1958 NBA Draft

The 1958 NBA Draft produced three future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers in Elgin Baylor, Hal Greer and Guy Rodgers. Baylor became one of the greatest forwards in league history, while Greer and Rodgers developed into two of the NBA's leading guards of the 1960s.

Minneapolis selected Baylor first overall after he led Seattle University to the 1958 NCAA championship game. Baylor immediately transformed the Lakers, winning NBA Rookie of the Year and earning All-NBA First Team honors during his first season.

Other notable selections included Wayne Embry, Don Ohl, Adrian Smith, Bucky Bockhorn, Barney Cable and Larry Staverman. Six members of the class eventually became NBA All-Stars: Baylor, Embry, Greer, Ohl, Rodgers and Smith.

The draft lasted 17 rounds and included 88 selections. Twenty-six members of the class eventually appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game.

88 selections: The 1958 NBA Draft consisted of 88 selections over 17 rounds. Twenty-six members of the class eventually appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game.

Elgin Baylor: Minneapolis selected Seattle University forward Elgin Baylor with the first overall pick. Baylor had led Seattle to the 1958 NCAA championship game and immediately became the centerpiece of the struggling Lakers franchise.

Drafted twice: Baylor had actually been selected previously by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 14th round of the 1956 NBA Draft. He remained in college and was eligible to be selected again in 1958, when Minneapolis used the No. 1 overall pick on him.

Rookie of the Year: Baylor averaged 24.9 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as a rookie. He won the 1959 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, made the All-Star team and was selected to the All-NBA First Team.

Hall of Fame: Baylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977 and was later selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.

Guy Rodgers: Philadelphia used its territorial selection on Temple guard Guy Rodgers. Rodgers became one of the NBA's leading playmakers, appearing in four NBA All-Star Games and twice leading the league in assists.

Hal Greer: Syracuse found one of the greatest second-round selections in NBA history when it drafted Marshall guard Hal Greer with the 14th pick. Greer became a 10-time NBA All-Star and helped the Philadelphia 76ers win the 1967 NBA championship.

Three Hall of Famers: Elgin Baylor, Guy Rodgers and Hal Greer were all eventually inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wayne Embry: St. Louis selected Miami University center Wayne Embry in the third round. Embry became a five-time NBA All-Star and won the 1968 NBA championship with Boston. He later became one of the most influential executives in league history.

Don Ohl: Philadelphia selected Illinois guard Don Ohl in the fifth round. Ohl became a five-time NBA All-Star and played 10 seasons in the league.

Adrian Smith: Cincinnati found an eventual NBA All-Star extraordinarily late in the draft, selecting Kentucky guard Adrian Smith with the 86th pick in the 15th round. Smith played 10 NBA seasons and was named MVP of the 1966 NBA All-Star Game.

Frank Howard: Philadelphia selected Ohio State's Frank Howard in the third round. Rather than pursue professional basketball, Howard chose baseball and became a four-time MLB All-Star during a 16-year major-league career.

Steve Hamilton: Minneapolis selected Morehead State forward Steve Hamilton in the second round. Hamilton played in both the NBA and Major League Baseball, appearing for the Lakers and later pitching for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees.

Mike Farmer: The No. 3 pick originally belonged to Detroit. The Pistons had traded the selection to New York in the 1957 deal that sent Dick McGuire to Detroit, allowing the Knicks to select San Francisco forward Mike Farmer.

Six NBA All-Stars: Elgin Baylor, Wayne Embry, Hal Greer, Don Ohl, Guy Rodgers and Adrian Smith all became NBA All-Stars.

Late-round passing: As was common in early NBA drafts, teams stopped selecting players once they no longer wished to continue. The field gradually narrowed until Cincinnati was the only franchise making selections after the 13th round.

Final four selections: Cincinnati made each of the last four picks of the draft: Jim Newcome in Round 14, Adrian Smith in Round 15, Jack McCarthy in Round 16 and John Powell in Round 17.

Final selection: Cincinnati selected Miami (Ohio) player John Powell with the 88th and final pick of the 1958 NBA Draft.