1966 NBA draft
| 1966 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | May 11, 1966 (Rounds 1–8) May 12, 1966 (Rounds 9–19) |
| Location | 1967 → |
The 1966 NBA draft was the 20th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 11 and 12, 1966 before the 1966–67 season. In this draft, ten NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip.[1] The New York Knicks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Detroit Pistons were awarded the second pick. This draft was the first to use the coin flip method, which replaced the territorial pick rule.[2] The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. An expansion franchise, the Chicago Bulls, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the last pick of each round. The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising 112 players selected.
With the elimination of territorial picks and incorporation of a coin flip for the No. 1 overall pick, 1966 is considered the first modern NBA draft.[3]
Draft selections and draftee career notes
election to become the mayor of Detroit in 2009.[8]
Russell won the NBA championship with the New York Knicks
Philadelphia Warriors in 1947.[15] The younger Guokas became a head coach after ending his playing career. He coached the 76ers for three seasons and the Orlando Magic for four seasons.[16] John Wetzel, the 75th pick, also became a head coach; he coached the Phoenix Suns for one season.[17]
Key
| Pos. | G | F | C |
Position |
Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
Draft
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.JPG)
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Cazzie Russell+ | G/F |  United States
|
New York Knicks | Michigan |
| 1 | 2 | Dave Bing^ | G | United States
|
Detroit Pistons | Syracuse |
| 1 | 3 | Clyde Lee+ | F/C | United States
|
San Francisco Warriors
|
Vanderbilt |
| 1 | 4 | Lou Hudson^ | G/F | United States
|
St. Louis Hawks
|
Minnesota |
| 1 | 5 | Jack Marin+ | G/F | United States
|
Baltimore Bullets
|
Duke |
| 1 | 6 | Walt Wesley | C | United States
|
Cincinnati Royals
|
Kansas |
| 1 | 7 | Jerry Chambers | F | United States
|
Los Angeles Lakers | Utah |
| 1 | 8 | Jim Barnett | G/F | United States
|
Boston Celtics | Oregon |
| 1 | 9 | Matt Guokas | G/F | United States
|
Philadelphia 76ers | Saint Joseph's |
| 1 | 10 | Dave Schellhase | G | United States
|
Chicago Bulls | Purdue |
| 2 | 11 | Henry Akin | F/C | United States
|
New York Knicks | Morehead State (Jr.) |
| 2 | 12 | Dorie Murrey | F/C | United States
|
Detroit Pistons | Detroit
|
| 2 | 13 | Joe Ellis | G/F | United States
|
San Francisco Warriors
|
San Francisco |
| 2 | 14 | Dick Snyder | G/F | United States
|
St. Louis Hawks
|
Davidson |
| 2 | 15 | Neil Johnson | F/C | United States
|
Baltimore Bullets
|
Creighton |
| 2 | 16 | Jerry Lee Wells# | G | United States
|
Cincinnati Royals
|
Oklahoma City |
| 2 | 17 | Hank Finkel
|
C | United States
|
Los Angeles Lakers | Dayton |
| 2 | 18 | Leon Clark# | F | United States
|
Boston Celtics | Wyoming |
| 2 | 19 | Bill Melchionni | G | United States
|
Philadelphia 76ers | Villanova |
| 2 | 20 | Erwin Mueller | F/C | United States
|
Chicago Bulls | San Francisco |
Other picks
The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[18][19]
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 24 | Tommy Kron | G | United States
|
St. Louis Hawks
|
Kentucky |
| 3 | 26 | Jim Ware | F | United States
|
Cincinnati Royals
|
Oklahoma City |
| 3 | 27 | John Block+ | F/C | United States
|
Los Angeles Lakers | USC |
| 3 | 29 | Donnie Freeman | G | United States
|
Philadelphia 76ers | Illinois |
| 4 | 37 | Archie Clark* | G | United States
|
Los Angeles Lakers | Minnesota |
| 4 | 38 | Johnny Austin | G | United States
|
Boston Celtics | Boston College |
| 4 | 39 | Ken Wilburn | F | United States
|
Philadelphia 76ers | Central State |
| 8 | 69 | Mike Silliman | F | United States
|
New York Knicks | Army |
| 8 | 73 | Roland West | G | United States
|
Baltimore Bullets
|
Cincinnati |
| 8 | 75 | John Wetzel | G/F | United States
|
Los Angeles Lakers | Virginia Tech |
| 9 | 78 | Bill Turner | F | United States
|
New York Knicks | Akron |
| 10 | 88 | Freddie Lewis | G | United States
|
Cincinnati Royals
|
Arizona State |
| 11 | 94 | Stan McKenzie | G/F | United States
|
Baltimore Bullets
|
NYU |
| 12 | 98 | Dave Deutsch | G | United States
|
New York Knicks | Rochester |
| 15 | 106 | Paul Long | G | United States
|
St. Louis Hawks
|
Wake Forest |
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1966 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bud Acton | F | United States
|
Hillsdale
|
| Bill Dinwiddie | F | United States
|
New Mexico Highlands
|
| Dennis Hamilton | F | United States
|
Arizona State |
| Bob Hogsett | F | United States
|
Tennessee |
Early entrants
Other eligible players
| Player | Team | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Akin
|
Morehead State Eagles | Left Morehead State in 1965; did not play during 1965–66 and had committed to play for William Carey Crusaders in 1966–67 | [20] |
See also
- List of first overall NBA draft picks
- NBA records
References
- General
- "Complete First Round Results 1960–69". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- "1966 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- "1962–1966 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- "1966 NBA Draft". The Draft Review. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ "Evolution of the Draft and Lottery". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ Dengate, Jeff (May 16, 2007). "Let the Ping-Pong Balls Fall". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ISBN 9780810890695. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ "Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
- ^ "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ "Dave Bing Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- ^ "NBA great Dave Bing elected as Detroit mayor". USA Today. May 6, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ "Cazzie Russell Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ "Lou Hudson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ "Archie Clark Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ "Clyde Lee Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ "Jack Marin Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ "John Block Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ Tomasson, Chris (June 3, 2009). "Younger Walton takes third shot at father-son champion club". USA Today. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ "Matt Guokas Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ "John Wetzel Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ "1966 NBA Draft - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ "NBA Past Drafts - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
- ^ Dondero, Tony (July 24, 2008). "A Seattle SuperSonics' original: Henry Akin". Herald Net. Retrieved November 30, 2023.