1970 NBA Draft

The 1970 NBA Draft was the largest draft in league history. Seventeen NBA franchises combined to select 239 players over 19 rounds. Detroit won a coin flip with San Diego for the first overall selection and used it on St. Bonaventure center Bob Lanier.

The draft produced an exceptional collection of talent. Bob Lanier, Pete Maravich, Dave Cowens, Calvin Murphy, Nate "Tiny" Archibald and Dan Issel were among the players from the class who eventually entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The class also included Rudy Tomjanovich, Charlie Scott, Sam Lacey, Geoff Petrie and several other future NBA All-Stars.

The 1970 draft was also the first for three expansion franchises: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Cleveland selected John Johnson with its first-ever draft choice, Portland selected Geoff Petrie and Buffalo selected John Hummer.

Several outstanding players remained available deep into the draft. Charlie Scott went 106th overall in the seventh round, Dan Issel was selected 122nd in the eighth round, and international star Manuel Raga was selected 167th by Atlanta.

Largest NBA Draft: The 1970 NBA Draft contained 239 official selections over 19 rounds, the most players ever selected in a single NBA draft.

Bob Lanier: Detroit won the coin flip with San Diego and selected St. Bonaventure center Bob Lanier first overall. Lanier became an eight-time NBA All-Star and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Pete Maravich: Atlanta selected LSU scoring sensation Pete Maravich third overall. "Pistol Pete" became a five-time NBA All-Star, led the league in scoring in 1976-77 and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Dave Cowens: Boston selected Florida State center Dave Cowens fourth overall. Cowens shared the 1970-71 NBA Rookie of the Year Award with Geoff Petrie, won the 1972-73 NBA MVP Award and helped the Celtics win championships in 1974 and 1976.

Geoff Petrie: Portland used the first draft pick in franchise history on Princeton guard Geoff Petrie at No. 8. Petrie shared Rookie of the Year honors with Dave Cowens and became the first major star in Trail Blazers history.

Tiny Archibald: Cincinnati selected UTEP guard Nate "Tiny" Archibald 19th overall in the second round. In 1972-73, Archibald became the only player in NBA history to lead the league in both scoring and assists in the same season.

Calvin Murphy: San Diego selected Niagara guard Calvin Murphy 18th overall. Despite standing only 5-foot-9, Murphy played 13 NBA seasons and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Charlie Scott: Boston selected North Carolina guard Charlie Scott 106th overall in the seventh round. Scott began his professional career in the ABA before becoming an NBA All-Star and later winning the 1976 championship with Boston.

Dan Issel: Detroit selected Kentucky star Dan Issel 122nd overall in the eighth round. Issel instead signed with the ABA's Kentucky Colonels, where he immediately became a superstar. He later played for Denver in both the ABA and NBA and entered the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Manuel Raga: Atlanta selected Mexican star Manuel Raga 167th overall in the tenth round. Raga never played in the NBA, but the selection was historically significant during an era when international players were rarely drafted.

Three expansion teams: Buffalo, Cleveland and Portland participated in the NBA Draft for the first time. The Cavaliers selected John Johnson at No. 7, Portland selected Geoff Petrie at No. 8 and Buffalo selected John Hummer at No. 15.

Expansion draft order: Cleveland, Portland and Buffalo were inserted into the draft order as expansion franchises. The Cavaliers picked seventh in the first round, Portland eighth and Buffalo fifteenth after draft-pick transactions affected the opening round.

San Diego Rockets: The Rockets were still located in San Diego in 1970. The franchise moved to Houston in 1971.

San Francisco Warriors: The Warriors were still known as the San Francisco Warriors during the 1970 draft. The team adopted the Golden State Warriors name in 1971.

57 NBA players: Of the record 239 players selected, 57 eventually appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game. The enormous difference between players drafted and players who reached the league illustrates the nature of the NBA's long, multi-round drafts of the era.

Deep Hall of Fame talent: The draft produced an unusual amount of elite talent at widely separated draft positions. Future Hall of Famers were available at the very top of the draft, in the second round and deep into the later rounds.