1973 NBA Draft

The 1973 NBA Draft was one of the final examples of the NBA's old-style marathon drafts. Seventeen teams combined to make 211 selections over 20 rounds. Beginning in 1974, the NBA standardized the draft at 10 rounds.

Philadelphia won the coin flip for the first overall selection and selected Illinois State guard Doug Collins. Cleveland selected Minnesota forward Jim Brewer second with a pick acquired from Portland, while Buffalo chose Providence guard Ernie DiGregorio third.

The draft produced four future NBA All-Stars: Doug Collins, Kermit Washington, Larry Kenon and George McGinnis. McGinnis, already a star with the Indiana Pacers of the ABA, was selected 22nd overall by Philadelphia and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The class also included future NBA coaches Mike D'Antoni and George Karl, future NBA executive M.L. Carr, Croatian basketball legend Krešimir Ćosić and future Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.

Two-day draft: Unlike the 10-round drafts that followed, the 1973 NBA Draft stretched across 20 rounds. The first 10 rounds were conducted on April 24, while the remaining rounds were completed May 5. A total of 211 players were selected.

Doug Collins: Philadelphia won the coin flip for the first overall selection and chose Illinois State star Doug Collins. Collins became a four-time NBA All-Star before injuries shortened his playing career. He later became an NBA head coach and television analyst.

Extra Philadelphia pick: The 76ers had an additional first-round selection and chose Cal State Los Angeles guard Raymond Lewis at No. 18. The extra pick was awarded as compensation after Seattle signed John Brisker.

Ernie DiGregorio: Buffalo selected Providence guard Ernie DiGregorio third overall. He immediately won the 1973-74 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and led the league in assists as a rookie.

George McGinnis: Philadelphia selected George McGinnis 22nd overall even though he was already starring for the Indiana Pacers in the ABA. McGinnis eventually joined the 76ers in 1975, became an NBA All-Star and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Larry Kenon: Detroit selected Memphis State forward Larry Kenon 50th overall in the third round. Kenon instead began his professional career in the ABA and became an All-Star in both the ABA and NBA.

Mike D'Antoni: Kansas City-Omaha selected Marshall guard Mike D'Antoni 20th overall. His NBA playing career was brief, but he later became one of the most influential offensive coaches of his generation and twice won NBA Coach of the Year.

George Karl: The Knicks selected North Carolina guard George Karl 66th overall. Karl played professionally in the ABA before beginning a coaching career in which he won more than 1,000 NBA games and earned the 2012-13 NBA Coach of the Year Award.

M.L. Carr: Kansas City-Omaha selected Guilford forward M.L. Carr 76th overall. Carr later won two NBA championships with Boston and subsequently served the Celtics as both general manager and head coach.

Dave Winfield: Atlanta selected Minnesota's Dave Winfield 79th overall despite baseball ultimately becoming his professional sport. Winfield was also drafted by Major League Baseball and the NFL and went on to a Hall of Fame baseball career. He never played in the NBA.

Krešimir Ćosić: The Lakers selected Yugoslavian center Krešimir Ćosić 84th overall after his college career at BYU. He never played in the NBA but became one of the most important international players of his era and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Capital Bullets: The former Baltimore Bullets moved to the Washington, D.C., area and adopted the Capital Bullets name for the 1973-74 season. Capital Bullets is therefore the historically correct franchise name for the team's selections in this draft.

Kansas City-Omaha Kings: The franchise was officially known as the Kansas City-Omaha Kings in 1973 and split its home games between the two cities. The club did not become simply the Kansas City Kings until 1975.

Final 20-round draft: The 1973 draft marked the end of the NBA's open-ended, extremely long draft era. Beginning with the 1974 draft, the league limited the event to 10 rounds.

Four NBA All-Stars: Doug Collins, Kermit Washington, Larry Kenon and George McGinnis were the four members of the 1973 draft class who later appeared in an NBA All-Star Game.

211 selections: The draft contained 211 selections, but only 53 of the selected players eventually appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game.