Each NBA franchise seeks to add new players through an annual draft. The NBA uses a draft lottery to determine the first three picks of the NBA draft; the 14 teams that did not make the playoffs the previous year are eligible to participate. After the first three picks are decided, the rest of the teams pick in reverse order of their win–loss record.[2][3] To be eligible for the NBA draft, a player in the United States must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class.[4] From 1967 until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, the American Basketball Association (ABA) held its own draft.[5]
Bobby "Slick" Leonard was drafted 10th overall by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1954 NBA draft.Walt Bellamy was drafted as the #1 overall pick by the Chicago Zephyrs in the 1961 NBA draft.Kent Benson was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1977 NBA draft.After leading IU to its 4th national championship, Isiah Thomas was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1981 NBA draft.Steve Alford was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1987 after leading IU to its 5th national championship.Bracey Wright was drafted in the 2nd round by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2005 NBA draft.Eric Gordon was a 1st round draft pick for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2008 NBA draft.Victor Oladipo was drafted as the #2 overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2013 NBA draft.OG Anunoby was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the 1st round as the #23 pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
^"Article X, Section 1(b)(i)". 2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. National Basketball Players Association. Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
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