1981 NBA Draft

The 1981 NBA Draft featured one of the deepest groups of productive players of the early 1980s. Dallas selected Mark Aguirre first overall, Detroit followed with Isiah Thomas at No. 2, and New Jersey selected Buck Williams third.

Nine players from the draft became NBA All-Stars: Mark Aguirre, Danny Ainge, Rolando Blackman, Tom Chambers, Steve Johnson, Larry Nance, Isiah Thomas, Kelly Tripucka and Buck Williams. Thomas became the class's Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the defining point guards of his era.

The draft also contained several remarkable late selections. Danny Ainge went 31st, Frank Brickowski 57th, Lewis Lloyd 76th and Larry Spriggs 81st. Golden State used the 171st selection on 7-foot-8 Japanese center Yasutaka Okayama, while San Diego used the 210th pick on future Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

Mark Aguirre: Dallas selected DePaul star Mark Aguirre with the first overall pick. Aguirre became a three-time NBA All-Star and later won consecutive NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990.

Isiah Thomas: Detroit selected Indiana point guard Isiah Thomas second overall. Thomas became a 12-time NBA All-Star, led the Pistons to championships in 1989 and 1990, won the 1990 NBA Finals MVP Award and was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Buck Williams: New Jersey selected Maryland forward Buck Williams third overall. Williams won the 1981-82 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, became a three-time All-Star and played 17 NBA seasons.

Nine NBA All-Stars: Mark Aguirre, Danny Ainge, Rolando Blackman, Tom Chambers, Steve Johnson, Larry Nance, Isiah Thomas, Kelly Tripucka and Buck Williams all earned NBA All-Star selections.

Rolando Blackman: Dallas selected Kansas State guard Rolando Blackman ninth overall. He became a four-time All-Star and spent his first 11 NBA seasons with the Mavericks.

Tom Chambers: San Diego selected Utah forward Tom Chambers eighth overall. Chambers became a four-time All-Star and was named MVP of the 1987 NBA All-Star Game.

Larry Nance: Phoenix selected Clemson forward Larry Nance 20th overall. Nance became a three-time All-Star, earned three All-Defensive selections and won the NBA's inaugural Slam Dunk Contest in 1984.

Danny Ainge: Boston selected BYU guard Danny Ainge 31st overall in the second round. Ainge became an All-Star and won NBA championships with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986.

Frank Brickowski: New York selected Penn State forward-center Frank Brickowski 57th overall in the third round. Brickowski eventually played more than 700 NBA games despite beginning his professional career overseas.

Lewis Lloyd: Golden State selected Drake guard Lewis Lloyd 76th overall in the fourth round. Lloyd became a productive NBA scorer and averaged more than 17 points per game in three consecutive seasons with Houston.

Pétur Guðmundsson: Portland selected Icelandic center Pétur Guðmundsson 61st overall in the third round. He became the first Icelandic player to appear in the NBA.

Yasutaka Okayama: Golden State selected Japanese center Yasutaka Okayama 171st overall in the eighth round. Standing approximately 7-foot-8, Okayama remains one of the tallest players ever drafted by an NBA team. He never appeared in an NBA regular-season game.

Jay Triano: The Los Angeles Lakers selected Canadian guard Jay Triano 179th overall in the eighth round. Although he never played in the NBA, Triano became a prominent Canadian national-team player and coach and later became the first Canadian-born head coach in NBA history.

Tony Gwynn: San Diego selected San Diego State guard Tony Gwynn 210th overall in the tenth round. Gwynn chose professional baseball instead and became one of the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball history, spending his entire 20-season MLB career with the San Diego Padres before being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kenny Easley: Chicago selected UCLA's Kenny Easley 216th overall in the tenth round. Easley chose professional football and became an NFL star with the Seattle Seahawks. He was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

223 selections: The 1981 NBA Draft contained 223 player selections over 10 rounds. Basketball-Reference records 59 of the selected players as eventually appearing in an NBA regular-season or playoff game.