1972 NBA Draft

The 1972 NBA Draft was held in two stages. The league conducted the first 10 rounds on April 10 and returned five days later to complete the remaining eight rounds. Seventeen franchises ultimately made 198 official selections.

Portland won the coin flip for the first overall selection and chose Loyola Chicago center LaRue Martin. Buffalo followed with North Carolina star Bob McAdoo, who became one of the most accomplished players in the class.

The draft produced three future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers: Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal and Julius Erving. McAdoo became an NBA MVP and scoring champion, Westphal became a five-time NBA All-Star, and Erving became one of the defining stars of the ABA and NBA.

Several notable players were available well beyond the opening round. Don Buse went 34th, Kevin Porter 39th, Henry Bibby 61st, James Silas 92nd and Krešimir Ćosić 144th.

Two draft dates: The first 10 rounds of the 1972 NBA Draft were conducted on April 10. The league completed rounds 11 through 18 on April 15. Altogether, 198 players were selected.

LaRue Martin: Portland won the coin flip with Buffalo for the first overall selection and chose Loyola Chicago center LaRue Martin. Martin played four NBA seasons, all with the Trail Blazers.

Bob McAdoo: Buffalo selected North Carolina star Bob McAdoo second overall. McAdoo won the 1972-73 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, three consecutive scoring championships and the 1974-75 NBA MVP Award. He later won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Paul Westphal: Boston selected USC guard Paul Westphal with the 10th overall pick. Westphal won the 1974 NBA championship with the Celtics and later became a five-time All-Star, primarily with Phoenix. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Julius Erving: Milwaukee selected Julius Erving 12th overall even though he was already playing professionally for the Virginia Squires of the ABA. Erving never played for Milwaukee. He became one of the biggest stars of the ABA, later joined the Philadelphia 76ers and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Five NBA All-Stars: Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal, Julius Erving, Jim Price and Don Buse eventually appeared in an NBA All-Star Game.

Don Buse: Phoenix selected Evansville guard Don Buse 34th overall in the third round. Buse instead began his professional career with the Indiana Pacers of the ABA. After the merger he became an NBA All-Star and one of the league's leading defensive guards.

Kevin Porter: Baltimore selected St. Francis guard Kevin Porter 39th overall. Porter later led the NBA in assists four times and set what was then the league's single-game record with 29 assists in 1978.

James Silas: Houston selected James Silas 70th overall in the fifth round. Silas instead became a star with the Dallas Chaparrals and San Antonio Spurs in the ABA and remained with the Spurs when they entered the NBA.

Henry Bibby: The Knicks selected UCLA guard Henry Bibby 58th overall in the fourth round. Bibby became one of the few players to win an NCAA championship, NBA championship and later coach at the major-college level.

Krešimir Ćosić: Portland selected Yugoslavian center Krešimir Ćosić 144th overall in the tenth round. Ćosić had starred at BYU but returned to Europe rather than playing in the NBA. He became one of international basketball's most influential players and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Hardship selections: The unusual first-round order was affected by the NBA's hardship rules. Cincinnati, Atlanta, Baltimore and Golden State had previously used supplemental selections on hardship players, causing them to forfeit corresponding 1972 first-round choices.

Cincinnati to Kansas City-Omaha: The Royals were still the Cincinnati Royals when the first 10 rounds were held on April 10. The franchise's relocation was approved that spring and the club became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. The later rounds are listed under the Kansas City-Omaha name to reflect the franchise transition.

Baltimore Bullets: The Bullets were still based in Baltimore at the time of the 1972 draft. The franchise moved to the Washington area for the 1973-74 season, first becoming the Capital Bullets and then the Washington Bullets.

198 selections: The 1972 NBA Draft contained 198 official selections over 18 rounds. Basketball-Reference records 50 of the selected players as eventually appearing in an NBA regular-season or playoff game.