1985 NBA draft
The 1985 NBA draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA draft of the "lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased the amount of rounds the draft spent, with the previous few years lasting up to 10 rounds total. A total of 162 players were selected over seven rounds by the league's 23 teams.[1]
1985 NBA Draft | |
---|---|
General information | |
Sport | Basketball |
Date(s) | June 18, 1985 |
Location | Felt Forum, New York City, New York |
Network(s) | TBS Superstation |
Overview | |
162 total selections in 7 rounds | |
League | NBA |
First selection | Patrick Ewing, (New York Knicks) |
The New York Knicks were awarded the first overall pick by winning the first-ever NBA draft lottery, which was held in May of that year. The Knicks used it on Georgetown's Patrick Ewing. In addition to Ewing, this draft also resulted in several Hall of Famers, including Karl Malone taken by the Utah Jazz at pick 13.
Draft selections
PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | 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 |
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 |



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Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality[n 1] | Team | School/club team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Patrick Ewing^ | C | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Georgetown (Sr.) |
1 | 2 | Wayman Tisdale | PF | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Oklahoma (Jr.) |
1 | 3 | Benoit Benjamin | C | ![]() |
Los Angeles Clippers | Creighton (Jr.) |
1 | 4 | Xavier McDaniel+ | PF | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | Wichita State (Sr.) |
1 | 5 | Jon Koncak | C | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | SMU (Sr.) |
1 | 6 | Joe Kleine | C | ![]() |
Sacramento Kings | Arkansas (Sr.) |
1 | 7 | Chris Mullin^ | SF | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | St. John's (Sr.) |
1 | 8 | Detlef Schrempf* | SF/PF | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks (from Cleveland) | Washington (Sr.) |
1 | 9 | Charles Oakley+ | PF | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers * | Virginia Union (Sr.) |
1 | 10 | Ed Pinckney | PF | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Villanova (Sr.) |
1 | 11 | Keith Lee | C | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Memphis State (Sr.) |
1 | 12 | Kenny Green | F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Wake Forest (Jr.) |
1 | 13 | Karl Malone^ | PF | ![]() |
Utah Jazz | Louisiana Tech (Jr.) |
1 | 14 | Alfredrick Hughes | SG | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Loyola (IL) (Sr.) |
1 | 15 | Blair Rasmussen | C | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets (from Portland) | Oregon (Sr.) |
1 | 16 | Bill Wennington | C | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks (from New Jersey) | St. John's (Sr.) |
1 | 17 | Uwe Blab | C | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks | Indiana (Sr.) |
1 | 18 | Joe Dumars^ | SG | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | McNeese State (Sr.) |
1 | 19 | Steve Harris | SG | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Tulsa (Sr.) |
1 | 20 | Sam Vincent | SG | ![]() |
Boston Celtics (from Denver via Dallas) | Michigan State (Sr.) |
1 | 21 | Terry Catledge | PF | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | South Alabama (Sr.) |
1 | 22 | Jerry Reynolds | G/F | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | LSU (Jr.) |
1 | 23 | A.C. Green+ | SF/PF | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | Oregon State (Sr.) |
1 | 24 | Terry Porter+ | PG | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers (from Boston via Dallas) | Wisconsin–Stevens Point (Sr.) |
2 | 25 | Mike Smrek | C | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Canisius (Sr.) |
2 | 26 | Bill Martin | F | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Georgetown (Sr.) |
2 | 27 | Dwayne McClain | SG | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Villanova (Sr.) |
2 | 28 | Ken Johnson | F | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Michigan State (Sr.) |
2 | 29 | Mike Brittain | C | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | South Carolina (Sr.) |
2 | 30 | Calvin Duncan# | G | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | VCU (Sr.) |
2 | 31 | Manute Bol | C | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Bridgeport (Fr.) |
2 | 32 | Nick Vanos | C | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Santa Clara (Sr.) |
2 | 33 | Greg Stokes | F/C | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | Iowa (Sr.) |
2 | 34 | Aubrey Sherrod# | SG | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Wichita State (Sr.) |
2 | 35 | Tyrone Corbin | SF/PF | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | DePaul (Sr.) |
2 | 36 | Yvon Joseph | C | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Georgia Tech (Sr.) |
2 | 37 | Carey Scurry | F | ![]() |
Utah Jazz | LIU Brooklyn (Sr.) |
2 | 38 | Fernando Martín | PF | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Real Madrid (Spain) |
2 | 39 | George Montgomery# | F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Illinois (Sr.) |
2 | 40 | Mark Acres | F/C | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks | Oral Roberts (Sr.) |
2 | 41 | Lorenzo Charles | PF | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | NC State (Sr.) |
2 | 42 | Bobby Lee Hurt# | C/F | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Alabama (Sr.) |
2 | 43 | Barry Stevens | G/F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Iowa State (Sr.) |
2 | 44 | Voise Winters | SG | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | Bradley (Sr.) |
2 | 45 | John "Hot Rod" Williams | PF | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Tulane (Sr.) |
2 | 46 | Adrian Branch | SF | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls (from L.A. Lakers) | Maryland (Sr.) |
2 | 47 | Gerald Wilkins | SG | ![]() |
New York Knicks (from Boston) | Chattanooga (Sr.) |
3 | 48 | Kenny Patterson# | G | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | DePaul (Sr.) |
3 | 49 | Brad Wright | PF | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | UCLA (Sr.) |
3 | 50 | Leonard Allen# | C | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks | San Diego State (Sr.) |
3 | 51 | Charlie Bradley# | G | ![]() |
Sacramento Kings | South Florida (Sr.) |
3 | 52 | Anicet Lavodrama# | C | ![]() |
Los Angeles Clippers | Houston Baptist (Sr.) |
3 | 53 | Rolando Lamb# | G | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | VCU (Sr.) |
3 | 54 | Sam Mitchell | SF/PF | ![]() |
Houston Rockets (from San Antonio via Atlanta)**** | Mercer (Sr.) |
3 | 55 | Herb Johnson# | F | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Tulsa (Sr.) |
3 | 56 | Jerry Everett# | C | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Lamar (Sr.) |
3 | 57 | Michael Payne# | F | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Iowa (Sr.) |
3 | 58 | Vernon Moore# | G | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Creighton (Sr.) |
3 | 59 | Sedric Toney | PG | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks** | Dayton (Sr.) |
3 | 60 | Andre Goode# | F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Northwestern (Sr.) |
3 | 61 | Perry Young | SG | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Virginia Tech (Sr.) |
3 | 62 | Nigel Miguel# | G | ![]() ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | UCLA (Sr.) |
3 | 63 | Harold Keeling | SG | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks | Santa Clara (Sr.) |
3 | 64 | Richie Johnson# | F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Evansville (Sr.) |
3 | 65 | Kenny Perry# | C | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Southern Illinois (Sr.) |
3 | 66 | Michael Adams+ | PG | ![]() |
Sacramento Kings (from Denver) | Boston College (Sr.) |
3 | 67 | Steve Black# | G | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | La Salle (Sr.) |
3 | 68 | Eugene McDowell# | C | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Florida (Sr.) |
3 | 69 | Mike Brown | C | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls*** | George Washington (Sr.) |
3 | 70 | Andre Battle# | G | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Loyola Chicago (Sr.) |
4 | 71 | Luster Goodwin# | G | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | UTEP (Sr.) |
4 | 72 | Vince Hamilton# | G | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Clemson (Sr.) |
4 | 73 | Fred Cofield | PG | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Eastern Michigan (Sr.) |
4 | 74 | Jim Deines# | F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Clippers | Arizona State (Sr.) |
4 | 75 | Alex Stivrins | F | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | Colorado (Sr.) |
4 | 76 | Willie Simmons# | C | ![]() |
Sacramento Kings | Louisiana Tech (Sr.) |
4 | 77 | Arvydas Sabonis^ | C | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks (pick voided because Sabonis was not yet 21 at the time of the draft)[3] | Žalgiris Kaunas (Soviet Union) |
4 | 78 | Granger Hall# | F | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Temple (Sr.) |
4 | 79 | Mark Davis | SF | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Old Dominion (Sr.) |
4 | 80 | Craig Beard# | G | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Samford (Sr.) |
4 | 81 | Richie Adams# | F | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | UNLV (Sr.) |
4 | 82 | Scott Roth | SF | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Wisconsin (Sr.) |
4 | 83 | Delaney Rudd | G | ![]() |
Utah Jazz | Wake Forest (Sr.) |
4 | 84 | John Battle | SG | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks (from New Jersey) | Rutgers (Sr.) |
4 | 85 | Joe Atkinson# | F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Oklahoma State (Jr.) |
4 | 86 | Bubba Jennings# | G | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks | Texas Tech (Sr.) |
4 | 87 | Spud Webb | PG | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | NC State (Sr.) |
4 | 88 | Michael Brooks# | G | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Tennessee (Sr.) |
4 | 89 | Pete Williams | PF | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Arizona (Sr.) |
4 | 90 | Derrick Gervin | PF | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | UTSA (Jr.) |
4 | 91 | Cozell McQueen | PF | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | NC State (Sr.) |
4 | 92 | Dexter Shouse | PG | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | South Alabama (Sr.) |
4 | 93 | Cliff Webber# | F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Liberty (Sr.) |
5 | 94 | Kelvin Johnson# | G | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Richmond (Sr.) |
5 | 95 | Greg Cavener# | C | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Missouri (Sr.) |
5 | 96 | Mike Schlegel# | F | ![]() |
New York Knicks | VCU (Sr.) |
5 | 97 | Lou Stefanovic# | F | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | Illinois State (Sr.) |
5 | 98 | Bob Lojewski# | F | ![]() |
Sacramento Kings | Saint Joseph's (Sr.) |
5 | 99 | Wayne Carlander# | F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Clippers | USC (Sr.) |
5 | 100 | Larry Hampton# | F | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Fairleigh Dickinson (Sr.) |
5 | 101 | Gunther Behnke# | C | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Leverkusen (Germany) |
5 | 102 | Shawn Campbell# | C | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Weber State (Sr.) |
5 | 103 | Reid Gettys# | F | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Houston (Sr.) |
5 | 104 | Dean Shaffer# | G | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Florida State (Sr.) |
5 | 105 | Ray Hall# | G | ![]() |
Utah Jazz | Canisius (Sr.) |
5 | 106 | Clayton Olivier# | C | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | USC (Sr.) |
5 | 107 | James Anderson# | F | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | USC Upstate (Sr.) |
5 | 108 | Kelly Blaine# | C | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | South Alabama (Sr.) |
5 | 109 | Tommy Davis# | G | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks | Minnesota (Sr.) |
5 | 110 | Mike Lahm# | C | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Murray State (Sr.) |
5 | 111 | Ivan Daniels# | C | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | UIC (Sr.) |
5 | 112 | Kenny Brown# | G | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Texas A&M (Jr.) |
5 | 113 | Carl Wright# | G | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | SMU (Jr.) |
5 | 114 | Ray Knight# | C | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Providence (Sr.) |
5 | 115 | Timo Saarelainen# | F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | BYU (Sr.) |
5 | 116 | Albert Butts# | C | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | La Salle (Sr.) |
6 | 117 | Gerald Crosby# | G | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | Georgia (Sr.) |
6 | 118 | Stu Primus# | G | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Boston College (Sr.) |
6 | 119 | Kent Lockhart# | G | ![]() |
New York Knicks | UTEP (Sr.) |
6 | 120 | Charles Balentine# | F | ![]() |
Sacramento Kings | Arkansas (Sr.) |
6 | 121 | Malcolm Thomas# | F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Clippers | Missouri (Sr.) |
6 | 122 | Earl Walker# | F | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | Mercer (Sr.) |
6 | 123 | Tony Duckett# | G | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Lafayette (Sr.) |
6 | 124 | Charles Rayne# | G | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Temple (Sr.) |
6 | 125 | Rickie Johnson# | F | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Illinois State (Sr.) |
6 | 126 | Danny Meagher# | F | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Duke (Sr.) |
6 | 127 | Matt England# | G | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Houston Baptist (Sr.) |
6 | 128 | Chris Harper# | G | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Oregon (Sr.) |
6 | 129 | Jim Miller# | F | ![]() |
Utah Jazz | Virginia (Sr.) |
6 | 130 | George Almones# | G | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Southwestern Louisiana (Jr.) |
6 | 131 | Curtis Moore# | G | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | Nebraska (Sr.) |
6 | 132 | Carlton Cooper# | F | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks | Texas (Sr.) |
6 | 133 | Vincent Giles# | F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | Eastern Michigan (Sr.) |
6 | 134 | Sam Potter# | G | ![]() |
Houston Rockets | Oral Roberts (Sr.) |
6 | 135 | Joe Carrabino# | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Harvard (Sr.) |
6 | 136 | Daryl Lloyd# | F | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | Drake (Sr.) |
6 | 137 | Quentin Anderson# | F | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | Texas Tech (Sr.) |
6 | 138 | Tony Neal# | F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | Cal State Fullerton (Sr.) |
6 | 139 | Ralph Lewis | SG | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | La Salle (Sr.) |
7 | 140 | Jeff Acres# | F | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Oral Roberts (Sr.) |
7 | 141 | Eric Boyd# | G | ![]() |
Golden State Warriors | North Carolina A&T (Sr.) |
7 | 142 | Ken Bantum# | C | ![]() |
New York Knicks | Cornell (Sr.) |
7 | 143 | Gary Maloncon# | F | ![]() |
Los Angeles Clippers | UCLA (Sr.) |
7 | 144 | Mike Phelps | SG | ![]() |
Seattle SuperSonics | Alcorn State (Sr.) |
7 | 145 | Alton Lee Gipson# | C | ![]() |
Sacramento Kings | Florida State (Sr.) |
7 | 146 | Bob Ferry Jr.# | G | ![]() |
Atlanta Hawks | Harvard (Sr.) |
7 | 147 | Buzz Peterson# | G | ![]() |
Cleveland Cavaliers | North Carolina (Sr.) |
7 | 148 | Georgi Glouchkov | PF | ![]() |
Phoenix Suns | Akademik Varna (Bulgaria) |
7 | 149 | Jeff Adkins# | G | ![]() |
Chicago Bulls | Maryland (Sr.) |
7 | 150 | Keith Gray# | G | ![]() |
Washington Bullets | Detroit Mercy (Sr.) |
7 | 151 | Mike Wacker# | F | ![]() |
Utah Jazz | Texas (Sr.) |
7 | 152 | Al Young# | G | ![]() |
San Antonio Spurs | Virginia Tech (Sr.) |
7 | 153 | Mark Owen# | G | ![]() |
Portland Trail Blazers | College of Idaho (Sr.) |
7 | 154 | Gary McLain# | G | ![]() |
New Jersey Nets | Villanova (Sr.) |
7 | 155 | Ed Catchings# | F | ![]() |
Dallas Mavericks | UNLV (Sr.) |
7 | 156 | Frank James# | F | ![]() |
Detroit Pistons | UNLV (Sr.) |
7 | 157 | Don Turney# | C | ![]() |
Indiana Pacers | Marshall (Sr.) |
7 | 158 | Eddie Smith# | F | ![]() |
Denver Nuggets | Arizona (Sr.) |
7 | 159 | Jaye Andrews# | F | ![]() |
Philadelphia 76ers | Bucknell (Sr.) |
7 | 160 | Mario Elie | SF/SG | ![]() |
Milwaukee Bucks | American International (Sr.) |
7 | 161 | Keith Cieplicki# | G | ![]() |
Los Angeles Lakers | William & Mary (Sr.) |
7 | 162 | Chris Remley# | F | ![]() |
Boston Celtics | Rutgers (Sr.) |
- Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules.
* Further compensation for draft choices previously traded away by Ted Stepien.
** Compensation for the Utah Jazz signing Billy Paultz
*** Compensation for the Los Angeles Lakers signing Larry Spriggs
**** Compensation for the Atlanta Hawks signing Billy Paultz
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1985 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
---|---|---|---|
David Cooke | PF | ![]() |
Saint Mary's (Sr.) |
Dennis Nutt | PG | ![]() |
TCU (Sr.) |
João Vianna | PF | ![]() |
C.A. Monte Líbano (Brazil) |
Controversy
Some have argued that NBA Commissioner David Stern fixed the first overall pick to help his hometown team, the struggling New York Knicks. The lottery system used in 1985 involved a random drawing of seven envelopes from a hopper, with each of the then-seven non-playoff teams having an equal chance of obtaining the first pick. Inside each of the envelopes was the logo of a non-playoff team.
The team whose envelope was drawn first would get the first pick. The process was then repeated until the rest of the first seven lottery picks were determined. In the U.S., CBS had live coverage of Stern pulling the envelopes from the hopper (as opposed to NBA Draft lotteries today where the actual drawing is held behind closed doors before the results are revealed on TV).
There is speculation that the envelope containing the Knicks logo was frozen beforehand, enabling David Stern to recognize and select it.[4][5][6]
According to another theory, some claim that when an accountant from Ernst & Whinney (the same firm used by Gulf + Western, then-owners of the Knicks[7]) inserted the seven envelopes into the glass drum, some have claimed that he banged the fourth one against the side of the drum to create a creased corner, thereby making it easier for Stern to determine which envelope to choose: the envelope containing the Knicks logo.[8] According to this theory, as the drum was being spun by NBA security director Jack Joyce, Stern was watching the envelopes closely. He then opened the drum, took a deep breath, reached in and selected the envelope with the bent corner and the Knicks logo. This has not been confirmed or corroborated by any official source, as most note that the spinning of the drum was far more forceful than any movement by Joyce, deliberate or otherwise.[9]
Early entrants
College underclassmen
The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[10]
George Almones – G, Southwestern Louisiana (junior)
Joe Atkinson – F, Oklahoma State (junior)
Benoit Benjamin – C, Creighton (junior)
Manute Bol – C, Bridgeport (freshman)
Kenny Brown – G, Texas A&M (junior)
Derrick Gervin – F, Texas–San Antonio (junior)
Kenny Green – F, Wake Forest (junior)
Karl Malone – F, Louisiana Tech (junior)
Jerry Reynolds – F, LSU (junior)
Reggie Roberts – G, Texas A&M (junior)
Wayman Tisdale – F, Oklahoma (junior)
Carl Wright – G, SMU (junior)
References
- "1985 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- Ewing was born in
Jamaica, but had become a naturalized United States citizen while at Georgetown, as evidenced by his selection to the USA team at the 1984 Olympics.
- McCallum, Jack (August 11, 2011). "Hoops giant Sabonis was a mystery man with indisputable talent". SI.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014. Sabonis was subsequently selected in the first round (24th overall) of the 1986 NBA draft.
- "Griffin the big gift at lottery's 25th anniversary". USA Today. May 18, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- McManis, Sam (May 14, 1985). "NBA's New Showtime: It's Called the Lottery". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- Rovell, Darren (May 16, 2002). "NBA out to prove conspiracy theorists wrong". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
- "The Ewing Conspiracy".
- Rosenberg, Michael (October 29, 2010). "Viewpoint: Sports conspiracy theories". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- "NBA Draft Lottery 2020: Conspiracy theories that make us wonder if the lottery is rigged by the NBA". August 19, 2020.
- "1985 Underclassmen". The Draft Review. August 4, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2022.