The 1971 NBA draft was the 25th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 29 and 30, 1971, before the 1971–72 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international 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. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Portland Trail Blazers were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Prior to the start of the season, the San Diego Rockets and the San Francisco Warriors relocated to Houston, Texas, and Oakland, California, and became the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors respectively. The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising the selection of 237 players. The league also hosted a supplemental hardship draft on September 20, 1971, for college underclassmen who wished to join the league.

Draft selections and draftee career notes

Austin Carr from the University of Notre Dame was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sidney Wicks from the University of California, Los Angeles, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected second by the Portland Trail Blazers. Spencer Haywood, the 30th pick, and Randy Smith, the 104th pick, were selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Star Game. Haywood was selected to four All-NBA Teams and five All-Star Games. He also won the NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980. During his first and only season in the American Basketball Association (ABA), he won the ABA Most Valuable Player Award, and was selected to the ABA All-Star Game and All-ABA Team. Smith was selected to one All-NBA Team and two All-Star Games. Artis Gilmore, the 117th pick, initially opted to play in the ABA. Gilmore spent five seasons with the Kentucky Colonels before finally joined the NBA in 1976 after both leagues merged. His achievements include ABA Most Valuable Player Award in 1972, five All-ABA Team selections, five ABA All-Star Game selections and six NBA All-Star Game selections. For his achievements, he was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. Fred Brown, the 6th pick, spent all of his 13-year playing career with the Sonics and was selected to one All-Star Game. Carr, Wicks, and 11th pick Curtis Rowe are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game. Phil Chenier, a college underclassman selected in the supplemental hardship draft, was also selected to both All-NBA Team and All-Star Game. Two players drafted went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 13th pick Jim Cleamons and 46th pick Dave Wohl. Spencer Haywood was selected in the second round by the Buffalo Braves although he already played in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics in the previous season. He left college basketball in 1969 with two years remaining in his college eligibility. At that time, the NBA prohibited the drafting or signing of a player before his college class had graduated. He then played in the ABA with the Denver Rockets for a season before controversially signed by the Sonics. The league and the other NBA teams opposed the move and argued Haywood should be prohibited to join and play with the Sonics. This led to a court case between the NBA against the Sonics and Haywood. He argued that he should be allowed to play because he was a "hardship case", due to his position as the sole wage earner in his family. He then won the case and was allowed to play late in the 1970–71 season. This led to the NBA allowing college underclassmen to enter the draft provided they could give evidence of "hardship". With the existing rules, Haywood was eligible for this year's draft, when his college class graduated. The Braves used one of their three second-round picks to select him, hoping that they would win the rights to sign him. However, he remained with the Sonics and never played for the Braves.

Key

Draft

Trades

Hardship draft

On September 10, 1971, the NBA hosted a supplemental hardship draft for college underclassmen who wish to join the league. Prior to the 1971 Draft, college underclassmen were not eligible to be drafted until their college class graduated. These underclassmen fulfilled the "hardship" criteria and were allowed to enter the draft early. This new rule came as a result of Spencer Haywood winning the court case against the NBA which allowed him to play in the NBA before his college class graduated. The teams selected in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The team that made a selection must withdraw their equivalent selection in the 1972 draft. The teams were allowed to not exercise their rights on this hardship draft and thus retained their full selection in the 1972 draft. Seventeen different players had initially entered the hardship draft, but only six players would ultimately commit to entering the NBA's hardship draft that year. The first hardship draft saw North Carolina's Bill Chamberlain, Marquette's Jim Chones, St. John's Mel Davis, Duquesne's Mickey Davis, Villanova's Chris Ford, the first potential high school prospect in Raymond Lewis from Verbum Dei High School, future Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo from Vincennes Community College, another first potential high school prospect in Campy Russell from Pontiac Central High School, Princeton's Brian Taylor, future Hall of Famer Bill Walton from UCLA, and Michigan's Henry Wilmore all initially enter this year's draft by the hardship draft, but later declined their entry for at least another year. Three teams that were supposed to have the first three selections, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Buffalo Braves and Portland Trail Blazers, declined to exercise their rights. Therefore, the Cincinnati Royals had the first selection, which they used to select Nate Williams from Utah State University. Phil Chenier, a junior guard from the University of California, was selected by the Baltimore Bullets. He is the only player from the hardship draft who was selected to All-NBA Team and All-Star Game. Joe Hammond, who had not played high school and college basketball, was selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Lakers. Hammond, who had played for the Allentown Jets in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) prior to the draft, had to apply as the "hardship case" because his college class could not graduate until 1972 if he had gone to the college. From the six players that were available for selection, only Ed Owens from Weber State University was not selected by any NBA team. The rivaling ABA would also host their own hardship draft later that year called the "Special Circumstances Draft" in response to the NBA's hardship draft, though the ABA would only see three total selections from that specific event, including a repeat selection of Phil Chenier there.