was held on April 24, 1953 in Boston. Nine NBA franchises participated and the draft continued for 19 rounds.

Ray Felix: Baltimore selected 6-foot-11 center Ray Felix with the first regular selection. Felix immediately became one of the league's better young centers and won the 1954 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

Ernie Beck: Philadelphia used a territorial selection on University of Pennsylvania star Ernie Beck. Beck remained with the Warriors organization for most of his NBA career and was a member of Philadelphia's 1956 championship team.

Walter Dukes: New York used a territorial selection on Seton Hall center Walter Dukes. The 7-footer became a two-time NBA All-Star and one of the tallest players in the league during the 1950s.

Bob Houbregs: Milwaukee selected University of Washington star Bob Houbregs with the second regular selection. Houbregs later became one of three players from this draft class inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Frank Ramsey: Boston selected Kentucky's Frank Ramsey in the first round. Ramsey became one of the NBA's first great sixth men and won seven NBA championships with the Celtics.

Cliff Hagan: Boston selected another Kentucky star, Cliff Hagan, in the third round. Hagan later went to the St. Louis Hawks as part of the famous 1956 trade that brought Bill Russell's draft rights to Boston.

Hall of Famers: Bob Houbregs, Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan are the three Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers from the 1953 NBA Draft class.

Seven NBA All-Stars: Walter Dukes, Ray Felix, Jack Molinas, Richie Regan, Cliff Hagan, Kenny Sears and another member of the class reached the NBA All-Star Game, giving the draft seven eventual All-Stars.

Jack Molinas: Fort Wayne selected Columbia star Jack Molinas third among the regular selections. Molinas was an NBA All-Star as a rookie but was permanently banned from the league after only 32 games for betting on Pistons games.

Kenny Sears: Rochester found exceptional value deep in the draft by selecting Santa Clara forward Ken Sears in the 14th round. Sears later became a two-time NBA All-Star and twice led the league in field-goal percentage.

Doug Atkins: Minneapolis selected Tennessee's Doug Atkins in the 17th round. Atkins chose professional football instead of basketball and became one of the greatest defensive ends in NFL history, eventually entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Philadelphia territorial selections: Detailed historical draft records list Ernie Beck, Larry Hennessy, Norm Grekin and Fred Iehle as Philadelphia territorial selections, with Walter Dukes selected territorially by New York.

Late-round passes: The draft rapidly thinned after Round 12. Only four teams made selections in Round 13, three in Rounds 14 through 16, and only Rochester and Minneapolis continued through Round 18.

Final round: Rochester was the only franchise to make a selection in Round 19, choosing Villanova guard Nick Maguire. Every other NBA team had already passed.