1962 NBA draft

Basketball player selection

1962 NBA draft

General information
Sport| Basketball
Date(s)| March 26, 1962
Location| Plaza Hotel (New York City, New York)[1]
Overview
102 total selections in 16 rounds
League| NBA
Territorial pick(s)| Dave DeBusschere, Detroit Pistons
Jerry Lucas, Cincinnati Royals
First selection| Bill McGill, Chicago Zephyrs
Hall of Famers|

* G Dave DeBusschere
* F Jerry Lucas
* C Zelmo Beaty
* G John Havlicek
* G Chet Walker

<- 1961

1963 ->

The 1962 NBA draft was the 16th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 26, 1962, before the 1962–63 season. In this draft, nine 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. In each round, the teams selected in reverse order of their won–loss record in the previous season. Before the draft, a team could forfeit its first-round draft pick, then select any player from within a 50-mile radius of its home arena as their territorial pick.[2][3] The Chicago Packers, who finished last in the previous season, were renamed the Chicago Zephyrs.[4] The Philadelphia Warriors relocated to San Francisco and became the San Francisco Warriors prior to the start of the season.[5] The draft consisted of 16 rounds, comprising 102 players selected.

## Draft selections and draftee career notes

[edit]

Dave DeBusschere and Jerry Lucas were selected before the draft as the 'Detroit Pistons' and 'Cincinnati Royals' territorial picks, respectively. Bill McGill from the University of Utah was selected first overall by the Chicago Zephyrs. Terry Dischinger from Purdue University, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected eight overall by the Chicago Zephyrs.[6] Four players from this draft, DeBusschere, Lucas, seventh pick John Havlicek and twelfth pick Chet Walker, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[7] They were also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[8] Lucas initially opted to sign for the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League (ABL). However, the Pipers folded before the start of the season and Lucas opted to sit out a year to complete his education.[9] He eventually entered the NBA and went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in the 1963–64 season. Lucas' achievements include an NBA championship with the New York Knicks in 1973, 5 All-NBA Team selections and 7 All-Star Game selections.[10] DeBusschere's achievements include 2 NBA championships with the Knicks in 1970 and 1973, 1 All-NBA Team selection, 8 All-Star Game selections and 6 All-Defensive Team selections. In the 1964–65 season, he was named as a player-coach for the Pistons, becoming the youngest head coach in the NBA at the age of 24. He coached the Pistons for almost three years before returning to a full-time player. He also had a brief professional baseball career with the Chicago White Sox. He played two seasons in the Major League Baseball in 1962 and 1963, and another season in the minor-league before he gave up his dual-sport career to focus on basketball.[11] He is one of only 12 athletes who have played in both NBA and MLB.[12][13][14] Havlicek spent all of his 16-year playing career with the Boston Celtics. His achievements include 8 NBA championships with the Celtics, 1 Finals MVP, 11 All-NBA Team selection, 13 All-Star Game selections and 8 All-Defensive Team selections.[15] Walker, the 12th pick, won the NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967 and was selected to 7 All-Star Games.[16]

Zelmo Beaty, the 3rd pick, played in both NBA and American Basketball Association (ABA). He was selected to 2 NBA All-Star Games, 3 ABA All-Star Games and 3 All-ABA Teams.[17] Dischinger and 4th pick Len Chappell are the only other players from this draft who have been selected to an All-Star Game.[18][19] During his stint with the Detroit Pistons, Dischinger served as an interim player-coach for two games in 1971.[20] Wayne Hightower, the 5th pick, had left college after his junior year in 1961. He wasn't eligible to be drafted until his college class had graduated, therefore he spent a year playing in the Spanish League with Real Madrid.[21] In his only season there, he helped Real Madrid to a Spanish League title and to the European Champions Cup final.[22] Reggie Harding, the 29th pick, became the first player drafted out of high school when the Detroit Pistons selected him in the fourth round. However, he did not enter the league until the 1963–64 season due to the rules that prevent a high school player to play in the league until one year after his high school class graduated.[23][24] He was drafted again in the 1963 draft by the Pistons with the 48th pick in the sixth round.

Kevin Loughery, the 11th pick, had a stint as a player-coach with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1973. At the end of the season, he retired from playing and moved to the ABA to coach the New York Nets. He won 2 ABA championships with the Nets in 1974 and 1976. He then moved to the NBA with the Nets after the ABA–NBA merger. He coached 6 NBA teams, most recently with the Miami Heat.[25] Don Nelson, the 17th pick, played 14 seasons in the NBA, winning 5 NBA championships with the Celtics. He became a head coach soon after retiring as a player in 1976. He coached 4 NBA teams, most recently with the Golden State Warriors.[26] He held the record for most wins as a head coach, surpassing Lenny Wilkens' previous record of 1,332 wins.[27] He won the Coach of the Year Award for a record three times, tied with Pat Riley.[28] He was also named among the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.[29]

## Key

[edit]

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

## Draft

[edit]

John Havlicek, selected by the Boston Celtics. Round  | Pick  | Player  | Pos.  | Nationality  | Team  | School/club team

|
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T | –  | Dave DeBusschere^  | G/F  |  United States  | Detroit Pistons | Detroit
T | –  | Jerry Lucas^  | F/C  |  United States  | Cincinnati Royals | Ohio State
1  | 1  | Bill McGill | F/C  |  United States  | Chicago Zephyrs | Utah
1  | 2  | Paul Hogue | C  |  United States  | New York Knicks | Cincinnati
1  | 3  | Zelmo Beaty^  | C  |  United States  | St. Louis Hawks | Prairie View A&M
1  | 4  | Len Chappell+ | F/C  |  United States  | Syracuse Nationals | Wake Forest
1  | 5  | Wayne Hightower | F/C  |  United States  | Philadelphia Warriors | Real Madrid (Spain)[22]
1  | 6  | LeRoy Ellis | F/C  |  United States  | Los Angeles Lakers | St. John's
1  | 7  | John Havlicek^  | G/F  |  United States  | Boston Celtics | Ohio State
2  | 8  | Terry Dischinger+ | G/F  |  United States  | Chicago Zephyrs | Purdue
2  | 9  | John Rudometkin | F  |  United States  | New York Knicks | USC
2  | 10  | Bob Duffy | G  |  United States  | St. Louis Hawks | Colgate
2  | 11  | Kevin Loughery | G  |  United States  | Detroit Pistons | St. John's
2  | 12  | Chet Walker^  | G/F  |  United States  | Syracuse Nationals | Bradley
2  | 13  | Bud Olsen | F/C  |  United States  | Cincinnati Royals | Louisville
2  | 14  | Hubie White | G/F  |  United States  | Philadelphia Warriors | Villanova
2  | 15  | Gene Wiley | C  |  United States  | Los Angeles Lakers | Wichita
2  | 16  | Jack Foley | F  |  United States  | Boston Celtics | Holy Cross

## Other picks

[edit]

The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[30][31]

Don Nelson was selected 17th overall by the Chicago Zephyrs. Charles Hardnett was selected 19th overall by the St. Louis Hawks.

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Pos.  | Nationality  | Team  | School/club team

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3  | 17  | Don Nelson | F  |  United States  | Chicago Zephyrs | Iowa
3  | 19  | Charles Hardnett | F/C  |  United States  | St. Louis Hawks | Grambling
3  | 21  | Porter Meriwether | G  |  United States  | Syracuse Nationals | Tennessee State
3  | 23  | Dave Fedor | F  |  United States  | Philadelphia Warriors | Florida State
4  | 26  | Chico Vaughn | G  |  United States  | St. Louis Hawks (from Chicago) | Southern Illinois
4  | 28  | Jerry Grote | G  |  United States  | St. Louis Hawks | Loyola (CA)
4  | 29  | Reggie Harding | C  |  United States  | Detroit Pistons | Nashville Christian Institute (Nashville, Tennessee)[1]
4  | 34  | Roger Strickland | F  |  United States  | Boston Celtics | Jacksonville
5  | 39  | John Windsor | F  |  United States  | Syracuse Nationals | Stanford
6  | 46  | Jay Carty | G  |  United States  | St. Louis Hawks | Oregon State
7  | 59  | Howie Montgomery | F  |  United States  | Philadelphia Warriors | Pan American
8  | 65  | Jerry Harkness | G  |  United States  | Syracuse Nationals | Loyola (IL)
11  | 85  | Jeff Slade | F  |  United States  | Chicago Zephyrs | Kenyon
12  | 90  | Mel Nowell | G  |  United States  | Chicago Zephyrs | Ohio State

## Notable undrafted players

[edit]

Further information: List of undrafted NBA players

These players were not selected in the 1962 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.

Player  | Pos.  | Nationality  | School/club team

|
|
|

Dan Tieman | G  |  United States  | Thomas More
Ralph Wells | G  |  United States  | Northwestern

## Notes

[edit]

^ 1: Reggie Harding played and graduated from Detroit Eastern High School in January but he played high school basketball in Nashville, Tennessee, prior to the draft.[23][32]

## See also

[edit]

* List of first overall NBA draft picks

## References

[edit]

General

* "Complete First Round Results 1960–69". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 3, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
* "1962 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
* "1962–1966 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
* "1962 NBA Draft". The Draft Review. Retrieved January 26, 2010.

Specific

1. ^ Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 82
2. ^ "How the NBA draft became a lottery". The Seattle Times. May 21, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
3. ^ "Lakers Select Baylor In NBA Draft Meeting". The Daily Collegian. Pennsylvania State University. April 23, 1958. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
4. ^ Hareas, John (August 6, 2001). "A Colorful Tradition". NBA.com/Wizards. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
5. ^ May, Peter (May 23, 2004). "Kings still waiting to reign". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
6. ^ "Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
7. ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
8. ^ "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
9. ^ "Lucas Shifts, Pipers To Fold". The Pittsburgh Press. August 29, 1962. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
10. ^ "Jerry Lucas Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
11. ^ "Dave DeBusschere Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
12. ^ "Sports Hot Line". The Beaver County Times. November 1, 1981. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
13. ^ "Hendrickson Becomes Latest to Play In Both NBA and Major League Baseball". WSU Cougars. CBS Interactive. August 9, 2002. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
14. ^ Crowe, Jerry (August 13, 2002). "The Inside Track; Morning Briefing; New Coach Pulls the Strings in Washington". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
15. ^ "John Havlicek Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
16. ^ "Chet Walker Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
17. ^ "Zelmo Beaty Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
18. ^ "Terry Dischinger Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
19. ^ "Len Chappell Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
20. ^ "Terry Dischinger Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
21. ^ "Hightower to Play in Spain". Gettysburg Times. August 14, 1961. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
22. ^ a b Thomsen, Ian (April 28, 2008). "Russian Revolution". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
23. ^ a b "Pistons Can't Use 7-Foot Prep". Lawrence Journal-World. July 3, 1962. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
24. ^ Hilton, Dan (July 14, 2008). "Doesn't the Extra Year Help Teams?". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
25. ^ "Kevin Loughery Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
26. ^ "Don Nelson Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
27. ^ Zillgitt, Jeff (April 8, 2010). "Don Nelson savors journey to top of NBA coaching win list". USA Today. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
28. ^ "Coach of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
29. ^ "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
30. ^ "1962 NBA draft".
31. ^ "NBA Past Drafts - RealGM".
32. ^ "Royals Snap Up Lucas". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 27, 1962. Retrieved July 19, 2010.

## External links

[edit]

* NBA.com
* NBA.com: NBA Draft History

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1962 NBA draft

Territorial pick|

* Dave DeBusschere
* Jerry Lucas

First round|

* Bill McGill
* Paul Hogue
* Zelmo Beaty
* Len Chappell
* Wayne Hightower
* LeRoy Ellis
* John Havlicek

Second round|

* Terry Dischinger
* John Rudometkin
* Bob Duffy
* Kevin Loughery
* Chet Walker
* Bud Olsen
* Hubie White
* Gene Wiley
* Jack Foley

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* 1962 NBA draft
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* Syracuse

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* Chicago
* Detroit
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