1977 NBA Draft

The 1977 NBA Draft produced one of the deepest groups of stars of the late 1970s. Eight players selected in the draft became NBA All-Stars: Otis Birdsong, Walter Davis, Rickey Green, Eddie Johnson, Marques Johnson, Bernard King, Norm Nixon and Jack Sikma.

Three members of the class became Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers as NBA players: Walter Davis, Bernard King and Jack Sikma. Davis won the 1977-78 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, while Sikma became a seven-time All-Star and helped Seattle win the 1979 NBA championship.

The draft was also historically significant because it was the first NBA Draft for the four ABA franchises admitted in the 1976 merger: Denver, Indiana, the New York Nets and San Antonio. The Nets still drafted under the New York name before relocating to New Jersey later in 1977.

Another historic selection came in the seventh round, when the New Orleans Jazz selected Delta State center Lusia Harris 137th overall. Harris became the first woman whose selection in an NBA Draft was officially recognized by the league.

Kent Benson: Milwaukee won the pre-draft coin flip and selected Indiana center Kent Benson with the first overall pick. Benson had helped Indiana complete an undefeated 32-0 national championship season in 1975-76 and went on to play 11 NBA seasons.

Marques Johnson trade: Three days before the draft, Milwaukee traded Swen Nater and the No. 13 selection to Buffalo for the Braves' No. 3 pick. Milwaukee used that selection on UCLA star Marques Johnson, while Buffalo's acquired No. 13 selection was eventually used by Chicago on Tate Armstrong.

Walter Davis: Phoenix selected North Carolina guard- forward Walter Davis fifth overall. Davis averaged 24.2 points as a rookie, was named an NBA All-Star and won the 1977-78 Rookie of the Year Award. He became a six-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Bernard King: The New York Nets selected Tennessee forward Bernard King seventh overall. King became one of the NBA's premier scorers, won the 1984-85 scoring title, earned four All-Star selections and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

Jack Sikma: Seattle selected Illinois Wesleyan center Jack Sikma eighth overall. Sikma became a seven-time NBA All-Star and helped the SuperSonics win the 1979 NBA championship. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Eight NBA All-Stars: Otis Birdsong, Walter Davis, Rickey Green, Eddie Johnson, Marques Johnson, Bernard King, Norm Nixon and Jack Sikma all became NBA All-Stars.

Deep third round: Several long-term NBA players were still available in Round 3. James Edwards went 46th overall and played 19 NBA seasons, Eddie Johnson went 49th and became a two-time All-Star, Joe Hassett went 52nd, John Kuester went 53rd and Mike Bratz went 66th.

Cedric Maxwell: Boston selected UNC Charlotte forward Cedric Maxwell 12th overall. Maxwell became a key member of two Celtics championship teams and was named MVP of the 1981 NBA Finals.

Norm Nixon: The Lakers selected Duquesne guard Norm Nixon with the final pick of the first round at No. 22. Nixon became a two-time NBA All-Star and helped Los Angeles win championships in 1980 and 1982.

Lusia Harris: New Orleans selected Delta State center Lusia Harris 137th overall in the seventh round. Denise Long had been selected by San Francisco in 1969, but the NBA voided that selection. Harris therefore became the first and remains the only woman officially selected in an NBA Draft. She did not attend the Jazz's training camp or play in the NBA.

Bruce Jenner: Kansas City used the 139th overall pick on Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner, now known as Caitlyn Jenner. Jenner had not played college basketball and the selection was largely promotional. Jenner did not pursue an NBA career.

First post-merger draft: The 1977 draft was the first NBA Draft in which Denver, Indiana, the New York Nets and San Antonio participated following the 1976 NBA-ABA merger.

New York Nets: The franchise is correctly listed as the New York Nets throughout this page. The team did not officially become the New Jersey Nets until after the draft, making 1977 its only NBA Draft under the New York Nets name.

Only eight rounds: Unlike the 10-round drafts that followed from 1978 through 1984, the 1977 NBA Draft ended after eight rounds. The first five rounds each contained 22 selections, the sixth had 21, the seventh had 20 and the eighth had 19, producing 170 official selections.

170 selections: Basketball-Reference records 65 of the 170 drafted players as eventually appearing in an NBA regular- season or playoff game.