close
Jump to content

1972 ABA draft

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1972 ABA draft
General information
SportBasketball
DatesMarch 2, 1972 (Rounds 1–5)
April 12, 1972 (Rounds 6–20)[1]
LocationNew York, New York
Overview
179 total selections in 20 rounds
LeagueAmerican Basketball Association
Teams11
First selectionBob McAdoo, Virginia Squires via Pittsburgh Condors[2]
← 1971
1973 →

The 1972 ABA draft was the sixth draft done by the American Basketball Association (ABA), a rivaling professional basketball league to the National Basketball Association (NBA) that they would eventually merge as a part of the NBA only a few years later despite official merger talks ultimately being dead during the later, more competitive years of the ABA's history.

This year would see an odd thing happen with the first five rounds of this year's draft not be recorded properly as of 2025 in terms of round ordering (outside of arguably the first round due to four teams losing their first round picks in situations relating to the previous draft year, if not the previous season) from March 2, 1972 (weeks before the 1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament was properly completed[1]) via standings from February 20 (though with the Pittsburgh Condors and Memphis Pros alternating between leading round orders this year since they both tied their official records that season at the time[2]), while the rest of the rounds of this draft would be recorded properly in terms of draft ordering on April 12 all at the ABA's headquarters in New York.

This draft also was the first draft in the ABA to allow their teams to draft one college underclassman to the first five rounds of the draft after seeing major success with underclassmen like Spencer Haywood, Ralph Simpson, George McGinnis, and Julius Erving going from undrafted players to successful, All-Star quality players in the ABA. This new policy created by the ABA drew strong criticisms from both the NCAA and numerous college coaches when it first happened, but it would eventually help pave the way for numerous college underclassmen to take their chances with later ABA and NBA drafts the more years passed by following this draft period by the ABA.[1]

However, the ABA wouldn't see as much success from this year's draft when compared to drafts from their previous years, with most of these college underclassmen opting to return to college for at least one more year instead and a number of Hall of Fame players, including that of their #1 pick in junior Bob McAdoo, going to the NBA instead despite him not being drafted at #1 that year there.

This draft period would also be the last draft that the Memphis Pros would participate in under that name since they would rebrand themselves to the Memphis Tams after this main draft period by June 1972,[3] as well as be the last event altogether for "The Floridians" and the Pittsburgh Condors franchises, as they would both fold operations months after this draft concluded on July 13, 1972,[4] with a new team called the San Diego Conquistadors being created a month later on August 10 that same year.[5]

Draftee career notes

[edit]

This year's #1 pick would mark the second year in a row where the ABA would not only have a different #1 pick from the NBA altogether, but also had a #1 pick that was owned by one team get itself traded to another team before the upcoming draft year began. While the NBA's draft had one of the biggest busts in NBA history via LaRue Martin from Loyola University Chicago going to the Portland Trail Blazers (which had the ABA see Martin being drafted fifth (presumably speaking) by the Dallas Chaparrals by comparison), the ABA's draft had one of the members of both the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors and later NBA 75th Anniversary Team in junior Bob McAdoo from the University of North Carolina as the #1 pick by the Virginia Squires by a trade with the Pittsburgh Condors (though he was selected second overall in the NBA by the Buffalo Braves).

However, much like the previous #1 pick for the ABA draft, Jim McDaniels, McAdoo would not play for the ABA team that drafted him at all (though like most #1 picks done by the ABA, he ended up opting to play for the NBA instead). McAdoo would prove his success almost immediately once he went professional by winning the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award, be named a five-time All-Star there, be named a member of the All-NBA Second Team in 1974 and All-NBA First Team in 1975 (including the NBA's MVP award for the latter year), be named a three-time scoring champion for the NBA from 1974 until 1976, and later be named a two-time NBA Finals champion while with the Showtime Lakers before he later went to Italy for the rest of his career from 1986 until retiring in 1992 with two Italian and EuroLeague championships (the second one including the EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer and EuroLeague Final Four MVP honors) won with Tracer Milano in the process. His honors not just with the NBA, but also Italy would help him earn a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, with McAdoo also being joined by Denver Rockets pick Paul Westphal from the University of Southern California and Dallas Chaparrals selected sophomore Bill Walton from UCLA (the latter of whom would become the #1 pick for the 1974 NBA draft as well), who both won at least one NBA Finals championship themselves during their careers and had significant success during their professional careers in the NBA.

Out of the 92 overall ABA All-Stars, there were six players eligible to be selected in this year's draft that would make it to the ABA All-Star Game either twice or once while the event existed: Brian Taylor, James Silas, and Swen Nater would make it to the All-Star Game twice in the ABA, while Claude Terry, the undrafted Don Buse, and the undrafted Dave Twardzik would make it to the All-Star Game only once there. Brian Taylor would be the player to see some of the most honors given to a player from this year's draft that actually played in the ABA with Taylor not only being named the Rookie of the Year in 1973 and an All-Star in the final two seasons of the ABA's existence, but also won the ABA Finals championship twice while with the New York Nets (including the final ABA Finals championship as a whole), was twice a member of the ABA's All-Defensive Team in the league's final seasons of play (joining six other players to join that team twice in their careers), and led the ABA in steals in 1975, though he would be strangely absent from the ABA All-Time Team in spite of his honors.

One player that would make the ABA's All-Time Team, however, was James Silas, whose honors from the ABA included being a member of the ABA's All-Rookie Team in 1973, two All-Star appearances in the league's final seasons of play, an All-ABA Second Team spot in 1975, and an All-ABA First Team spot in 1976 (though he would later have his number retired by the San Antonio Spurs, the predecessors of the Dallas Chaparrals, in 1984, two years after retiring from play altogether and three years after last playing for the franchise in general). Another player from this draft that would also win Rookie of the Year honors by the ABA (albeit a year after Brian Taylor won his award there) was the Dutch-born Swen Nater, who returned to UCLA after the draft following "The Floridians" franchise folding operations entirely before being considered an undrafted signee for the following year's draft that later signed with the Virginia Squires after they had previously picked up his player rights in the ABA's first ever dispersal draft; Swen Nater would not only win the ABA's Rookie of the Year Award in 1974, but he'd also be named an ABA All-Star and a member of the All-ABA Second Team twice in two out of three seasons of play in the ABA (as well as lead not just the ABA in rebounding in 1975, but also the NBA in rebounding in 1980).

The last player that was drafted this year to make it to an ABA All-Star Game, Claude Terry, was mainly named an All-Star due to the Denver Nuggets (the modern predecessors of the Denver Rockets) being the best team of the ABA during the final All-Star Game in the ABA's existence due to the unique circumstances from before the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. As for the other two players that made it to an ABA All-Star Game while also not being drafted during this year's draft period, Don Buse from the at the time Division II University of Evansville decided to forgo playing for the Phoenix Suns (who drafted him in the third round of the 1972 NBA draft) immediately for a shot at playing with his home state Indiana Pacers, which led to him being an ABA Finals champion in 1973, a two-time ABA All-Defensive team member in the league's final two seasons of existence, and an ABA All-Star (by replacing a player from the Denver Nuggets), an All-ABA Second Team member, and the ABA's leader in steals during that league's final season of existence before seeing similar looking success in the NBA following the eventual ABA-NBA merger with both the Pacers and Suns later in his career. Finally, Dave Twardzik from Old Dominion University stayed with the area's Virginia Squires team as an undrafted player, yet he was able to make it to the ABA's All-Star Game in 1975 (despite that team having the worst record in league history by that time) before later winning an NBA Finals championship in 1977 and then having his number be retired by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Historic draft notes

[edit]

Strangely enough, this draft period would be the only draft period to have recorded inconsistencies in terms of even draft locations of certain players, never mind draft orderings found within the first five rounds of the 1972 ABA draft (if not even later than that), according to the select few basketball websites that are willing to record the ABA's draft record history in the first place.[1][6][7][2][8] As such, the ordering of not just certain players that were drafted, but even certain teams that might have drafted some of these players are expected to be wildly inconsistent in terms of provided results given out to the public as of 2025, meaning this draft order shown here is likely not going to be 100% accurate in terms of output, especially since it looked like many teams lost selections within the first five rounds of the draft during this year (potentially due to some stipulations relating to the first failed ABA-NBA merger plans made earlier in the decade). That being said, this draft period would be considered the last draft period where the Memphis Pros would participate under that team name, since they would later rename themselves to the Memphis Tams (Tams being an acronym of the states of Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi that the franchise hoped to gain a local fanbase from out of each state, with their new logo in that time reflecting that name by showcasing a tam o'shanter style hat in terms of a more physical representation of what the Tams in question were).[3] It also ultimately became the last draft event altogether for both "The Floridians" and the Pittsburgh Condors franchises since they would both fold operations entirely on July 13, 1972, leaving the ABA with only nine operating teams for less than a month before the creation of the San Diego Conquistadors months after this draft period ended on August 10 that same year effectively had the team taking on both of those teams' spots since they both looked at San Diego as a relocation option at one point in time, as well as led to the ABA working with 10 teams for most of its operating tenure instead of 11 teams going forward.

Key

[edit]
Pos.GFC
PositionGuardForwardCenter
Accomplishments key
Symbol Meaning Symbol Meaning
^ Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ‡ Denotes player that was selected to the ABA All-Time Team
* Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-ABA Team + Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game
~ Denotes a player that won the ABA Rookie of the Year Award # Denotes player who has never appeared in either an ABA or NBA regular season or playoff game

Draft

[edit]
BERJAYA
Bob McAdoo was the first pick of the 1972 ABA Draft by the Virginia Squires via trading with the Pittsburgh Condors.
BERJAYA
Julius Erving was the price paid by the Virginia Squires in exchange for them forfeiting what would have been the seventh pick in the 1972 ABA Draft.
BERJAYA
Jimmy Jones was the price paid by the Utah Stars in exchange for them giving up their own first round pick (which would have been the new seventh pick) in the 1972 ABA Draft.
BERJAYA
Brian Taylor was presumably the nineteenth pick in the 1972 ABA Draft by the New York Nets.
BERJAYA
Paul Westphal was presumably the 20th pick in the 1972 ABA Draft by the Denver Rockets.
BERJAYA
Bill Walton was presumably the 33rd pick in the 1972 ABA Draft by the Dallas Chaparrals.
BERJAYA
Swen Nater (back) was presumably the 58th pick in the seventh round of the 1972 ABA Draft by "The Floridians" franchise; Nater would later be picked up by the Virginia Squires during the league's first ever dispersal draft months later as the ninth pick there.
BERJAYA
Don Buse was an undrafted player from the 1972 ABA Draft that would see decent success throughout his professional career after signing with the Indiana Pacers.
BERJAYA
Dave Twardzik was an undrafted player from the 1972 ABA Draft that would see decent success throughout his professional career after signing with the Virginia Squires.
Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School/Club team
1 1 Bob McAdoo^ C BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires (from Pittsburgh)[2] North Carolina (Jr.)
1 Memphis Pros (forfeited #2 pick due to them acquiring Larry Cannon from the Denver Rockets[2])
1 2 Tom Riker C/PF BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars South Carolina (Sr.)
1 3 Bud Stallworth SG/SF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Kansas (Sr.)
1 4 Dwight Davis PF BERJAYA United States The Floridians Houston (Sr.)
1 New York Nets (forfeited #5 pick due to them signing Jim Chones, a player previously drafted by the Virginia Squires last year that got invalidated due to draft stipulations at the time[2])
1 5 LaRue Martin C BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Loyola (Chicago) (Sr.)
1 6 Paul Stovall SF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets (from Indiana)[2] Arizona State (Sr.)
1 Virginia Squires (forfeited what would have been the #7 pick due to them signing Julius Erving‡ last year after the previous draft ended[2])
1 Utah Stars (forfeited what would have been the new #7 pick due to them signing Jimmy Jones‡ from the Memphis Pros[2])
1 7 Corky Calhoun SF BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Duke (Sr.)
2 8 David Brent# C/PF BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Jacksonville (Fr.)
2 9 John Gianelli C/PF BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Pacific (Sr.)
2 10 Dennis Wuycik SF BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars North Carolina (Sr.)
2 11 Claude Terry+ SG/SF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Stanford (Sr.)
2 12 Mike Stewart# C BERJAYA United States The Floridians Santa Clara (Jr.)
2 13 Bill Chamberlain SF BERJAYA United States New York Nets North Carolina (Sr.)
2 14 Mike Ratliff C BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Wisconsin–Eau Claire (Sr.)
2 15 Chris Ford SG BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Villanova (Sr.)
2 16 Russ Lee SG/SF BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Kentucky)) Marshall (Sr.)
3 17 Chuck Terry SF BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Long Beach State (Sr.)
3 18 Jim Price PG BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Louisville (Sr.)
3 19 Brian Taylor~* PG BERJAYA United States New York Nets (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Carolina)) Princeton (Sr.)
3 20 Paul Westphal^ PG/SG BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets USC (Sr.)
3 21 Scott English SF BERJAYA United States The Floridians UTEP (Sr.)
3 22 Joby Wright PF/C BERJAYA United States New York Nets (from The Floridians via New York)[2] Indiana (Sr.)
3 23 Bob Morse# SF/PF BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Pennsylvania (Sr.)
3 24 Oscar Evans# G BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Butler (Sr.)
3 25 Will Franklin F BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Purdue (Sr.)
3 26 Travis Grant SF BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Kentucky State (Sr.)
4 27 Rusty Clair# C/PF BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Oregon (Sr.)
4 28 Bob Davis SF BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Weber State (Sr.)
4 29 Fred Boyd PG/SG BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Oregon State (Sr.)
4 30 Doug Collins SG BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Illinois State (Sr.)
4 31 Greg Starrick# G BERJAYA United States The Floridians Southern Illinois (Sr.)
4 32 Dwaine Dillard SF BERJAYA United States New York Nets Eastern Michigan (So.)[9]
4 33 Bill Walton^ C BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals UCLA (So.)
4 34 Art White# F BERJAYA United States New York Nets (acquired via trade of some sort) Georgetown University (D.C.) (Sr.)
4 35 Chuck Jura# C BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Nebraska (Sr.)
5 36 Wil Robinson SG BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors West Virginia (Sr.)
5 37 Dave Bustion PF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Denver (Sr.)
5 38 Bob Lackey SG BERJAYA United States New York Nets Marquette (Sr.)
5 39 Steve Hawes C/PF BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Washington (Sr.)
5 40 Nate Stephens# C BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Long Beach State (Jr.)
5 41 Bob Nash SF BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Hawaii (Sr.)
5 42 Harold Fox PG BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Kentucky)) Jacksonville (Sr.)
6 43 Bob Ford F BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Purdue (Sr.)
6 44 James Silas*‡ PG BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Stephen F. Austin (Sr.)
6 45 Steve Bracey PG BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Tulsa (Sr.)
6 46 Sam Sibert SF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Kentucky State (Sr.)
6 47 Charlie Thorpe# C BERJAYA United States The Floridians Belhaven College (Sr.)
6 48 Ron Harris# F BERJAYA United States New York Nets Wichita State (Sr.)
6 49 Jim Creighton PF BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Colorado (Sr.)
6 50 George Adams F BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Gardner–Webb College (Jr.)
6 51 Reggie Bird# G BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Princeton (Sr.)
6 52 Tom Patterson SF/PF BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Ouachita Baptist (Jr.)
6 53 Matt Gantt# F BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels St. Bonaventure (Sr.)
7 54 Joe Mackey# F BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors USC (Sr.)
7 55 Rowland Garrett SF BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Florida State (Sr.)
7 56 Dan Holcomb# C BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Memphis State (Sr.)
7 57 Ron Riley PF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets USC (Sr.)
7 58 Swen Nater~* C BERJAYA The Netherlands The Floridians UCLA (Jr.)
7 59 Hank Siemiontkowski# SF/PF BERJAYA United States New York Nets Villanova (Sr.)
7 60 Frank Schade G BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Wisconsin–Eau Claire (Sr.)
7 61 Richie Garner# SG BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Manhattan (Sr.)
7 62 Al Sanders PF BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires LSU (Sr.)
7 63 Eric McWilliams SF BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Long Beach State (Sr.)
7 64 Bill Kennedy# G BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Arizona State (Sr.)
8 65 Sam Simmons# G BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Bradley (Sr.)
8 66 Marshall Wingate# G BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Niagara (Sr.)
8 67 Henry Bibby PG BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars UCLA (Sr.)
8 68 Ted Martiniuk# F BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Saint Peter's (Sr.)
8 69 Ron Thomas PF BERJAYA United States The Floridians Louisville (Sr.)
8 70 Walter Jones# F BERJAYA United States New York Nets LIU Brooklyn (Sr.)
8 71 Ansley Truitt PF BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals California (Sr.)
8 72 Cavin Andersen# G BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Valley City State (Sr.)
8 73 Billy Shepherd PG BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Butler (Sr.)
8 74 Frank Russell SG BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Detroit (Sr.)
8 75 Terry Benton# F BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Wichita State (Sr.)
9 76 Charles Edge SF BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors LeMoyne–Owen (Jr.)
9 77 Steve Davidson# F BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros West Texas State (Sr.)
9 78 Jerry Crocker# G BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Guilford (Sr.)
9 79 Bernie Fryer SG BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets BYU (Sr.)
9 80 Ernie Fleming# F BERJAYA United States The Floridians Jacksonville (Sr.)
9 81 Ed Czernota# F BERJAYA United States New York Nets Sacred Heart (Sr.)
9 82 Wayne Grabiec# G BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Michigan (Sr.)
9 83 Wardell Dyson# F BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Shaw University (Sr.)
9 84 Mike Barr G BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Duquesne (Sr.)
9 85 Mike Jackson PF BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.)
9 86 Ernest Pettis# G BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Western Michigan (Sr.)
10 87 Jackie Young# G BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Rocky Mountain (Sr.)
10 88 Bryan Adrian# G BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Davidson (Sr.)
10 89 Mike Collins# F BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Seattle (Sr.)
10 90 Jerry Pender SG BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Fresno State (Sr.)
10 91 Sam Cash PF BERJAYA United States The Floridians UC Riverside (Jr.)
10 92 Randy Noll# F BERJAYA United States New York Nets Marshall (Jr.)
10 93 Jerry Zielinski# SG/SF BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Northern Illinois (Sr.)
10 94 Jolly Spight# G BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Santa Clara (Sr.)
10 95 Rick Aydlett# F BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires South Carolina (Sr.)
10 96 Kevin Porter PG BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Saint Francis (Jr.)
10 97 Cleveland Hill# F BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Nicholls State (Sr.)
11 98 Joe Gaines# F BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Belmont (Sr.)
11 99 Steve Turner# C BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Vanderbilt (Jr.)
11 100 Wilbert Loftin# F BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Southwest Louisiana (Sr.)
11 101 Gary Stewart# F BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Canisius (Sr.)
11 102 Tracy Tripucka# G BERJAYA United States The Floridians Lafayette (Sr.)
11 103 Quinas Brower# F BERJAYA United States New York Nets Hofstra (Sr.)
11 104 Jeff Hickman# SG BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Houston (Sr.)
11 105 Billy Burton# G BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Eastern Kentucky (Sr.)
11 106 Kent Hollenbeck# G BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Kentucky (Sr.)
11 107 Willie Hart# C BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Grambling (Jr.)
11 108 Andrew Pettes# G BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Oklahoma (Sr.)
12 109 Henry Bacon SG BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Louisville (Sr.)
12 110 Chic Downing# F BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Benedictine College (Sr.)
12 111 Charles Dudley PG BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Washington (Sr.)
12 112 Michael Reid# G BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets UC Riverside (So.)
12 113 Jerry Brucks# C BERJAYA United States The Floridians Wyoming (Sr.)
12 114 Bill Phillips# C BERJAYA United States New York Nets St. John's (Sr.)
12 115 Stan Key# G BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Kentucky (Sr.)
12 116 Wally Rice# G BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers PMC Colleges (Sr.)
12 117 Milton Adams# G BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Portland (Sr.)
12 118 Lloyd Neal C/PF BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Tennessee State (Sr.)
12 119 David Hall# F BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Kansas State (Sr.)
13 120 Billy Pleas# F BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Detroit (Sr.)
13 121 Ruppert Breedlove# C BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Oglethorpe (Sr.)
13 122 Mike Sneed# F BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Fayetteville State (Sr.)
13 123 John Burks# F BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets San Francisco (Sr.)
13 124 Bobby Jack# F BERJAYA United States The Floridians Oklahoma (Sr.)
13 125 Kelly Utley# G BERJAYA United States New York Nets Shaw University (Sr.)
13 126 Donn Weise#[10] C BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Ripon College (Sr.)
13 127 Mel Sims#[11] G BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.)
13 128 Ralph Houston F BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Houston (Sr.)
13 129 Simpson Degrate# SG/SF BERJAYA United States Utah Stars TCU (Sr.)
13 130 Jerry Clack# G BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Oklahoma State (Sr.)
14 131 Sam McCarney# F BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Oral Roberts (Sr.)
14 132 David Werthman# SF BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors West Virginia (Sr.)
14 133 Steve Previs PG BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars North Carolina (Sr.)
14 134 John Tschogl SF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets UC Santa Barbara (Sr.)
14 135 Greg Flaker# G BERJAYA United States The Floridians Missouri (Sr.)
14 136 Paul Hoffman# G BERJAYA United States New York Nets St. Bonaventure (Sr.)
14 137 Rhea Taylor# SF BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Arizona State (Sr.)
14 138 Nate Williams# SF BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Utah State (Sr.)
14 139 Rudolph Peele# G BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Norfolk State (Sr.)
14 140 Mose Adolph# G BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.)
14 141 Tom Parker# F BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Kentucky (Sr.)
15 142 Henry Seawright# G BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Manhattan (Sr.)
15 143 Gene Mack# PG BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Iowa State (Sr.)
15 144 Kent Martens# C BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Abilene Christian (Sr.)
15 145 Leon Huff# G BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Drake (Sr.)
15 146 Ray Golson# G BERJAYA United States The Floridians West Texas State (Sr.)
15 New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.)
15 147 Ron Williams# G BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Murray State (Sr.)
15 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)
15 148 Scott McCandlish# C BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Virginia (Sr.)
15 149 Harvey Catchings PF/C BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Hardin–Simmons (So.)
15 150 Jerry Dunn# F BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Western Kentucky (Sr.)
16 151 Ken May# F BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Dayton (Sr.)
16 152 Lee McCullough# F BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Indiana (Pennsylvania) (Sr.)
16 153 Rod Behrens# PF BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Samford (Sr.)
16 154 Phillip Sisk# G BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Georgia Southern (Sr.)
16 155 Willie Cherry# F BERJAYA United States The Floridians Denver (Sr.)
16 New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.)
16 156 Rich Walker# G BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Bowling Green (Sr.)
16 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)
16 157 Harry Taylor# G/F BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Los Angeles Baptist (Sr.)
16 158 Richard Dixon# G BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Loyola Los Angeles (Sr.)
16 159 Frank Lorthridge# C/PF BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Pan American (Sr.)
17 160 Harry Anderson# SG BERJAYA United States Pittsburgh Condors Saint Peter's (Jr.)
17 161 Steve Schmidt# G BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros South Alabama (Sr.)
17 162 David Smith# G BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Western Carolina (Sr.)
17 163 Dave Hullman# PF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Arizona State (Sr.)
17 164 Arnie Berman# F BERJAYA United States The Floridians Brown (Sr.)
17 165 Ron Bradley# G BERJAYA United States New York Nets Eastern Nazarene (Jr.)
17 166 Al Vilcheck# PF/C BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Louisville (Sr.)
17 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)
17 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)
17 167 Henry Steele# C BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Northeast Louisiana (Sr.)[12]
17 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)
18 168 Terry Hankton# F BERJAYA United States Memphis Pros Arkansas Polytechnic College (Sr.)
18 169 Manuel Raga# SG BERJAYA Mexico Pittsburgh Condors Ignis Varese (Italy)
18 170 Curtis Pritchett# F BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars St. Augustine's (Sr.)
18 171 Harold Little# SG/SF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets New Mexico (Sr.)
18 172 Fred DeVaughn# F BERJAYA United States The Floridians Westmont (Jr.)
18 New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.)
18 Dallas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.)
18 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)
18 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)
18 173 Dwight Holiday# SG BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Hawaii (Sr.)
18 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)
19 Pittsburgh Condors (Passed up on using this selection.)
19 Memphis Pros (Passed up on using this selection.)
19 174 Paul Coder# C BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars NC State (Sr.)
19 175 Andy Knowles# PG BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Louisiana Tech (Sr.)
19 176 Bob Zender#[13] F BERJAYA United States The Floridians Kansas State (Sr.)
19 New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.)
19 Dallas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.)
19 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)
19 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)
19 177 George Price# G BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Colorado State (Sr.)
19 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 Memphis Pros (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 Pittsburgh Condors (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 Carolina Cougars (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 178 Al Davis# F BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Hawaii (Sr.)
20 The Floridians (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 Dallas Chaparrals (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)
20 179 George Bryant# PG BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Eastern Kentucky (Sr.)
20 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)

Notable undrafted players

[edit]

These players were officially considered draft eligible for the 1972 ABA draft and went undrafted this year, yet played at least one regular season or playoff game for the ABA before the ABA-NBA merger actually commenced a few years later.

Player Pos. Nationality School
Don Buse* PG BERJAYA United States Evansville (Sr.)
Bill Newton PF/C BERJAYA United States LSU (Sr.)
Dave Twardzik+ PG BERJAYA United States Old Dominion (Sr.)

1972 ABA dispersal draft

[edit]

On July 13, 1972, two of the ABA's eleven inaugural teams in "The Floridians" and the Pittsburgh Condors would have their players be dispersed in the first dispersal draft in the ABA's history. This dispersal draft would involve all of the original ABA teams that remained alive and kicking at the time, but it would not include the San Diego Conquistadors expansion team since their creation was done after the dispersal draft happened. This draft would also be considered the debut drafting period of the Memphis Tams under their newly rebranded name.[3] There would be six total rounds of draft picks from this dispersal draft that the nine ABA teams that were left over at the time would utilize from taking either "The Floridians" or Pittsburgh Condors players that were available for themselves.[14] Any players that weren't selected after this draft concluded would be placed on waivers and enter free agency afterward.[4] Interestingly enough, the Denver Rockets were the only ABA team to select players from only one of the two defunct franchises, with them opting to select players only from "The Floridians" franchise instead of either both franchises like every other team here did or even just players from the Pittsburgh Condors only. Outside of that note, the following teams would select these players from either "The Floridians" or the Pittsburgh Condors franchises, with parentheses showcasing the original team they were either on or had the player rights to at the time before the dispersal draft commenced unless directly stated otherwise.

BERJAYA
Warren Jabali was selected second in the first round of the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from "The Floridians" to the Denver Rockets.
BERJAYA
Mike Lewis was selected third in the first round of the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from the Pittsburgh Condors to the Carolina Cougars.
BERJAYA
John Brisker was selected fourth in the first round of the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from the Pittsburgh Condors to the Dallas Chaparrals.
BERJAYA
Mack Calvin was selected sixth in the first round of the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from "The Floridians" to the Carolina Cougars.
BERJAYA
Larry Jones was selected tenth in the first round of the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from "The Floridians" to the Utah Stars.
BERJAYA
Jim Ligon was selected 34th overall (fourth in the fourth round) in the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from the Pittsburgh Condors to the Virginia Squires.
Rnd. Pick Player Pos. Nationality New Team School Former Team
1 1 George Thompson+ PG BERJAYA United States Memphis Tams Marquette Pittsburgh Condors
1 2 Warren Jabali*‡ SG/PG BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Wichita State The Floridians
1 3 Mike Lewis+ PF/C BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Duke Pittsburgh Condors
1 4 John Brisker SF/SG BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Toledo Pittsburgh Condors
1 5 Skeeter Swift SG BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals East Tennessee State Pittsburgh Condors
1 6 Mack Calvin*‡ PG BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars USC The Floridians
1 7 Willie Long SF/PF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets New Mexico The Floridians
1 8 Ron Franz SF BERJAYA United States Memphis Tams Kansas The Floridians
1 9 Swen Nater~* C BERJAYA The Netherlands Virginia Squires UCLA The Floridians
1 10 Larry Jones* PG/SG BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Toledo The Floridians
1 11 Walt Szczerbiak SF BERJAYA United States
BERJAYA West Germany		 Kentucky Colonels George Washington Pittsburgh Condors
1 12 Chuck Terry SF BERJAYA United States New York Nets Long Beach State Pittsburgh Condors
1 13 Dwight Davis PF BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Houston The Floridians
2 14 Dave Lattin PF/C BERJAYA United States Memphis Tams UTEP Pittsburgh Condors
2 15 Scott English SF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets UTEP The Floridians
2 16 Mike Stewart# C BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Santa Clara The Floridians
2 17 John Gianelli C/PF BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Pacific Pittsburgh Condors
2 18 Joe Mackey# F BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires USC Pittsburgh Condors
2 19 Chic Downing# F BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Benedictine College Pittsburgh Condors
2 20 Ernie Fleming# F BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Jacksonville The Floridians
2 21 Dwight Jones PF/C BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Houston The Floridians
3 22 Sam Cash PF BERJAYA United States Memphis Tams UC Riverside The Floridians
3 23 Al Tucker SF BERJAYA United States Denver Rockets Oklahoma Baptist The Floridians
3 24 Mike Grosso C BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Louisville Pittsburgh Condors
3 25 Jerry Brucks# C BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Wyoming The Floridians
3 26 Craig Raymond C BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires BYU The Floridians
3 27 Wil Robinson SG BERJAYA United States Utah Stars West Virginia Pittsburgh Condors
3 28 Lonnie Wright SG/PG BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Colorado State The Floridians
3 29 George Tinsley SF BERJAYA United States New York Nets Kentucky Wesleyan The Floridians
3 30 Tracy Tripucka# G BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Lafayette The Floridians
4 31 Ron Thomas PF BERJAYA United States Memphis Tams Louisville The Floridians
4 32 Greg Starrick# G BERJAYA United States Carolina Cougars Southern Illinois The Floridians
4 33 Bobby Jack# F BERJAYA United States Dallas Chaparrals Oklahoma The Floridians
4 34 Jim Ligon+ PF/C BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Kokomo High School
(Kokomo, Indiana)		 Pittsburgh Condors
4 35 Henry Seawright# G BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Manhattan Pittsburgh Condors
4 36 Greg Flaker# G BERJAYA United States Kentucky Colonels Missouri The Floridians
4 37 Brian Adrian# G BERJAYA United States Indiana Pacers Davidson Pittsburgh Condors
5 38 Charles Edge SF BERJAYA United States Memphis Tams LeMoyne–Owen Pittsburgh Condors
5 39 Greg Lowery# G BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Texas Tech The Floridians
5 40 Billy Pleas# F BERJAYA United States Utah Stars Detroit Pittsburgh Condors
6 41 Ray Golson# G BERJAYA United States Memphis Tams West Texas State The Floridians
6 42 Al Davis# F BERJAYA United States Virginia Squires Hawaii The Floridians

1972 ABA expansion draft

[edit]

Following the dispersal draft of "The Floridians" and Pittsburgh Condors franchises, the ABA would host their first and only expansion draft in league history with the San Diego Conquistadors taking on one of the replacement spots for either "The Floridians" or the Pittsburgh Condors since both franchises, coincidentally enough, previously looked at San Diego as a relocation option before folding operations altogether. The expansion draft for the San Diego Conquistadors would take place on August 10, 1972, almost a month after the dispersal draft had concluded, with the Conquistadors being allowed to have two selections of players in essentially one total round (but really two rounds[7]) from the nine remaining inaugural ABA teams at hand. However, the Indiana Pacers would later negotiate a deal with San Diego to only allow them to acquire the negating draft rights to Dwight Jones alongside George Peeples instead of two of their actual players on their end.[5] In any case, Mike Barrett of the Virginia Squires would be named the #1 pick for the San Diego Conquistadors during the expansion draft. Alongside those particular notes of interest, the following players would be selected by the Conquistadors for the franchise's expansion draft.

San Diego Conquistadors
Expansion draft roster:

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 183
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1972 ABA Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Bradley, Robert. "Remember the ABA: New Orleans Bucs/Memphis Pros/Memphis Tams/Memphis Sounds/Baltimore Claws Year-to-Year Notes". Remember the ABA. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 426
  5. 1 2 Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 422
  6. ↑ "1972 NBA Draft". DatabaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Bradley, Robert; Grasso, John. "ABA Player Drafts". APBR.org. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  8. ↑ "American Basketball Association - 1971-72 ABA Draft Picks". 21 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Dwaine Dillard". The Draft Review. September 24, 2018. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Ripon College Men's Basketball Career Record Book". Ripon College Athletics. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Mel Sims". SRCBB. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Former NLU Hoops Standout & Longtime High School Coach Jesse Burnette Passes Away at Age 70". University of Louisiana Monroe Athletics. August 13, 2022. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Bob Zender". SRCBB. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
  14. ↑ "1972 ABA Draft". The Draft Review. June 6, 2007. Retrieved Dec 23, 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1972_ABA_draft&oldid=1357046120"