Draft Board

1972 NBA Draft Results

1972 NBA Draft results with every pick in order, led by No. 1 pick LaRue Martin to Portland Trail Blazers.

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The 1972 NBA Draft produced 198 selections across 18 rounds, with 17 franchises making at least one pick. Portland Trail Blazers held the first overall selection and took LaRue Martin out of Loyola Chicago.

Chicago Bulls made the most selections that year with 18. 144 different colleges and programs were represented across the board, led by UNC with 6 players drafted.

Pick Team Player College
Round 1
1 Portland Trail Blazers LaRue Martin Loyola Chicago
2 Buffalo Braves Bob McAdoo UNC
3 Cleveland Cavaliers Dwight Davis Houston
4 Phoenix Suns Corky Calhoun Penn
5 Philadelphia 76ers Freddie Boyd Oregon State
6 Milwaukee Bucks Russ Lee Marshall
7 Seattle SuperSonics Bud Stallworth Kansas
8 New York Knicks Tom Riker South Carolina
9 Detroit Pistons Bob Nash Hawaii
10 Boston Celtics Paul Westphal USC
11 Chicago Bulls Ralph Simpson Michigan State
12 Milwaukee Bucks Julius Erving UMass
13 Los Angeles Lakers Travis Grant Kentucky State University
Round 2
14 Portland Trail Blazers Bob Davis Weber State
15 Buffalo Braves Harold Fox Jacksonville University
16 Los Angeles Lakers Jim Price Louisville
17 Detroit Pistons Chris Ford Villanova
18 Seattle SuperSonics Joby Wright Indiana
19 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Sam Sibert Kentucky State University
20 Houston Rockets John Gianelli University of the Pacific
21 Atlanta Hawks Steve Bracey Tulsa
22 Los Angeles Lakers Paul Stovall Arizona State
23 Seattle SuperSonics Brian Taylor Princeton
24 Cleveland Cavaliers Steve Hawes Washington
25 Baltimore Bullets Tom Patterson Ouachita Baptist University
26 Portland Trail Blazers Dave Twardzik Old Dominion
27 Boston Celtics Dennis Wuycik UNC
28 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Mike Ratliff University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
29 Milwaukee Bucks Chuck Terry Cal State Long Beach
30 Portland Trail Blazers Ollie Johnson Temple
Round 3
31 Portland Trail Blazers Lloyd Neal Tennessee State
32 Buffalo Braves Bob Morse Penn
33 Phoenix Suns Scott English Texas-El Paso
34 Phoenix Suns Don Buse University of Evansville
35 Chicago Bulls Frank Russell Detroit Mercy
36 Philadelphia 76ers Charlie Tharpe Belhaven College
37 Houston Rockets Eric McWilliams Cal State Long Beach
38 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Ron Riley USC
39 Baltimore Bullets Kevin Porter Saint Francis University
40 Seattle SuperSonics Jim Creighton Colorado
41 New York Knicks Ansley Truitt California
42 Phoenix Suns Claude Terry Stanford
43 Golden State Warriors Bill Chamberlain UNC
44 Boston Celtics Wayne Grabiec Michigan
45 Chicago Bulls Chuck Jura Nebraska
46 Milwaukee Bucks George Adams Gardner-Webb University
47 Los Angeles Lakers Gregg Northington Alabama State University
Round 4
48 Portland Trail Blazers Gary Stewart Canisius
49 Buffalo Braves George Bryant Eastern Kentucky University
50 Cleveland Cavaliers Hank Siemiontkowski Villanova
51 Detroit Pistons Ernie Fleming Jacksonville University
52 Philadelphia 76ers Marshall Wingate Niagara University
53 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Frank Schade University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
54 Houston Rockets Wil Robinson West Virginia
55 Atlanta Hawks Reggie Bird Princeton
56 Baltimore Bullets Al Sanders LSU
57 Seattle SuperSonics Joe Mackey USC
58 New York Knicks Henry Bibby UCLA
59 Phoenix Suns Matt Gantt St. Bonaventure
60 Golden State Warriors John Tschogl UC Santa Barbara
61 Boston Celtics Nate Stephens Cal State Long Beach
62 Chicago Bulls Ted Martiniuk Saint Peter's College
63 Milwaukee Bucks Art White Georgetown
Round 5
64 Portland Trail Blazers Mike Reid University of California, Riverside
65 Buffalo Braves Arnie Berman Brown University
66 Cleveland Cavaliers Sam Cash University of California, Riverside
67 Detroit Pistons Ernest Pettis Western Michigan
68 Kansas City-Omaha Kings David Bustion Denver
69 Philadelphia 76ers Joe Bynes University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
70 Houston Rockets James Silas Stephen F. Austin
71 Atlanta Hawks Bob Lackey Marquette
72 Baltimore Bullets Walter Jones Long Island University
73 Seattle SuperSonics Gary Ladd Seattle University
74 New York Knicks Bob Ford Purdue
75 Phoenix Suns Wardell Dyson Shaw
76 Golden State Warriors Charles Dudley Washington
77 Boston Celtics Bryan Adrian Davidson
78 Chicago Bulls Rowland Garrett Florida State
79 Milwaukee Bucks Ron Harris Wichita State
80 Los Angeles Lakers Glen Summors Gannon University
Round 6
81 Portland Trail Blazers Joe Gaines Belmont
82 Buffalo Braves Ed Czernota Sacred Heart University
83 Cleveland Cavaliers Tom Parker Kentucky
84 Detroit Pistons Terry Benton Wichita State
85 Philadelphia 76ers John Glover Wiley College
86 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Jerry Crocker Guilford College
87 Houston Rockets Mike Collins Seattle University
88 Atlanta Hawks Randy Knoll Marshall
89 Baltimore Bullets Dwaine Dillard Eastern Michigan
90 Seattle SuperSonics Ron Thomas Louisville
91 New York Knicks Greg Cluess St. John's
92 Phoenix Suns Charles Edge LeMoyne-Owen College
93 Golden State Warriors Henry Bacon Louisville
94 Boston Celtics Don Holcomb Memphis
95 Chicago Bulls Mike Stewart Santa Clara
96 Boston Celtics Wally Rice Widener University
97 Los Angeles Lakers Sam Simmons Bradley
Round 7
98 Portland Trail Blazers Bob Lynn Cal State Long Beach
99 Buffalo Braves Greg Kohls Syracuse
100 Cleveland Cavaliers Steve Davidson West Texas A&M University
101 Detroit Pistons Bruce Anderson Arizona
102 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Mike Sneed Fayetteville State University
103 Philadelphia 76ers Curtis Pritchett Saint Augustine's College
104 Houston Rockets Mike Jackson California State University, Los Angeles
105 Atlanta Hawks Billy Pleas Detroit Mercy
106 Baltimore Bullets Marvin Brown Jackson State University
107 Seattle SuperSonics Jerry Dunn Western Kentucky
108 New York Knicks Tracy Tripucka Lafayette College
109 Phoenix Suns Bernie Fryer BYU
110 Golden State Warriors Bill Franklin Purdue
111 Boston Celtics Steve Previs UNC
112 Chicago Bulls Jerry Pender Fresno State
113 Milwaukee Bucks Mickey Davis Duquesne
Round 8
114 Portland Trail Blazers Ruben Vance Kent State University
115 Buffalo Braves Andy Denny University of South Alabama
116 Cleveland Cavaliers Roger Evans Kent State University
117 Detroit Pistons Ben Kelso Central Michigan University
118 Philadelphia 76ers Jim Kopp Rockhurst University
119 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Jerry Clack Oklahoma State
120 Houston Rockets Henry Harris Auburn
121 Atlanta Hawks Oscar Evans Butler
122 Baltimore Bullets Jim Floyd Shaw
123 Seattle SuperSonics Willie Stoudamire Portland State
124 New York Knicks Tom Corde Ohio University
125 Phoenix Suns Russell Golden Jackson State University
126 Golden State Warriors John Burks San Francisco
127 Boston Celtics Sam McCamey Oral Roberts
128 Chicago Bulls Cavin Andersen Valley City State University
129 Milwaukee Bucks Charles Kirkland Cheyney (PA)
Round 9
130 Portland Trail Blazers Scott McCandlish Virginia
131 Buffalo Braves John Collins State University of New York at Brockport
132 Cleveland Cavaliers Greg Starrick Southern Illinois
133 Detroit Pistons Jesse Mangham Ferris State University
134 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Steve McMahon Merrimack College
135 Philadelphia 76ers Rod Murray UCLA
136 Atlanta Hawks Larry Strozier Morehouse College
137 Baltimore Bullets Ruppert Breedlove Oglethorpe University
138 Seattle SuperSonics Dwight Holiday Hawaii
139 New York Knicks Tom Sullivan Fordham
140 Phoenix Suns Bill Kennedy Arizona
141 Golden State Warriors Bill Duwe California
142 Chicago Bulls Ralph Houston West Texas A&M University
143 Milwaukee Bucks Jim Regenold Ball State University
Round 10
144 Portland Trail Blazers Kresimir Cosic BYU
145 Cleveland Cavaliers Kent Martens Abilene Christian University
146 Detroit Pistons Kent Hollenbeck Kentucky
147 Philadelphia 76ers Gary Watson Wisconsin
148 Kansas City-Omaha Kings David Hall Kansas State
149 Atlanta Hawks Jim Clesson Tulsa
150 Baltimore Bullets Wilbert Loftin Louisiana
151 Seattle SuperSonics Dan Steward Washington State
152 New York Knicks Richie Garner Manhattan University
153 Phoenix Suns Al Vilcheck Louisville
154 Boston Celtics Marty Hunt Kenyon College
155 Chicago Bulls Chuck Taylor West Liberty State College
156 Milwaukee Bucks Jolly Spight Santa Clara
Round 11
157 Portland Trail Blazers Jimmy Wilkins San Diego State
158 Buffalo Braves Jim Prokell Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
159 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Floyd Mathew Northern Arizona University
160 Atlanta Hawks Charles Allen Texas Southern
161 Baltimore Bullets Arvin Watkins Jackson State University
162 Seattle SuperSonics Steve Turner Vanderbilt
163 New York Knicks Chic Downing Benedictine College
164 Phoenix Suns John Belcher Arkansas State University
165 Boston Celtics Mark Minor Ohio State
166 Chicago Bulls Jackie Young Rocky Mountain College
Round 12
167 Buffalo Braves Frank DeWitt Virginia
168 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Len Baltimore George Washington
169 Atlanta Hawks James Green Paine College
170 Baltimore Bullets Lloyd Adams Rhode Island
171 Seattle SuperSonics Greg Daust Missouri-St. Louis
172 Phoenix Suns Mark Soderberg Utah
173 Boston Celtics Phil Stephens South Carolina State
174 Chicago Bulls Al Cotler Penn
Round 13
175 Portland Trail Blazers Larry Morris Tulsa
176 Buffalo Braves Kim Huband UNC
177 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Kent Scott Pitt
178 Baltimore Bullets Mike Krawczyk Loyola (MD)
179 Phoenix Suns Kelly Utley Shaw
180 Chicago Bulls Mike Barr Duquesne
Round 14
181 Portland Trail Blazers Paul Kelley Shaw
182 Buffalo Braves Craig Corson UNC
183 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Bob Allen Missouri
184 Baltimore Bullets Aubrey Nash Kansas
185 Seattle SuperSonics Cleveland Hill Nicholls State
186 Phoenix Suns Ray Golson West Texas A&M University
187 Chicago Bulls Andrew Pettes Oklahoma
Round 15
188 Portland Trail Blazers Rich Habegger Wake Forest
189 Buffalo Braves Paul Hoffman St. Bonaventure
190 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Mike Jeffries Oklahoma State
191 Baltimore Bullets Gary Handleman Johns Hopkins University
192 Chicago Bulls Greg Lowery Texas Tech
Round 16
193 Portland Trail Blazers Mose Adolph California State University, Los Angeles
194 Buffalo Braves Norman Bounds State University of New York at Brockport
195 Kansas City-Omaha Kings Mike Peterson Nebraska
196 Chicago Bulls Charles Hall Montana-Western
Round 17
197 Chicago Bulls John Thornton South Carolina State
Round 18
198 Chicago Bulls Ron Manning Manhattan University

Selections by franchise

The same 198 selections arranged by the club that made them, using the franchise name as it stood in 1972.

  • Chicago Bulls 18 No. 11 Ralph Simpson, No. 35 Frank Russell, No. 45 Chuck Jura, No. 62 Ted Martiniuk, No. 78 Rowland Garrett, No. 95 Mike Stewart, No. 112 Jerry Pender, No. 128 Cavin Andersen, No. 142 Ralph Houston, No. 155 Chuck Taylor, No. 166 Jackie Young, No. 174 Al Cotler, No. 180 Mike Barr, No. 187 Andrew Pettes, No. 192 Greg Lowery, No. 196 Charles Hall, No. 197 John Thornton, No. 198 Ron Manning
  • Portland Trail Blazers 17 No. 1 LaRue Martin, No. 14 Bob Davis, No. 26 Dave Twardzik, No. 30 Ollie Johnson, No. 31 Lloyd Neal, No. 48 Gary Stewart, No. 64 Mike Reid, No. 81 Joe Gaines, No. 98 Bob Lynn, No. 114 Ruben Vance, No. 130 Scott McCandlish, No. 144 Kresimir Cosic, No. 157 Jimmy Wilkins, No. 175 Larry Morris, No. 181 Paul Kelley, No. 188 Rich Habegger, No. 193 Mose Adolph
  • Kansas City-Omaha Kings 16 No. 19 Sam Sibert, No. 28 Mike Ratliff, No. 38 Ron Riley, No. 53 Frank Schade, No. 68 David Bustion, No. 86 Jerry Crocker, No. 102 Mike Sneed, No. 119 Jerry Clack, No. 134 Steve McMahon, No. 148 David Hall, No. 159 Floyd Mathew, No. 168 Len Baltimore, No. 177 Kent Scott, No. 183 Bob Allen, No. 190 Mike Jeffries, No. 195 Mike Peterson
  • Buffalo Braves 15 No. 2 Bob McAdoo, No. 15 Harold Fox, No. 32 Bob Morse, No. 49 George Bryant, No. 65 Arnie Berman, No. 82 Ed Czernota, No. 99 Greg Kohls, No. 115 Andy Denny, No. 131 John Collins, No. 158 Jim Prokell, No. 167 Frank DeWitt, No. 176 Kim Huband, No. 182 Craig Corson, No. 189 Paul Hoffman, No. 194 Norman Bounds
  • Phoenix Suns 15 No. 4 Corky Calhoun, No. 33 Scott English, No. 34 Don Buse, No. 42 Claude Terry, No. 59 Matt Gantt, No. 75 Wardell Dyson, No. 92 Charles Edge, No. 109 Bernie Fryer, No. 125 Russell Golden, No. 140 Bill Kennedy, No. 153 Al Vilcheck, No. 164 John Belcher, No. 172 Mark Soderberg, No. 179 Kelly Utley, No. 186 Ray Golson
  • Baltimore Bullets 14 No. 25 Tom Patterson, No. 39 Kevin Porter, No. 56 Al Sanders, No. 72 Walter Jones, No. 89 Dwaine Dillard, No. 106 Marvin Brown, No. 122 Jim Floyd, No. 137 Ruppert Breedlove, No. 150 Wilbert Loftin, No. 161 Arvin Watkins, No. 170 Lloyd Adams, No. 178 Mike Krawczyk, No. 184 Aubrey Nash, No. 191 Gary Handleman
  • Seattle SuperSonics 14 No. 7 Bud Stallworth, No. 18 Joby Wright, No. 23 Brian Taylor, No. 40 Jim Creighton, No. 57 Joe Mackey, No. 73 Gary Ladd, No. 90 Ron Thomas, No. 107 Jerry Dunn, No. 123 Willie Stoudamire, No. 138 Dwight Holiday, No. 151 Dan Steward, No. 162 Steve Turner, No. 171 Greg Daust, No. 185 Cleveland Hill
  • Boston Celtics 12 No. 10 Paul Westphal, No. 27 Dennis Wuycik, No. 44 Wayne Grabiec, No. 61 Nate Stephens, No. 77 Bryan Adrian, No. 94 Don Holcomb, No. 96 Wally Rice, No. 111 Steve Previs, No. 127 Sam McCamey, No. 154 Marty Hunt, No. 165 Mark Minor, No. 173 Phil Stephens
  • Atlanta Hawks 10 No. 21 Steve Bracey, No. 55 Reggie Bird, No. 71 Bob Lackey, No. 88 Randy Knoll, No. 105 Billy Pleas, No. 121 Oscar Evans, No. 136 Larry Strozier, No. 149 Jim Clesson, No. 160 Charles Allen, No. 169 James Green
  • Milwaukee Bucks 10 No. 6 Russ Lee, No. 12 Julius Erving, No. 29 Chuck Terry, No. 46 George Adams, No. 63 Art White, No. 79 Ron Harris, No. 113 Mickey Davis, No. 129 Charles Kirkland, No. 143 Jim Regenold, No. 156 Jolly Spight
  • New York Knicks 10 No. 8 Tom Riker, No. 41 Ansley Truitt, No. 58 Henry Bibby, No. 74 Bob Ford, No. 91 Greg Cluess, No. 108 Tracy Tripucka, No. 124 Tom Corde, No. 139 Tom Sullivan, No. 152 Richie Garner, No. 163 Chic Downing
  • Cleveland Cavaliers 9 No. 3 Dwight Davis, No. 24 Steve Hawes, No. 50 Hank Siemiontkowski, No. 66 Sam Cash, No. 83 Tom Parker, No. 100 Steve Davidson, No. 116 Roger Evans, No. 132 Greg Starrick, No. 145 Kent Martens
  • Detroit Pistons 9 No. 9 Bob Nash, No. 17 Chris Ford, No. 51 Ernie Fleming, No. 67 Ernest Pettis, No. 84 Terry Benton, No. 101 Bruce Anderson, No. 117 Ben Kelso, No. 133 Jesse Mangham, No. 146 Kent Hollenbeck
  • Philadelphia 76ers 9 No. 5 Freddie Boyd, No. 36 Charlie Tharpe, No. 52 Marshall Wingate, No. 69 Joe Bynes, No. 85 John Glover, No. 103 Curtis Pritchett, No. 118 Jim Kopp, No. 135 Rod Murray, No. 147 Gary Watson
  • Golden State Warriors 7 No. 43 Bill Chamberlain, No. 60 John Tschogl, No. 76 Charles Dudley, No. 93 Henry Bacon, No. 110 Bill Franklin, No. 126 John Burks, No. 141 Bill Duwe
  • Houston Rockets 7 No. 20 John Gianelli, No. 37 Eric McWilliams, No. 54 Wil Robinson, No. 70 James Silas, No. 87 Mike Collins, No. 104 Mike Jackson, No. 120 Henry Harris
  • Los Angeles Lakers 6 No. 13 Travis Grant, No. 16 Jim Price, No. 22 Paul Stovall, No. 47 Gregg Northington, No. 80 Glen Summors, No. 97 Sam Simmons

Colleges and programs represented

144 programs produced at least one selection in the 1972 draft.

  • UNC6
  • Cal State Long Beach4
  • Louisville4
  • Shaw4
  • Jackson State University3
  • Penn3
  • Tulsa3
  • USC3
  • West Texas A&M University3
  • Arizona2
  • BYU2
  • California2
  • California State University, Los Angeles2
  • Detroit Mercy2
  • Duquesne2
  • Hawaii2
  • Jacksonville University2
  • Kansas2
  • Kent State University2
  • Kentucky2
  • Kentucky State University2
  • Manhattan University2
  • Marshall2
  • Nebraska2
  • Oklahoma State2
  • Princeton2
  • Purdue2
  • Santa Clara2
  • Seattle University2
  • South Carolina State2
  • St. Bonaventure2
  • State University of New York at Brockport2
  • UCLA2
  • University of California, Riverside2
  • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire2
  • Villanova2
  • Virginia2
  • Washington2
  • Wichita State2
  • Abilene Christian University
  • Alabama State University
  • Arizona State
  • Arkansas State University
  • Auburn
  • Ball State University
  • Belhaven College
  • Belmont
  • Benedictine College
  • Bradley
  • Brown University
  • Butler
  • Canisius
  • Central Michigan University
  • Cheyney (PA)
  • Colorado
  • Davidson
  • Denver
  • Eastern Kentucky University
  • Eastern Michigan
  • Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
  • Fayetteville State University
  • Ferris State University
  • Florida State
  • Fordham
  • Fresno State
  • Gannon University
  • Gardner-Webb University
  • George Washington
  • Georgetown
  • Guilford College
  • Houston
  • Indiana
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Kansas State
  • Kenyon College
  • Lafayette College
  • LeMoyne-Owen College
  • Long Island University
  • Louisiana
  • Loyola (MD)
  • Loyola Chicago
  • LSU
  • Marquette
  • Memphis
  • Merrimack College
  • Michigan
  • Michigan State
  • Missouri
  • Missouri-St. Louis
  • Montana-Western
  • Morehouse College
  • Niagara University
  • Nicholls State
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Oglethorpe University
  • Ohio State
  • Ohio University
  • Oklahoma
  • Old Dominion
  • Oral Roberts
  • Oregon State
  • Ouachita Baptist University
  • Paine College
  • Pitt
  • Portland State
  • Rhode Island
  • Rockhurst University
  • Rocky Mountain College
  • Sacred Heart University
  • Saint Augustine's College
  • Saint Francis University
  • Saint Peter's College
  • San Diego State
  • San Francisco
  • South Carolina
  • Southern Illinois
  • St. John's
  • Stanford
  • Stephen F. Austin
  • Syracuse
  • Temple
  • Tennessee State
  • Texas Southern
  • Texas Tech
  • Texas-El Paso
  • UC Santa Barbara
  • UMass
  • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
  • University of Evansville
  • University of South Alabama
  • University of the Pacific
  • Utah
  • Valley City State University
  • Vanderbilt
  • Wake Forest
  • Washington State
  • Weber State
  • West Liberty State College
  • West Virginia
  • Western Kentucky
  • Western Michigan
  • Widener University
  • Wiley College
  • Wisconsin

Compiled and maintained by . Data via published league records. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it against the source.