About This List
Being selected in the first round of the NBA Draft normally means a player
is expected to have a strong chance of reaching the league. However, throughout
NBA history, a small number of first-round selections never appeared in an
NBA game.
The reasons varied considerably. Some players chose other professional
basketball leagues, including the ABA or leagues in Europe. Others were
unable to make an NBA roster, while unusual circumstances prevented some
players from ever beginning their NBA careers.
This list includes first-round draft selections who never played in an NBA
regular-season game. Playing professional basketball in another league does
not remove a player from the list.
First-Round Picks Who Never Played in the NBA
| Year |
Player |
Pick No. |
Team |
Notes |
| 1947 |
Clif McNeely |
#1 |
Ironmen |
|
| 1947 |
Walt Dropo |
#4 |
Steamrollers |
|
| 1947 |
Jack Underman |
#7 |
Bombers |
|
| 1947 |
Larry Killick |
#10 |
Bullets |
|
| 1948 |
George Kok |
#2 |
Jets |
|
| 1948 |
George Hauptfuhrer |
#3 |
Celtics |
|
| 1948 |
Robert Gale |
#7 |
Bombers |
|
| 1948 |
Chuck Hanger |
#9 |
Lakers |
|
| 1950 |
Irwin Dambrot |
#6 |
Knicks |
|
| 1951 |
Gene Melchiorre |
#1 |
Bullets |
|
| 1951 |
Marcus Freiberger |
#4 |
Olympians |
|
| 1952 |
Joe Dean |
#4 |
Olympians |
|
| 1952 |
Bob Stauffer |
#6 |
Celtics |
|
| 1952 |
Chuck Darling |
#8 |
Royals |
|
| 1960 |
Al Bunge |
#7 |
Warriors |
|
| 1963 |
Bill Green |
#8 |
Celtics |
|
| 1965 |
Ollie Johnson |
#11 |
Celtics |
|
| 1971 |
Dana Lewis |
#12 |
Sixers |
|
| 1971 |
Collis Jones |
#17 |
Bucks |
Played in the ABA. |
| 1973 |
Kevin Joyce |
#11 |
Warriors |
Played in the ABA. |
| 1973 |
Barry Parkhill |
#15 |
Blazers |
Played in the ABA. |
| 1973 |
Raymond Lewis |
#18 |
Sixers |
|
| 1978 |
Rod Griffin |
#17 |
Nuggets |
|
| 1979 |
Larry Knight |
#20 |
Jazz |
|
| 1986 |
Len Bias |
#2 |
Celtics |
Died days after the draft. |
| 1991 |
Shuan Vandiver |
#25 |
Warriors |
|
| 1999 |
Frederic Weis |
#15 |
Knicks |
Played in Europe. |
| 2005 |
Fran Vazquez |
#11 |
Magic |
Played in Europe. |
| 2007 |
Petteri Koponen |
#30 |
Sixers |
Played in Europe. |
| 2013 |
Livio Jean-Charles |
#28 |
Spurs |
Cut. |
| 2015 |
Nikola Milutinov |
#26 |
Spurs |
Played in Europe. |
Notable Cases
Clif McNeely and Gene Melchiorre are especially unusual
because each was selected with the first overall pick but never played in
the NBA. McNeely was the No. 1 selection in 1947, while Melchiorre was
selected first in 1951.
Len Bias represents one of the most tragic cases in NBA
Draft history. The Boston Celtics selected Bias with the second overall
pick in 1986, but he died only days after the draft and never had the
opportunity to begin his NBA career.
Collis Jones, Kevin Joyce and Barry Parkhill never played
in the NBA but did play professionally in the ABA, illustrating how the
presence of a competing major professional league created another path for
players during the 1970s.
Later first-round picks such as Frederic Weis, Fran Vazquez,
Petteri Koponen and Nikola Milutinov continued their careers
outside the NBA, including professional basketball in Europe.
Interesting Facts
-
The earliest players on the list were selected in the 1947 BAA Draft,
the first draft held by the league that later became part of the NBA.
-
Two players on the list were selected with the No. 1 overall pick:
Clif McNeely in 1947 and Gene Melchiorre in 1951.
-
Len Bias was the highest-selected player on the list after the NBA's
early years, going second overall to Boston in 1986.
-
The 1947 draft has four players represented on the list, as does the
1948 draft.
-
Several players never reached the NBA because they chose or continued
professional careers in other basketball leagues.
-
A first-round selection does not guarantee that a player will eventually
appear in an NBA game.
Related NBA Draft History
