The 1968 NBA expansion draft was the fourth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 6, 1968, so that the newly founded Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns could acquire players for the upcoming 1968–69 season. Milwaukee and Phoenix had been awarded the expansion teams on January 22, 1968.[1] In an NBA expansion draft, new NBA teams are allowed to acquire players from the previously established teams in the league. Not all players on a given team are available during an expansion draft, since each team can protect a certain number of players from being selected. In this draft, each of the twelve other NBA teams had protected seven players from their roster. After each round, where each the Suns and the Bucks had selected one player, the existing teams added another player to their protected list.[2] The draft continued until both teams had selected eighteen unprotected players each, while the existing teams had lost three players each.
1968 NBA expansion draft | |
---|---|
General information | |
Sport | Basketball |
Date(s) | May 6, 1968 |
Overview | |
League | NBA |
Expansion teams | Milwaukee Bucks Phoenix Suns |
The Milwaukee Bucks were formed and owned by a group of investors headed by Wesley Pavalon and Marvin Fishman, which called the Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. (Milwaukee Pro).[3] The Bucks were the second NBA team from Milwaukee, after the Milwaukee Hawks, which moved to St. Louis in 1955 and then Atlanta in 1968, becoming the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks' selections included former first overall pick Fred Hetzel, six-time All-Star Larry Costello, five-time All-Star Wayne Embry, four-time All-Star Guy Rodgers and one-time All-Star Len Chappell. Prior to the expansion draft, Costello retired from playing due to injury and was named as the franchise's first head coach.[4][5] Ten players from the expansion draft joined the Bucks for their inaugural season, but only three played more than one season for the team. Jon McGlocklin, who played eight seasons with the Bucks, was named to the 1969 All-Star Game, becoming the franchise's first All-Star.[6] He was the only player from the expansion draft that was on the Bucks team that won the NBA championship in 1971.[7] Embry was later inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.[8]
The Phoenix Suns were formed and owned by a group of investors headed by Richard Bloch.[9] Former Chicago Bulls head coach and 1967 Coach of the Year Johnny Kerr was named as the franchise's first head coach.[10] The Suns' selections included former territorial picks Gail Goodrich and George Wilson. Eight players from the expansion draft joined the Suns for their inaugural season, but only five played more than one season for the team. John Wetzel was the ninth player from the expansion draft to play for the Suns. He made his first appearance in 1970 after serving in the military for two years.[11] Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale were named to the 1969 All-Star Game, becoming the franchise's first All-Stars.[6] Van Arsdale played nine seasons with the Suns and became the Suns' franchise leader in games played when he retired in 1977, a record which has since been broken by Alvan Adams and Walter Davis.[12] Goodrich played two seasons with the Suns and was later inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player.[13]
Key
editPos. | G | F | C |
Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
Selections
editNotes
editReferences
edit- General
- "Suns: Suns Draft History". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 15, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- "NBA Expansion Drafts: Results". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- "All-Time NBA Expansion Draft Results". NBA.com/Bobcats. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 16, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- "1968 NBA Expansion Draft". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ "This Date in History–January". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "Atlanta Gets Cage Hawks". Ocala Star-Banner. May 5, 1968. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "How the Bucks became the Bucks". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 18, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (December 14, 2001). "Larry Costello, 70, Player and Coach in N.B.A., Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "Milwaukee Cage Job To Larry Costello". The Spokesman-Review. April 4, 1968. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ^ a b "1969 NBA All-Star Game". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "Season records & recaps". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 18, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
- ^ "Wayne Embry Bio". NBA.com/Raptors. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "The Suns Rise in Phoenix". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "Johnny Kerr Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "King's Assistant Coach John Wetzel Retires". NBA.com/Kings. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 3, 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "Phoenix Suns Career Leaders". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ^ "Gail Goodrich Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "Len Chappell Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Larry Costello Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Johnny Egan Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Wayne Embry Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Dave Gambee Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Gary Gray Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Fred Hetzel Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Johnny Jones Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Bob Love Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Jon McGlocklin Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Jay Miller Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Bud Olsen Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "George Patterson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Jim Reid Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Guy Rodgers Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Tom Thacker Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Bob Warlick Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Bob Weiss Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "John Barnhill Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Em Bryant Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Gail Goodrich Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Dennis Hamilton Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Neil Johnson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Dave Lattin Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Paul Long Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Stan McKenzie Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "McCoy McLemore Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Bill Melchionni Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Dave Schellhase Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Dick Snyder Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Craig Spitzer Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Bumper Tormohlen Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Dick Van Arsdale Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "Roland West Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "John Wetzel Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ "George Wilson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.