1972 ABA draft

Basketball player selection 1972 ABA draft Basketball March 2, 1972 (Rounds 1–5)April 12, 1972 (Rounds 6–20)Bradley Robert D. The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts 2013 Scarecrow Press 9780810890695, pg. 183 New York, New York American Basketball Association 11 179 20 Bob McAdoo, Virginia Squires via Pittsburgh Condorshttps://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Years/1972-aba.htm 1972 ABA Draft Pick Transactions Pro Sports Transactions Dec 23, 2024 October 2, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231002153020/https://prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Years/1972-aba.htm live 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) 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), 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. 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,http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/MemphisMaterial/BuccaneersMemphisYearly.html Remember the ABA: New Orleans Bucs/Memphis Pros/Memphis Tams/Memphis Sounds/Baltimore Claws Year-to-Year Notes Bradley Robert Remember the ABA Dec 23, 2024 May 8, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090508110850/http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/MemphisMaterial/BuccaneersMemphisYearly.html live 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,Bradley Robert D. The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts 2013 Scarecrow Press 9780810890695, pg. 426 with a new team called the San Diego Conquistadors being created a month later on August 10 that same year.Bradley Robert D. The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts 2013 Scarecrow Press 9780810890695, pg. 422 Draftee career notes 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 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20140716032528/http://databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1972&lg=A July 16, 2014 usurped https://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1972&lg=A 1972 NBA Draft DatabaseBasketball.com Dec 23, 2024https://apbr.org/abadrafts.html ABA Player Drafts APBR.org Dec 23, 2024 Robert Bradley John Grassohttps://www.retroseasons.com/leagues/aba/1972/draft-picks/ American Basketball Association - 1971-72 ABA Draft Picks 21 March 2023 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). 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 Pos.GFCPositionGuardForwardCenter + Accomplishments keySymbol 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 thumb|right|150px|Bob McAdoo was the first pick of the 1972 ABA Draft by the Virginia Squires via trading with the Pittsburgh Condors. thumb|right|150px|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. thumb|right|150px|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. thumb|right|150px|Brian Taylor was presumably the nineteenth pick in the 1972 ABA Draft by the New York Nets. thumb|right|150px|Paul Westphal was presumably the 20th pick in the 1972 ABA Draft by the Denver Rockets. thumb|right|150px|Bill Walton was presumably the 33rd pick in the 1972 ABA Draft by the Dallas Chaparrals. thumb|right|150px|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. thumb|right|150px|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. thumb|right|150px|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 team11 Bob McAdoo^ C Virginia Squires (from Pittsburgh) North Carolina (Jr.)1 Memphis Pros (forfeited #2 pick due to them acquiring Larry Cannon from the Denver Rockets)12 Tom Riker C/PF United States Carolina Cougars South Carolina (Sr.)13 Bud Stallworth SG/SF United States Denver Rockets Kansas (Sr.)14 Dwight Davis basketball PF 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)15 LaRue Martin C United States Dallas Chaparrals Loyola (Chicago) (Sr.)16 Paul Stovall SF United States Denver Rockets (from Indiana) 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)1 Utah Stars (forfeited what would have been the new #7 pick due to them signing Jimmy Jones‡ from the Memphis Pros)17 Corky Calhoun SF United States Kentucky Colonels Duke (Sr.)28 David Brent 1# C/PF United States Memphis Pros Jacksonville (Fr.)29 John Gianelli C/PF United States Pittsburgh Condors Pacific (Sr.)210 Dennis Wuycik SF United States Carolina Cougars North Carolina (Sr.)211 Claude Terry+ SG/SF United States Denver Rockets Stanford (Sr.)212 Mike Stewart basketball# C United States The Floridians Santa Clara (Jr.)213 Bill Chamberlain SF United States New York Nets North Carolina (Sr.)214 Mike Ratliff C United States Dallas Chaparrals Wisconsin–Eau Claire (Sr.)215 Chris Ford SG United States Utah Stars Villanova (Sr.)216 Russ Lee SG/SF United States Memphis Pros (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Kentucky)) Marshall (Sr.)317 Chuck Terry SF United States Pittsburgh Condors Long Beach State (Sr.)318 Jim Price basketball PG United States Memphis Pros Louisville (Sr.)319 Brian Taylor basketball~* PG United States New York Nets (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Carolina)) Princeton (Sr.)320 Paul Westphal^ PG/SG United States Denver Rockets USC (Sr.)321 Scott English basketball SF United States The Floridians UTEP (Sr.)322 Joby Wright PF/C United States New York Nets (from The Floridians via New York) Indiana (Sr.)323 Bob Morse# SF/PF United States Dallas Chaparrals Pennsylvania (Sr.)324 Oscar Evans 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Butler (Sr.)325 Will Franklin basketball F United States Virginia Squires Purdue (Sr.)326 Travis Grant SF United States Utah Stars Kentucky State (Sr.)427 Rusty Clair 1# C/PF United States Memphis Pros Oregon (Sr.)428 Bob Davis basketball player SF United States Pittsburgh Condors Weber State (Sr.)429 Fred Boyd basketball PG/SG United States Carolina Cougars Oregon State (Sr.)430 Doug Collins basketball SG United States Denver Rockets Illinois State (Sr.)431 Greg Starrick 1# G United States The Floridians Southern Illinois (Sr.)432 Dwaine Dillard SF United States New York Nets Eastern Michigan (So.)https://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10644:dwaine-dillard&catid=45&Itemid=398 Dwaine Dillard September 24, 2018 The Draft Review Dec 23, 2024433 Bill Walton^ C United States Dallas Chaparrals UCLA (So.)434 Art White 1# F United States New York Nets (acquired via trade of some sort) Georgetown University (D.C.) (Sr.)435 Chuck Jura 1# C United States Utah Stars Nebraska (Sr.)536 Wil Robinson SG United States Pittsburgh Condors West Virginia (Sr.)537 Dave Bustion PF United States Denver Rockets Denver (Sr.)538 Bob Lackey SG United States New York Nets Marquette (Sr.)539 Steve Hawes C/PF United States Dallas Chaparrals Washington (Sr.)540 Nate Stephens 1# C United States Indiana Pacers Long Beach State (Jr.)541 Bob Nash basketball SF United States Utah Stars Hawaii (Sr.)542 Harold Fox basketball PG United States Pittsburgh Condors (acquired via trade of some sort (probably from Kentucky)) Jacksonville (Sr.)643 Bob Ford basketball F United States Memphis Pros Purdue (Sr.)644 James Silas*‡ PG United States Pittsburgh Condors Stephen F. Austin (Sr.)645 Steve Bracey PG United States Carolina Cougars Tulsa (Sr.)646 Sam Sibert SF United States Denver Rockets Kentucky State (Sr.)647 Charlie Thorpe 1# C United States The Floridians Belhaven College (Sr.)648 Ron Harris 1# F United States New York Nets Wichita State (Sr.)649 Jim Creighton basketball PF United States Dallas Chaparrals Colorado (Sr.)650 George Adams basketball F United States Indiana Pacers Gardner–Webb College (Jr.)651 Reggie Bird 1# G United States Virginia Squires Princeton (Sr.)652 Tom Patterson basketball SF/PF United States Utah Stars Ouachita Baptist (Jr.)653 Matt Gantt 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels St. Bonaventure (Sr.)754 Joe Mackey 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors USC (Sr.)755 Rowland Garrett SF United States Memphis Pros Florida State (Sr.)756 Dan Holcomb 1# C United States Carolina Cougars Memphis State (Sr.)757 Ron Riley basketball, born 1950 PF United States Denver Rockets USC (Sr.)758 Swen Nater~* C The Netherlands The Floridians UCLA (Jr.)759 Hank Siemiontkowski# SF/PF United States New York Nets Villanova (Sr.)760 Frank Schade G United States Dallas Chaparrals Wisconsin–Eau Claire (Sr.)761 Richie Garner# SG United States Indiana Pacers Manhattan (Sr.)762 Al Sanders basketball PF United States Virginia Squires LSU (Sr.)763 Eric McWilliams SF United States Utah Stars Long Beach State (Sr.)764 Bill Kennedy 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Arizona State (Sr.)865 Sam Simmons 1# G United States Memphis Pros Bradley (Sr.)866 Marshall Wingate 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors Niagara (Sr.)867 Henry Bibby PG United States Carolina Cougars UCLA (Sr.)868 Ted Martiniuk 1# F United States Denver Rockets Saint Peter's (Sr.)869 Ron Thomas basketball PF United States The Floridians Louisville (Sr.)870 Walter Jones 1# F United States New York Nets LIU Brooklyn (Sr.)871 Ansley Truitt PF United States Dallas Chaparrals California (Sr.)872 Cavin Andersen 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Valley City State (Sr.)873 Billy Shepherd basketball PG United States Virginia Squires Butler (Sr.)874 Frank Russell basketball SG United States Utah Stars Detroit (Sr.)875 Terry Benton 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Wichita State (Sr.)976 Charles Edge basketball SF United States Pittsburgh Condors LeMoyne–Owen (Jr.)977 Steve Davidson 1# F United States Memphis Pros West Texas State (Sr.)978 Jerry Crocker 1# G United States Carolina Cougars Guilford (Sr.)979 Bernie Fryer SG United States Denver Rockets BYU (Sr.)980 Ernie Fleming 1# F United States The Floridians Jacksonville (Sr.)981 Ed Czernota 1# F United States New York Nets Sacred Heart (Sr.)982 Wayne Grabiec 1# G United States Dallas Chaparrals Michigan (Sr.)983 Wardell Dyson 1# F United States Indiana Pacers Shaw University (Sr.)984 Mike Barr basketball G United States Virginia Squires Duquesne (Sr.)985 Mike Jackson basketball PF United States Utah Stars Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.)986 Ernest Pettis 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Western Michigan (Sr.)1087 Jackie Young 1# G United States Memphis Pros Rocky Mountain (Sr.)1088 Bryan Adrian 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors Davidson (Sr.)1089 Mike Collins 1# F United States Carolina Cougars Seattle (Sr.)1090 Jerry Pender SG United States Denver Rockets Fresno State (Sr.)1091 Sam Cash PF United States The Floridians UC Riverside (Jr.)1092 Randy Noll 1# F United States New York Nets Marshall (Jr.)1093 Jerry Zielinski 1# SG/SF United States Dallas Chaparrals Northern Illinois (Sr.)1094 Jolly Spight 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Santa Clara (Sr.)1095 Rick Aydlett 1# F United States Virginia Squires South Carolina (Sr.)1096 Kevin Porter basketball, born 1950 PG United States Utah Stars Saint Francis (Jr.)1097 Cleveland Hill 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Nicholls State (Sr.)1198 Joe Gaines 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Belmont (Sr.)1199 Steve Turner 1# C United States Memphis Pros Vanderbilt (Jr.)11100 Wilbert Loftin 1# F United States Carolina Cougars Southwest Louisiana (Sr.)11101 Gary Stewart 1# F United States Denver Rockets Canisius (Sr.)11102 Tracy Tripucka 1# G United States The Floridians Lafayette (Sr.)11103 Quinas Brower 1# F United States New York Nets Hofstra (Sr.)11104 Jeff Hickman 1# SG United States Dallas Chaparrals Houston (Sr.)11105 Billy Burton 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Eastern Kentucky (Sr.)11106 Kent Hollenbeck 1# G United States Virginia Squires Kentucky (Sr.)11107 Willie Hart 1# C United States Utah Stars Grambling (Jr.)11108 Andrew Pettes 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Oklahoma (Sr.)12109 Henry Bacon basketball SG United States Memphis Pros Louisville (Sr.)12110 Chic Downing 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Benedictine College (Sr.)12111 Charles Dudley basketball PG United States Carolina Cougars Washington (Sr.)12112 Michael Reid 1# G United States Denver Rockets UC Riverside (So.)12113 Jerry Brucks 1# C United States The Floridians Wyoming (Sr.)12114 Bill Phillips 1# C United States New York Nets St. John's (Sr.)12115 Stan Key 1# G United States Dallas Chaparrals Kentucky (Sr.)12116 Wally Rice 1# G United States Indiana Pacers PMC Colleges (Sr.)12117 Milton Adams 1# G United States Virginia Squires Portland (Sr.)12118 Lloyd Neal C/PF United States Utah Stars Tennessee State (Sr.)12119 David Hall 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Kansas State (Sr.)13120 Billy Pleas 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Detroit (Sr.)13121 Ruppert Breedlove 1# C United States Memphis Pros Oglethorpe (Sr.)13122 Mike Sneed 1# F United States Carolina Cougars Fayetteville State (Sr.)13123 John Burks 1# F United States Denver Rockets San Francisco (Sr.)13124 Bobby Jack 1# F United States The Floridians Oklahoma (Sr.)13125 Kelly Utley 1# G United States New York Nets Shaw University (Sr.)13126 Donn Weise 1#https://riponredhawks.com/sports/2016/2/29/ripon-college-mens-basketball-record-book.aspx?id=117 Ripon College Men's Basketball Career Record Book Ripon College Athletics Dec 23, 2024 C United States Dallas Chaparrals Ripon College (Sr.)13127 Mel Sims 1#https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/mel-sims-1.html Mel Sims SRCBB Dec 23, 2024 January 16, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180116033129/https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/mel-sims-1.html live G United States Indiana Pacers Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.)13128 Ralph Houston 1 F United States Virginia Squires Houston (Sr.)13129 Simpson Degrate 1# SG/SF United States Utah Stars TCU (Sr.)13130 Jerry Clack 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Oklahoma State (Sr.)14131 Sam McCarney 1# F United States Memphis Pros Oral Roberts (Sr.)14132 David Werthman 1# SF United States Pittsburgh Condors West Virginia (Sr.)14133 Steve Previs PG United States Carolina Cougars North Carolina (Sr.)14134 John Tschogl SF United States Denver Rockets UC Santa Barbara (Sr.)14135 Greg Flaker 1# G United States The Floridians Missouri (Sr.)14136 Paul Hoffman 1# G United States New York Nets St. Bonaventure (Sr.)14137 Rhea Taylor 1# SF United States Dallas Chaparrals Arizona State (Sr.)14138 Nate Williams 1# SF United States Indiana Pacers Utah State (Sr.)14139 Rudolph Peele 1# G United States Virginia Squires Norfolk State (Sr.)14140 Mose Adolph 1# G United States Utah Stars Cal State Los Angeles (Sr.)14141 Tom Parker 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Kentucky (Sr.)15142 Henry Seawright 1# G United States Pittsburgh Condors Manhattan (Sr.)15143 Gene Mack 1# PG United States Memphis Pros Iowa State (Sr.)15144 Kent Martens 1# C United States Carolina Cougars Abilene Christian (Sr.)15145 Leon Huff 1# G United States Denver Rockets Drake (Sr.)15146 Ray Golson 1# G United States The Floridians West Texas State (Sr.)15 New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.)15147 Ron Williams 1# G United States Dallas Chaparrals Murray State (Sr.)15 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)15148 Scott McCandlish 1# C United States Virginia Squires Virginia (Sr.)15149 Harvey Catchings PF/C United States Utah Stars Hardin–Simmons (So.)15150 Jerry Dunn 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Western Kentucky (Sr.)16151 Ken May 1# F United States Memphis Pros Dayton (Sr.)16152 Lee McCullough 1# F United States Pittsburgh Condors Indiana (Pennsylvania) (Sr.)16153 Rod Behrens 1# PF United States Carolina Cougars Samford (Sr.)16154 Phillip Sisk 1# G United States Denver Rockets Georgia Southern (Sr.)16155 Willie Cherry 1# F United States The Floridians Denver (Sr.)16 New York Nets (Passed up on using this selection.)16156 Rich Walker 1# G United States Dallas Chaparrals Bowling Green (Sr.)16 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)16157 Harry Taylor 1# G/F United States Virginia Squires Los Angeles Baptist (Sr.)16158 Richard Dixon 1# G United States Utah Stars Loyola Los Angeles (Sr.)16159 Frank Lorthridge 1# C/PF United States Kentucky Colonels Pan American (Sr.)17160 Harry Anderson 1# SG United States Pittsburgh Condors Saint Peter's (Jr.)17161 Steve Schmidt 1# G United States Memphis Pros South Alabama (Sr.)17162 David Smith 1# G United States Carolina Cougars Western Carolina (Sr.)17163 Dave Hullman 1# PF United States Denver Rockets Arizona State (Sr.)17164 Arnie Berman 1# F United States The Floridians Brown (Sr.)17165 Ron Bradley# G United States New York Nets Eastern Nazarene (Jr.)17166 Al Vilcheck 1# PF/C United States Dallas Chaparrals Louisville (Sr.)17 Indiana Pacers (Passed up on using this selection.)17 Virginia Squires (Passed up on using this selection.)17167 Henry Steele 1# C United States Utah Stars Northeast Louisiana (Sr.)https://ulmwarhawks.com/news/2022/8/13/mens-basketball-former-nlu-hoops-standout-longtime-high-school-coach-jesse-burnette-passes-away-at-age-70.aspx Former NLU Hoops Standout & Longtime High School Coach Jesse Burnette Passes Away at Age 70 University of Louisiana Monroe Athletics Dec 23, 2024 August 13, 2022 January 26, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126092943/https://ulmwarhawks.com/news/2022/8/13/mens-basketball-former-nlu-hoops-standout-longtime-high-school-coach-jesse-burnette-passes-away-at-age-70.aspx live 17 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.)18168 Terry Hankton 1# F United States Memphis Pros Arkansas Polytechnic College (Sr.)18169 Manuel Raga# SG Pittsburgh Condors Ignis Varese (Italy)18170 Curtis Pritchett 1# F United States Carolina Cougars St. Augustine's (Sr.)18171 Harold Little 1# SG/SF United States Denver Rockets New Mexico (Sr.)18172 Fred DeVaughn 1# F 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.)18173 Dwight Holiday 1# SG 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.)19174 Paul Coder 1# C United States Carolina Cougars NC State (Sr.)19175 Andy Knowles 1# PG United States Denver Rockets Louisiana Tech (Sr.)19176 Bob Zender 1#https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/bob-zender-1.html Bob Zender SRCBB Dec 23, 2024 October 7, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221007021048/https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/bob-zender-1.html live F 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.)19177 George Price 1# G 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.)20178 Al Davis 1# F 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.)20179 George Bryant 1# PG United States Utah Stars Eastern Kentucky (Sr.)20 Kentucky Colonels (Passed up on using this selection.) Notable undrafted players 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 Evansville (Sr.) Bill Newton basketball PF/C United States LSU (Sr.) Dave Twardzik+ PG United States Old Dominion (Sr.) 1972 ABA dispersal draft 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. 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.https://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2607:1972-aba-draft 1972 ABA Draft June 6, 2007 The Draft Review Dec 23, 2024 Any players that weren't selected after this draft concluded would be placed on waivers and enter free agency afterward. 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. thumb|right|150px|Warren Jabali was selected second in the first round of the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from "The Floridians" to the Denver Rockets. thumb|right|150px|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. thumb|right|150px|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. thumb|right|150px|Mack Calvin was selected sixth in the first round of the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from "The Floridians" to the Carolina Cougars. thumb|right|150px|Larry Jones was selected tenth in the first round of the 1972 ABA dispersal draft by going from "The Floridians" to the Utah Stars. thumb|right|150px|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. Draft round Pick Overall selection number Player Pos. Position(s) played Nationality Player's representative nationality New Team Newest ABA team to hold the player's playing rights by the conclusion of the draft School Last school to have attended at the time before either playing professionally or being acquired by either "The Floridians" or Pittsburgh Condors at the time of the draft Former Team Most recent ABA team between "The FLoridians" and Pittsburgh Condors franchises to have either played for or had the draft rights to before the draft began11 George Thompson basketball+ PG Memphis Tams Marquette Pittsburgh Condors12 Warren Jabali*‡ SG/PG United States Denver Rockets Wichita State The Floridians13 Mike Lewis basketball+ PF/C United States Carolina Cougars Duke Pittsburgh Condors14 John Brisker SF/SG United States Dallas Chaparrals Toledo Pittsburgh Condors15 Skeeter Swift SG United States Dallas Chaparrals East Tennessee State Pittsburgh Condors16 Mack Calvin*‡ PG United States Carolina Cougars USC The Floridians17 Willie Long SF/PF United States Denver Rockets New Mexico The Floridians18 Ron Franz SF United States Memphis Tams Kansas The Floridians19 Swen Nater~* C The Netherlands Virginia Squires UCLA The Floridians110 Larry Jones basketball* PG/SG United States Utah Stars Toledo The Floridians111 Walt Szczerbiak SF United StatesWest Germany Kentucky Colonels George Washington Pittsburgh Condors112 Chuck Terry SF United States New York Nets Long Beach State Pittsburgh Condors113 Dwight Davis basketball PF United States Indiana Pacers Houston The Floridians214 Dave Lattin PF/C United States Memphis Tams UTEP Pittsburgh Condors215 Scott English basketball SF United States Denver Rockets UTEP The Floridians216 Mike Stewart basketball# C United States Carolina Cougars Santa Clara The Floridians217 John Gianelli C/PF United States Dallas Chaparrals Pacific Pittsburgh Condors218 Joe Mackey 1# F United States Virginia Squires USC Pittsburgh Condors219 Chic Downing 1# F United States Utah Stars Benedictine College Pittsburgh Condors220 Ernie Fleming 1# F United States Kentucky Colonels Jacksonville The Floridians221 Dwight Jones basketball PF/C United States Indiana Pacers Houston The Floridians322 Sam Cash PF United States Memphis Tams UC Riverside The Floridians323 Al Tucker SF United States Denver Rockets Oklahoma Baptist The Floridians324 Mike Grosso C United States Carolina Cougars Louisville Pittsburgh Condors325 Jerry Brucks 1# C United States Dallas Chaparrals Wyoming The Floridians326 Craig Raymond C United States Virginia Squires BYU The Floridians327 Wil Robinson SG United States Utah Stars West Virginia Pittsburgh Condors328 Lonnie Wright SG/PG United States Kentucky Colonels Colorado State The Floridians329 George Tinsley SF United States New York Nets Kentucky Wesleyan The Floridians330 Tracy Tripucka 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Lafayette The Floridians431 Ron Thomas basketball PF United States Memphis Tams Louisville The Floridians432 Greg Starrick 1# G United States Carolina Cougars Southern Illinois The Floridians433 Bobby Jack 1# F United States Dallas Chaparrals Oklahoma The Floridians434 Jim Ligon+ PF/C United States Virginia Squires Kokomo High School(Kokomo, Indiana) Pittsburgh Condors435 Henry Seawright 1# G United States Utah Stars Manhattan Pittsburgh Condors436 Greg Flaker 1# G United States Kentucky Colonels Missouri The Floridians437 Brian Adrian 1# G United States Indiana Pacers Davidson Pittsburgh Condors538 Charles Edge basketball SF United States Memphis Tams LeMoyne–Owen Pittsburgh Condors539 Greg Lowery 1# G United States Virginia Squires Texas Tech The Floridians540 Billy Pleas 1# F United States Utah Stars Detroit Pittsburgh Condors641 Ray Golson 1# G United States Memphis Tams West Texas State The Floridians642 Al Davis 1# F United States Virginia Squires Hawaii The Floridians 1972 ABA expansion draft 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) 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. 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: Round 1: Stew Johnson, Carolina Cougars Round 1: George E. Johnson, Dallas Chaparrals Round 1: Art Becker, Denver Rockets Round 1: George Peeples, Indiana Pacers Round 1: Les Hunter, Kentucky Colonels Round 1: Don Sidle, Memphis Tams Round 1: Ollie Taylor, New York Nets Round 1: Red Robbins, Utah Stars Round 1: Mike Barrett, Virginia Squires Round 2: Larry Miller, Carolina Cougars Round 2: Simmie Hill, Dallas Chaparrals Round 2: Chuck Williams, Denver Rockets Round 2: Draft rights to Dwight Jones, Indiana Pacers Round 2: Lonnie Wright, Kentucky Colonels Round 2: Charlie Williams, Memphis Tams Round 2: Gene Moore, New York Nets Round 2: Mike Butler, Utah Stars Round 2: Craig Raymond, Virginia Squires References External links 1972 ABA Draft on databaseBasketball.com 1972-73 ABA Rookies Draft Draft Draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft ABA draft Category:Basketball in New York City Category:Sporting events in New York City