1969 NBA Draft

The 1969 NBA Draft featured 218 official selections over 20 rounds. Milwaukee and Phoenix, the teams with the worst records in their respective divisions, participated in a coin flip for the first overall selection. Milwaukee won and selected UCLA superstar Lew Alcindor, who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The class produced three future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jo Jo White and Bob Dandridge. Six players from the draft eventually became NBA All-Stars: Abdul-Jabbar, White, Dandridge, Butch Beard, Norm Van Lier and Steve Mix.

The draft also produced several excellent players outside the opening round. Norm Van Lier was selected in the third round, Bob Dandridge in the fourth, Steve Mix in the fifth and ABA standouts Mack Calvin, Willie Wise and George Thompson much later.

The 1969 draft also contained one of the most unusual selections in NBA history. The San Francisco Warriors attempted to select Iowa high school star Denise Long during the 13th round, but the league subsequently voided the selection because she was not eligible for the NBA Draft.

Voided selection: During the 13th round, the San Francisco Warriors attempted to select Denise Long, a high school basketball star from Iowa. NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy voided the selection because Long was not eligible for the NBA Draft. She is therefore not included in the official 218-player sequence above.

Two draft dates: The first and second rounds were conducted on April 7, 1969. The NBA reconvened on May 7 to complete Rounds 3 through 20.

Lew Alcindor: Milwaukee won a coin flip with Phoenix for the first overall selection and chose UCLA center Lew Alcindor. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, led Milwaukee to the 1971 NBA championship and became one of the most accomplished players in basketball history. He adopted the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.

Milwaukee's coin-flip victory: The Bucks and Suns were both expansion franchises that had entered the NBA one year earlier. Milwaukee's March 1969 coin-flip victory gave the Bucks the opportunity to select Alcindor, while Phoenix selected Florida center Neal Walk second.

Jo Jo White: Boston selected Kansas guard Jo Jo White ninth overall. White became a seven-time NBA All-Star, helped Boston win championships in 1974 and 1976 and was named MVP of the 1976 NBA Finals.

Bob Dandridge: Milwaukee found one of the draft's great bargains when it selected Norfolk State forward Bob Dandridge 45th overall in the fourth round. Dandridge became a four-time NBA All-Star and won championships with Milwaukee in 1971 and Washington in 1978.

Norm Van Lier: Chicago selected St. Francis guard Norm Van Lier 34th overall in the third round. Van Lier became a three-time NBA All-Star and one of the league's premier defensive guards during the 1970s.

Steve Mix: Detroit selected Toledo forward Steve Mix 61st overall in the fifth round. Mix eventually became an NBA All-Star and enjoyed a 13-season NBA career.

Willie Wise: San Francisco selected Drake forward Willie Wise 64th overall. Wise chose the ABA and became one of that league's top players, earning multiple ABA All-Star selections and helping the Utah Stars win the 1971 ABA championship.

George Thompson: Boston selected Marquette guard George Thompson 66th overall. Thompson instead joined the ABA and became a three-time ABA All-Star.

Mack Calvin: The Lakers selected USC guard Mack Calvin 187th overall in the 14th round. Calvin became a five-time ABA All-Star and one of the most productive guards in ABA history.

Denise Long: San Francisco attempted to draft Denise Long in the 13th round. Long had become a national sensation as a high school player in Iowa, but NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy voided the selection because she was not eligible for the NBA Draft. The voided selection is not counted among the 218 official draft choices.

Rick Roberson: The Lakers received an additional first-round selection and used it on Cincinnati center Rick Roberson at No. 15, giving the first round 15 selections even though the NBA had 14 teams.

Historical team names: The Rockets were still the San Diego Rockets and the Warriors were still the San Francisco Warriors in 1969. Both franchises changed geographic identities in 1971, with the Rockets moving to Houston and the Warriors adopting the Golden State name.

International note: Baltimore's 19th-round selection Brian Heaney played at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, making the Canadian school one of the unusual non-U.S. college entries in this draft.

218 selections: Fourteen NBA teams made 218 official selections across 20 rounds. Basketball-Reference records 47 of those players as eventually appearing in an NBA regular-season or playoff game.

Six NBA All-Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jo Jo White, Butch Beard, Bob Dandridge, Norm Van Lier and Steve Mix eventually appeared in at least one NBA All-Star Game.