1978 NBA draft
The 1978 NBA draft was the 32nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1978, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York,[1] before the 1978–79 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip.[2] The Indiana Pacers won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Kansas City Kings, who obtained the New Jersey Nets' first-round pick in a trade, were awarded the second pick.[3] The Pacers then traded the first pick to the Portland Trail Blazers before the draft. 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. 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. Before the draft, five college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule.[4] These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier.[5] Prior to the start of the season, the Buffalo Braves relocated to San Diego and became the San Diego Clippers.[6] The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 202 players.
1978 NBA draft | |
---|---|
General information | |
Sport | Basketball |
Date(s) | June 9, 1978 |
Location | Plaza Hotel (New York City, New York) |
Overview | |
202 total selections in 10 rounds | |
League | NBA |
First selection | Mychal Thompson (Portland Trail Blazers) |
Draft selections and draftee career notes
Mychal Thompson from the University of Minnesota was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. Thompson, who was born in the Bahamas, became the first foreign-born player to be drafted first overall.[7] Phil Ford from the University of North Carolina was selected second by the Kansas City Kings. He went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to the All-NBA Second Team in his rookie season.[8][9] A college underclassman from Indiana State University, Larry Bird, was selected sixth by the Boston Celtics. However, he opted to return to Indiana State for his senior season before entering the league in 1979. He won the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to both the All-NBA First Team and the All Star Game in his rookie season. Bird spent his entire 13-year career with the Celtics and won three NBA championships. He also won three consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards and two Finals Most Valuable Player Awards. He was also selected to ten All-NBA Teams and thirteen consecutive All-Star Games.[10] For his achievements, he has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[11] Bird was also named to the list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[12] After retiring as a player, Bird went on to have a coaching career. He coached the Indiana Pacers for three seasons, leading them to an NBA Finals appearance.[10][13] He also won the Coach of the Year Award in 1998.[14]
Before the draft, Larry Bird had just finished his junior year at Indiana State. However, he was eligible to be drafted without applying for "hardship" because his original college class at Indiana University had graduated.[10][15] He initially enrolled at Indiana University in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. After sitting out a year, he enrolled at Indiana State.[16] Despite being eligible for the draft, he stated that he would return to college for his senior season. His hometown team, the Indiana Pacers, initially held the first overall pick. However, when they failed to persuade him to leave college early, they traded the first pick to the Blazers, who also failed to convince him into signing.[17][18] Five teams, including the Pacers who held the third pick, passed on Bird until the Celtics used the sixth pick to draft him. They drafted him even though they knew that they might lose the exclusive rights to him if he didn't sign before the next draft. He could reenter the draft in 1979 and sign with the other team that drafted him, and in negotiations with Red Auerbach Bird's agent Bob Woolf bluntly dismissed Red's lowball salary offers (he said that he would not offer Bird a contract that paid him more than the $400,000 annual salary of the team's highest-paid player at the time, Dave Cowens) and made it clear that Bird would enter the 1979 Draft without any regrets if Boston didn't change its plans. Nevertheless, in April 1979, he signed a five-year, US$3.25-million contract with the Celtics, which made him the highest-paid rookie in the history of team sport at that time.[19]
Maurice Cheeks, the 36th pick, was selected to four All-Star Games and five consecutive All-Defensive Teams.[20] After retiring as a player, he coached the Portland Trail Blazers and the Philadelphia 76ers for four and a half seasons each. He then coached the Detroit Pistons for the first portion of the 2013/14 NBA season but was fired before finishing his first season with the team.[21] Micheal Ray Richardson, the fourth pick, Larry Bird, the sixth pick, Reggie Theus, the ninth pick, and Mike Mitchell, the fifteenth pick, are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game.[22][23][24] Michael Cooper, the 60th pick, won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987 and was selected to eight consecutive All-Defensive Teams. He spent his entire 12-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five NBA championships.[25] After retiring, he coached the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for eight seasons, leading them to two consecutive WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002.[26] He also served as an interim head coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 2004–2005 season.[27] Four other players drafted also went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: Reggie Theus, 21st pick Mike Evans, 53rd pick Randy Ayers and 55th pick Marc Iavaroni.[28][29][30][31]
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 |
x | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team |
# | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
Draft





Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School/club team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Mychal Thompson | F/C | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers (from Indiana)[a] | Minnesota (Sr.) |
1 | 2 | Phil Fordx | G | ![]() |
Kansas City Kings (from New Jersey)[b] | North Carolina (Sr.) |
1 | 3 | Rick Robey | F/C | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers (from Buffalo via Portland)[a] | Kentucky (Sr.) |
1 | 4 | Micheal Ray Richardson+ | G/F | ![]() |
New York Knicks (from Houston via Buffalo and New Jersey)[c] | Montana (Sr.) |
1 | 5 | Purvis Short | G/F | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors (from Kansas City via Los Angeles)[d] | Jackson State (Sr.) |
1 | 6 | Larry Bird^ | F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Indiana State (Jr.)[1] |
1 | 7 | Ron Brewer | G | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers (from Detroit via Seattle)[e] | Arkansas (Sr.) |
1 | 8 | Freeman Williams | G/F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics (from New Orleans via Los Angeles)[f] | Portland State (Sr.) |
1 | 9 | Reggie Theus+ | G | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | UNLV (Jr.) |
1 | 10 | Butch Lee | G | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Marquette (Sr.) |
1 | 11 | James Hardy | F/C | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz (from Golden State)[g] | San Francisco (Jr.) |
1 | 12 | George Johnson | F/C | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks (from Cleveland)[h] | St. John's (Sr.) |
1 | 13 | Winford Boynes | G/F | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets (from New York)[c] | San Francisco (Jr.) |
1 | 14 | Roger Phegley | G/F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Bradley (Sr.) |
1 | 15 | Mike Mitchell+ | F | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers (from Milwaukee)[i] | Auburn (Sr.) |
1 | 16 | Jack Givens | G/F | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks (from Los Angeles via New Orleans)[f] | Kentucky (Sr.) |
1 | 17 | Rod Griffin# | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets (from Seattle)[j] | Wake Forest (Sr.) |
1 | 18 | Dave Corzine | C | ![]() |
Washington Bullets (from Denver)[k] | DePaul (Sr.) |
1 | 19 | Marty Byrnes | F | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Syracuse (Sr.) |
1 | 20 | Frankie Sanders | G/F | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Southern (Jr.) |
1 | 21 | Mike Evans | G | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets (from Philadelphia)[l] | Kansas State (Sr.) |
1 | 22 | Raymond Townsend | G | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors (from Portland)[m] | UCLA (Sr.) |
2 | 23 | Terry Tyler | G/F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons (from New Jersey) | Detroit (Sr.) |
2 | 24 | Keith Herron | G/F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers (from Buffalo via Atlanta) | Villanova (Sr.) |
2 | 25 | Rick Wilson | G | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks (from Houston) | Louisville (Sr.) |
2 | 26 | Ron Carter | G | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers (from Kansas City)[d] | VMI (Sr.) |
2 | 27 | Wayne Radford | G | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Indiana (Sr.) |
2 | 28 | Buster Matheney# | F | ![]() |
Houston Rockets (from Boston) | Utah (Sr.) |
2 | 29 | John Long | G/F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Detroit (Sr.) |
2 | 30 | Jeff Judkins | G/F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics (from New Orleans) | Utah (Sr.) |
2 | 31 | Marvin Johnson# | F | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | New Mexico (Sr.) |
2 | 32 | John Rudd | F | ![]() |
New York Knicks (from Atlanta) | McNeese State (Sr.) |
2 | 33 | Harry Davis | F | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Florida State (Sr.) |
2 | 34 | Greg Bunch | F | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Cal State Fullerton (Sr.) |
2 | 35 | Tommie Green | G | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz (from Golden State) | Southern (Sr.) |
2 | 36 | Maurice Cheeks^ | G | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers (from Milwaukee) | West Texas State (Sr.) |
2 | 37 | Terry Sykes# | F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Grambling State (Sr.) |
2 | 38 | Lew Massey# | G | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | UNC Charlotte (Sr.) |
2 | 39 | James Lee# | F | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | Kentucky (Sr.) |
2 | 40 | Wayne Cooper | F/C | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors (from Denver) | New Orleans (Sr.) |
2 | 41 | Jerome Whitehead | F/C | ![]() |
Buffalo Braves (from Phoenix) | Marquette (Sr.) |
2 | 42 | Keven McDonald# | F | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics (from San Antonio) | Pennsylvania (Sr.) |
2 | 43 | Glenn Hagan | G | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) |
2 | 44 | Clemon Johnson | F/C | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Florida A&M (Sr.) |
3 | 45 | Mike Phillips# | F | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Kentucky (Sr.) |
3 | 46 | Hollis Copeland | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets (from Buffalo) | Rutgers (Sr.) |
3 | 47 | Billy Ray Bates | G | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Kentucky State (Sr.) |
3 | 48 | Mike Santos# | F | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Utah State (Sr.) |
3 | 49 | Jeff Cook | F/C | ![]() |
Kansas City Kings | Idaho State (Sr.) |
3 | 50 | Dana Skinner# | G | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Merrimack (Sr.) |
3 | 51 | Ricky Gallon# | C | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Louisville (Sr.) |
3 | 52 | Mike Russell# | F | ![]() |
Kansas City Kings | Texas Tech (Sr.) |
3 | 53 | Randy Ayers# | G | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) |
3 | 54 | Steve Grant# | F | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Manhattan (Sr.) |
3 | 55 | Marc Iavaroni | F | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Virginia (Sr.) |
3 | 56 | Steve Neff# | C | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Southern Nazarene (Sr.) |
3 | 57 | Kenny Higgs | G | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | LSU(Sr.) |
3 | 58 | Rick Apke# | F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Creighton (Sr.) |
3 | 59 | Pat Cummings | F/C | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Cincinnati (Sr.) |
3 | 60 | Michael Cooper^ | G/F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | New Mexico (Sr.) |
3 | 61 | Dave Baxter# | G | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | Michigan (Sr.) |
3 | 62 | Dave Batton | C | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets (from Denver) | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
3 | 63 | Joel Kramer | F/C | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | San Diego State (Sr.) |
3 | 64 | Gerald Henderson | G | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | VCU (Sr.) |
3 | 65 | Marvin Delph# | G | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Arkansas (Sr.) |
3 | 66 | Sterling Edmonds# | F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Dartmouth (Sr.) |
4 | 67 | Jackie Robinson | F | ![]() |
Houston Rockets (from New Jersey) | UNLV (Sr.) |
4 | 68 | Jim Boylan# | G | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Marquette (Sr.) |
4 | 69 | Joel Thompson# | F | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Michigan (Sr.) |
4 | 70 | Geoff Crompton | C | ![]() |
Kansas City Kings | North Carolina (Sr.) |
4 | 71 | Rickey Lee# | F | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Oregon State (Sr.) |
4 | 72 | Dave Nelson#[2] | F | ![]() ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Bloomfield (Sr.) |
4 | 73 | Larry Harris# | F | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Pittsburgh (Sr.) |
4 | 74 | Mel Davis# | F | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz | North Texas (Sr.) |
4 | 75 | Jeff Covington# | F | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz | Youngstown State (Sr.) |
4 | 76 | Leroy McDonald# | G | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Wake Forest (Sr.) |
4 | 77 | Derrick Jackson# | G | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Georgetown (Sr.) |
4 | 78 | Stan Rome# | G | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Clemson (Sr.) |
4 | 79 | Erving Giddings# | F | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Dayton (Sr.) |
4 | 80 | Otis Howard | F | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Austin Peay (Sr.) |
4 | 81 | Lawrence Boston | F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Maryland (Sr.) |
4 | 82 | Harold Robertson# | G | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | Lincoln (Missouri) (Sr.) |
4 | 83 | Billy Lewis# | F | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | Illinois State (Sr.) |
4 | 84 | Walter Jordan | F | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets (from Denver) | Purdue (Sr.) |
4 | 85 | Bob Miller | F | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Cincinnati (Sr.) |
4 | 86 | Rich Adams# | F | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Illinois (Sr.) |
4 | 87 | Brett Vroman | C | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | UNLV (Sr.) |
4 | 88 | Wayne Smith# | G | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | UC Irvine (Sr.) |
5 | 89 | Cecil Rose# | G | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Houston (Sr.) |
5 | 90 | David Thompson# | F | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Florida State (Sr.) |
5 | 91 | Gary Goodner# | F | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Texas (Sr.) |
5 | 92 | James Sparrow# | F | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | North Carolina A&T (Sr.) |
5 | 93 | Derrick Clairborne# | G | ![]() |
Kansas City Kings | UMass (Sr.) |
5 | 94 | Greg Tynes# | G | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Seton Hall (Sr.) |
5 | 95 | Dave Caligaris# | G | ![]() ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Northeastern (Sr.) |
5 | 96 | Duck Williams | G | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
5 | 97 | Ron Anthony# | F | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
5 | 98 | Chris Potter# | F | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Holy Cross (Sr.) |
5 | 99 | Ken Koenigs# | F | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Kansas (Sr.) |
5 | 100 | Greg Green# | G | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Southern (Sr.) |
5 | 101 | Bubba Wilson | G | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Western Carolina (Sr.) |
5 | 102 | Roger Dickens# | G | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Towson (Sr.) |
5 | 103 | Russ Coleman# | F | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Pacific (Sr.) |
5 | 104 | Carlos Terry | G/F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | Winston-Salem State (Sr.) |
5 | 105 | Ralph Drollinger | C | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | UCLA (Sr.) |
5 | 106 | Michael Edwards# | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Pan American (Sr.) |
5 | 107 | Andre Wakefield | G | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Loyola (Illinois) (Sr.) |
5 | 108 | Eugene Parker# | G | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Purdue (Sr.) |
5 | 109 | Mark Haymore# | F | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | UMass (Jr.) |
5 | 110 | Clay Johnson | G | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Missouri (Sr.) |
6 | 111 | Golie Augustus# | F | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | South Carolina (Sr.) |
6 | 112 | Bob Misevicius# | F | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Providence (Sr.) |
6 | 113 | Eddie Joe Chavez# | G | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Santa Clara (Sr.) |
6 | 114 | Jim Krivacs# | G | ![]() |
Kansas City Kings | Texas (Sr.) |
6 | 115 | Sherman Dillard# | G | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | James Madison (Sr.) |
6 | 116 | Dave Winey# | F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Minnesota (Sr.) |
6 | 117 | Audie Matthews# | G | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Illinois (Sr.) |
6 | 118 | John Douglas | G | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz | Kansas (Sr.) |
6 | 119 | John Shoemaker# | G | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) |
6 | 120 | Gerald Glover# | F | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Howard (Sr.) |
6 | 121 | Eddie Warren# | G | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Briar Cliff (Sr.) |
6 | 122 | Buzz Harnett# | F | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | San Diego (Sr.) |
6 | 123 | Ron Bell# | G | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Virginia Tech (Sr.) |
6 | 124 | Dave Kyle# | F | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Cleveland State (Sr.) |
6 | 125 | Archie Aldridge# | F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) |
6 | 126 | Kim Stewart# | F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | Washington (Sr.) |
6 | 127 | Robert Heard# | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Columbus State (Sr.) |
6 | 128 | Charles Thompson# | F | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Houston (Sr.) |
6 | 129 | Harry Morgan# | F | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Indiana State (Sr.) |
6 | 130 | Osborne Lockhart# | G | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | Minnesota (Sr.) |
6 | 131 | Tim Evans# | F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Puget Sound (Sr.) |
7 | 132 | Doug Jemison# | F | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | San Francisco (Sr.) |
7 | 133 | Stan Pietkiewicz | G/F | ![]() |
Buffalo Braves | Auburn (Sr.) |
7 | 134 | Stan Stewart# | G | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Loyola Marymount (Sr.) |
7 | 135 | Ollie Matson Jr.# | F | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Pepperdine (Jr.) |
7 | 136 | Charles McMillian# | G | ![]() |
Kansas City Kings | North Texas (Sr.) |
7 | 137 | Steve Balkun# | F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Fairfield (Sr.) |
7 | 138 | Herb Entzminger# | F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Johnson C. Smith (Sr.) |
7 | 139 | Willie Howard# | F | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz | New Mexico (Sr.) |
7 | 140 | Jarvis Reynolds# | F | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | West Georgia (Sr.) |
7 | 141 | Jim DeWeese# | F | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Gonzaga (Sr.) |
7 | 142 | Rick Bernard# | G | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Saint Mary's (Sr.) |
7 | 143 | Tony Smith# | G | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | UNLV (Jr.) |
7 | 144 | Gary Pember# | F | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Nasson (Sr.) |
7 | 145 | Ed Hopkins# | F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Georgetown (Sr.) |
7 | 146 | Kim Anderson | F | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Missouri (Sr.) |
7 | 147 | Larry Paige# | F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | Colorado State (Sr.) |
7 | 148 | Jack Gilloon# | G | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | South Carolina (Sr.) |
7 | 149 | Steve Malovic | C | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | San Diego State (Jr.) |
7 | 150 | Hector Olivencia# | G | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Sacred Heart (Sr.) |
7 | 151 | Anthony Murray# | G | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | Alabama (Sr.) |
7 | 152 | Walter Reason# | G | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Pacific (Sr.) |
8 | 153 | Bruce Campbell# | F | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Providence (Sr.) |
8 | 154 | Felton Young# | C | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
8 | 155 | Ron Hammye# | F | ![]() |
Kansas City Kings | Bowling Green (Sr.) |
8 | 156 | Kim Fisher# | G | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Fairfield (Sr.) |
8 | 157 | Earl Evans | F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | UNLV (Jr.) |
8 | 158 | Carl Kilpatrick | C | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz | Northeast Louisiana (Sr.) |
8 | 159 | Chubby Cox | G | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | San Francisco (Sr.) |
8 | 160 | Ed Murphy# | F | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Merrimack (Sr.) |
8 | 161 | Roland Martin# | F | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Missouri Southern (Sr.) |
8 | 162 | Greg Sanders# | F | ![]() |
New York Knicks | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) |
8 | 163 | Tony Searcy# | F | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Appalachian State (Sr.) |
8 | 164 | Tom Zaliagiris# | G | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | North Carolina (Sr.) |
8 | 165 | Nestor Cora# | F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | St. Francis Brooklyn (Sr.) |
8 | 166 | Larry Vaculik# | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Colorado (Sr.) |
8 | 167 | George Fowler# | C | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Pacific (Sr.) |
8 | 168 | Henry Taylor# | F | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | UT Rio Grande Valley (Sr.) |
8 | 169 | Alan Cunningham# | F | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | Colorado State (Sr.) |
8 | 170 | Mark Wickman# | F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Linfield (Sr.) |
9 | 171 | Frank Sowinski# | F | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Princeton (Sr.) |
9 | 172 | Bobby White# | F | ![]() |
San Diego Clippers | Centenary (Sr.) |
9 | 173 | Les Anderson# | F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | George Washington (Sr.) |
9 | 174 | Ulice Payne# | F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Marquette (Sr.) |
9 | 175 | Chad Nelson# | C | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz | Drake (Jr.) |
9 | 176 | Joe Ponsetto# | F | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | DePaul (Sr.) |
9 | 177 | Maurice Robinson# | C | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | West Virginia (Sr.) |
9 | 178 | Denny Fields# | F | ![]() |
New York Knicks | UNC Wilmington (Sr.) |
9 | 179 | Bobby Humbles# | G | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Bradley (Sr.) |
9 | 180 | Steve Bayless# | F | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Central State (Sr.) |
9 | 181 | Tim Claxton# | G | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Temple (Sr.) |
9 | 182 | Gary Rosenberger# | G | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Marquette (Sr.) |
9 | 183 | Thomas Schneeberger# | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Air Force (Sr.) |
9 | 184 | Nate Stokes# | G | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Grand Canyon (Sr.) |
9 | 185 | Rick Taylor# | G | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Arizona State (Sr.) |
9 | 186 | Paul Cozens# | F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | George Fox (Sr.) |
10 | 187 | Michael Vicens# | G | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Holy Cross (Sr.) |
10 | 188 | Walter Harrigan# | F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Brandeis (Sr.) |
10 | 189 | Dave Grauzer# | G | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Central Michigan (Sr.) |
10 | 190 | Rickey Williams | G | ![]() |
New Orleans Jazz | Long Beach State (Sr.) |
10 | 191 | Mark Tucker# | G | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Oklahoma State (Sr.) |
10 | 192 | Marshall Lester# | F | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Florida Southern (Sr.) |
10 | 193 | Mike Muff# | F | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Murray State (Sr.) |
10 | 194 | Gary Winton# | F | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Army (Sr.) |
10 | 195 | Ernest Simons# | G | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Pace (Sr.) |
10 | 196 | Tom Anderson# | G | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Green Bay (Sr.) |
10 | 197 | Steve Connor# | G | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Boise State (Sr.) |
10 | 198 | Phil Taylor# | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Arizona (Sr.) |
10 | 199 | Lewis Cohen# | G | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Cal Poly (Sr.) |
10 | 200 | Larry Brewster# | C | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Florida (Sr.) |
10 | 201 | Dennis James# | F | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | Widener (Sr.) |
10 | 202 | Tim Warkentin# | F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Biola (Sr.) |
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1978 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
---|---|---|---|
Del Beshore | G | ![]() |
California (Pennsylvania) (Sr.) |
Mike Davis | C | ![]() |
Maryland (Sr.) |
Rock Lee | C | ![]() |
San Diego State (Sr.) |
Myles Patrick | F | ![]() |
Auburn (Sr.) |
Sam Pellom | C | ![]() |
Buffalo (Sr.) |
Jim Zoet | C | ![]() |
Lakehead (Sr.) |
Trades
- a 1 2 On June 8, 1978, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired the first pick from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Johnny Davis and the third overall pick.[32] Previously, the Blazers acquired a first-round pick on October 18, 1976, from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for Moses Malone.[33] The Blazers used the pick to draft Mychal Thompson. The Pacers used the pick to draft Rick Robey.
- b On September 10, 1976, the Kansas City Kings acquired Jim Eakins, Brian Taylor, 1977 and 1978 first-round picks from the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Nate Archibald.[34] The Kings used the pick to draft Phil Ford.
- c 1 2 On June 8, 1978, the New York Knicks acquired the fourth pick and a 1979 first-round pick from the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Phil Jackson, the thirteenth pick and US$3.2-million settlement of their indemnification debt to the Knicks.[35][36] Previously, the Nets acquired George E. Johnson, the pick and a 1979 first-round pick on September 1, 1977, from the Buffalo Braves in exchange for Nate Archibald.[34] Previously, the Braves acquired the pick and a 1977 first-round pick on October 24, 1976, from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Moses Malone.[33] The Knicks used the pick to draft Micheal Ray Richardson. The Nets used the pick to draft Winford Boynes.
- d 1 2 On September 14, 1977, the Golden State Warriors acquired a first-round pick and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Lakers. This trade was arranged as compensation when the Lakers signed Jamaal Wilkes on July 11, 1977.[37][38] Previously, the Lakers acquired Ollie Johnson, the pick and a second-round pick on June 1, 1977, from the Kansas City Kings in exchange for Lucius Allen.[39] The Warriors used the pick to draft Purvis Short. The Lakers used the pick to draft Ron Carter.
- e On November 11, 1977, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired a 1978 first-round pick and a 1979 second-round pick from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Wally Walker.[40] Previously, the Sonics acquired the pick on September 25, 1975, from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Archie Clark.[41] The Blazers used the pick to draft Ron Brewer.
- f 1 2 On December 27, 1977, the Boston Celtics acquired Don Chaney, Kermit Washington and a first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Charlie Scott.[42] On October 13, 1977, the Atlanta Hawks acquired a first-round pick from the New Orleans Jazz in exchange for Joe Meriweather.[43] Previously, the Lakers acquired 1977, 1978 and 1979 first-round picks, and a 1980 second-round pick on August 5, 1976, from the Jazz in exchange for a 1978 first-round pick and a 1977 second-round pick. This trade was arranged as compensation when the Jazz signed Gail Goodrich on July 19, 1976.[44] The Celtics used the pick to draft Freeman Williams. The Hawks used the pick to draft Jack Givens.
- g On October 3, 1977, the New Orleans Jazz acquired a first-round pick from the Golden State Warriors as compensation for the signing of E. C. Coleman as a free agent.[45] The Jazz used the pick to draft James Hardy.
- h On January 13, 1977, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Rowland Garrett, 1977 and 1978 first-round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Elmore Smith and Gary Brokaw.[46] The Bucks used the pick to draft George Johnson.
- i On June 1, 1978, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired the 15th pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a 1979 first-round pick.[47] The Cavaliers used the pick to draft Mike Mitchell.
- j On the draft-day, the Denver Nuggets acquired the 17th pick from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Tom LaGarde.[48] The Nuggets used the pick to draft Rod Griffin.
- k On October 11, 1977, the Washington Bullets acquired a first-round pick from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Bo Ellis.[49] The Bullets used the pick to draft Dave Corzine.
- l On the draft-day, the Denver Nuggets acquired the 21st pick from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a 1984 first-round pick.[50][51] The Nuggets used the pick to draft Mike Evans.
- m On June 7, 1978, the Golden State Warriors acquired the 22nd pick from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a 1981 first-round pick.[52] The Warriors used the pick to draft Raymond Townsend.
Early entrants
College underclassmen
The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[53]
Winford Boynes – G, San Francisco (junior)
James Hardy – F, San Francisco (junior)
James Holley – G, Schenectady County CC (sophomore)
Frankie Sanders – F, Southern (junior)
Reggie Theus – G, UNLV (junior)
Notes
^ 1: Even though Larry Bird was a junior, he was eligible to be drafted because he was already four years out of high school and therefore he did not need to apply for early entry.[10]
^ 2: Nelson became known as David Stergakos during his career in Greece.[54]
References
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- Specific
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