Draft Board

1978 NBA Draft Results

1978 NBA Draft results with every pick in order, led by No. 1 pick Mychal Thompson to Portland Trail Blazers.

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The 1978 NBA Draft produced 202 selections across 10 rounds, with 22 franchises making at least one pick. Portland Trail Blazers held the first overall selection and took Mychal Thompson out of Minnesota.

San Diego Clippers made the most selections that year with 12. 143 different colleges and programs were represented across the board, led by UNLV with 5 players drafted.

Pick Team Player College
Round 1
1 Portland Trail Blazers Mychal Thompson Minnesota
2 Kansas City Kings Phil Ford UNC
3 Indiana Pacers Rick Robey Kentucky
4 New York Knicks Michael Ray Richardson Montana
5 Golden State Warriors Purvis Short Jackson State University
6 Boston Celtics Larry Bird Indiana State University
7 Portland Trail Blazers Ron Brewer Arkansas
8 Boston Celtics Freeman Williams Portland State
9 Chicago Bulls Reggie Theus UNLV
10 Atlanta Hawks Butch Lee Marquette
11 New Orleans Jazz James Hardy San Francisco
12 Milwaukee Bucks George Johnson St. John's
13 New Jersey Nets Winford Boynes San Francisco
14 Washington Bullets Roger Phegley Bradley
15 Cleveland Cavaliers Mike Mitchell Auburn
16 Atlanta Hawks Jack Givens Kentucky
17 Denver Nuggets Rod Griffin Wake Forest
18 Washington Bullets Dave Corzine DePaul
19 Phoenix Suns Marty Byrnes Syracuse
20 San Antonio Spurs Frankie Sanders Southern University and A&M College
21 Denver Nuggets Mike Evans Kansas State
22 Golden State Warriors Raymond Townsend UCLA
Round 2
23 Detroit Pistons Terry Tyler Detroit Mercy
24 Portland Trail Blazers Keith Herron Villanova
25 Atlanta Hawks Rick Wilson Louisville
26 Los Angeles Lakers Ron Carter Virginia Military Institute
27 Indiana Pacers Wayne Radford Indiana
28 Houston Rockets Buster Matheney Utah
29 Detroit Pistons John Long Detroit Mercy
30 Boston Celtics Jeff Judkins Utah
31 Chicago Bulls Marvin Johnson New Mexico
32 New York Knicks John Rudd McNeese State University
33 Cleveland Cavaliers Harry Davis Florida State
34 New York Knicks Greg Bunch Cal State Fullerton
35 New Orleans Jazz Tommie Green Southern University and A&M College
36 Philadelphia 76ers Maurice Cheeks West Texas A&M University
37 Washington Bullets Terry Sykes Grambling State University
38 Los Angeles Lakers Lew Massey UNC Charlotte
39 Seattle SuperSonics James Lee Kentucky
40 Golden State Warriors Wayne Cooper New Orleans
41 San Diego Clippers Jerome Whitehead Marquette
42 Seattle SuperSonics Keven McDonald Penn
43 Philadelphia 76ers Glenn Hagan St. Bonaventure
44 Portland Trail Blazers Clemon Johnson Florida A&M
Round 3
45 New Jersey Nets Mike Phillips Kentucky
46 Denver Nuggets Hollis Copeland Rutgers University
47 Houston Rockets Billy Ray Bates Kentucky State University
48 San Diego Clippers Mike Santos Utah State University
49 Kansas City Kings Jeff Cook Idaho State University
50 Boston Celtics Dana Skinner Merrimack College
51 San Diego Clippers Ricky Gallon Louisville
52 Kansas City Kings Mike Russell Texas Tech
53 Chicago Bulls Randy Ayers Miami University
54 Atlanta Hawks Steve Grant Manhattan University
55 New York Knicks Marc Iavaroni Virginia
56 Golden State Warriors Steve Neff Southern Nazarene University
57 Cleveland Cavaliers Kenny Higgs LSU
58 Washington Bullets Rick Apke Creighton
59 Milwaukee Bucks Pat Cummings Cincinnati
60 Los Angeles Lakers Michael Cooper New Mexico
61 Seattle SuperSonics Dave Baxter Michigan
62 New Jersey Nets Dave Batton Notre Dame
63 Phoenix Suns Joel Kramer San Diego State
64 San Antonio Spurs Gerald Henderson VCU
65 San Diego Clippers Marvin Delph Arkansas
66 Portland Trail Blazers Sterling Edmonds Dartmouth College
Round 4
67 Houston Rockets Jackie Robinson UNLV
68 San Diego Clippers Jim Boylan Marquette
69 Houston Rockets Joel Thompson Michigan
70 Kansas City Kings Geoff Crompton UNC
71 Indiana Pacers Rickey Lee Oregon State
72 Boston Celtics Dave Nelson Bloomfield College
73 San Diego Clippers Larry Harris Pitt
74 New Orleans Jazz Mel Davis University of North Texas
75 New Orleans Jazz Jeff Covington Youngstown State University
76 San Diego Clippers Leroy McDonald Wake Forest
77 Golden State Warriors Derrick Jackson Georgetown
78 Cleveland Cavaliers Stan Rome Clemson
79 New York Knicks Erving Giddings Dayton
80 Milwaukee Bucks Otis Howard Austin Peay State University
81 Washington Bullets Lawrence Boston Maryland
82 Los Angeles Lakers Harold Robertson Lincoln University of Missouri
83 Seattle SuperSonics Billy Lewis Illinois State
84 New Jersey Nets Walter Jordan Purdue
85 Phoenix Suns Bob Miller Cincinnati
86 San Antonio Spurs Rich Adams Illinois
87 Philadelphia 76ers Brett Vroman UNLV
88 Phoenix Suns Wayne Smith University of California, Irvine
Round 5
89 New Jersey Nets Cecil Rose Houston
90 San Diego Clippers David Thompson Florida State
91 Houston Rockets Gary Goodner Texas
92 Indiana Pacers James Sparrow North Carolina A&T
93 Kansas City Kings Derrick Clairborne UMass
94 Boston Celtics Greg Tynes Seton Hall
95 Detroit Pistons Dave Caligaris Northeastern University
96 New Orleans Jazz Duck Williams Notre Dame
97 Chicago Bulls Ron Anthony Jacksonville University
98 Atlanta Hawks Chris Potter Holy Cross
99 Cleveland Cavaliers Ken Koenigs Kansas
100 New York Knicks Greg Green Southern University and A&M College
101 Golden State Warriors Bubba Wilson Western Carolina University
102 Washington Bullets Roger Dickens Towson University
103 Milwaukee Bucks Russ Coleman University of the Pacific
104 Los Angeles Lakers Carlos Terry Winston-Salem State
105 Seattle SuperSonics Ralph Drollinger UCLA
106 Denver Nuggets Michael Edwards University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
107 Phoenix Suns Andre Wakefield Loyola Chicago
108 San Antonio Spurs Eugene Parker Purdue
109 Philadelphia 76ers Mark Haymore UMass
110 Portland Trail Blazers Clay Johnson Missouri
Round 6
111 New Jersey Nets Golie Augustus South Carolina
112 San Diego Clippers Bob Misevicius Providence
113 Houston Rockets Eddie Joe Chavez Santa Clara
114 Kansas City Kings Jim Krivacs Texas
115 Indiana Pacers Sherman Dillard James Madison University
116 Boston Celtics Dave Winey Minnesota
117 Detroit Pistons Audie Matthews Illinois
118 New Orleans Jazz John Douglas Kansas
119 Chicago Bulls John Shoemaker Miami University
120 Atlanta Hawks Gerald Glover Howard University
121 New York Knicks Eddie Warren Briar Cliff University
122 Golden State Warriors Buzz Harnett University of San Diego
123 Cleveland Cavaliers Ron Bell Virginia Tech
124 Milwaukee Bucks Dave Kyle Cleveland State University
125 Washington Bullets Archie Aldridge Miami University
126 Los Angeles Lakers Kim Stewart Washington
127 Denver Nuggets Robert Heard Columbus State University
128 Phoenix Suns Charles Thompson Houston
129 San Antonio Spurs Harry Morgan Indiana State University
130 Philadelphia 76ers Osborne Lockhart Minnesota
131 Portland Trail Blazers Tim Evans University of Puget Sound
Round 7
132 New Jersey Nets Doug Jemison San Francisco
133 San Diego Clippers Stan Pietkiewicz Auburn
134 Houston Rockets Stan Stewart Loyola Marymount
135 Indiana Pacers Ollie Matson Jr. Pepperdine
136 Kansas City Kings Charles McMillian University of North Texas
137 Boston Celtics Steve Balkun Fairfield
138 Detroit Pistons Herb Entzminger Johnson C. Smith University
139 New Orleans Jazz Willie Howard New Mexico
140 Chicago Bulls Jarvis Reynolds West Georgia
141 Atlanta Hawks Jim DeWeese Gonzaga
142 Golden State Warriors Rick Bernard Saint Mary's
143 Cleveland Cavaliers Tony Smith UNLV
144 New York Knicks Gary Pember Nasson College
145 Washington Bullets Ed Hopkins Georgetown
146 Milwaukee Bucks Kim Anderson Missouri
147 Los Angeles Lakers Larry Paige Colorado State
148 Denver Nuggets Jack Gilloon South Carolina
149 Phoenix Suns Steve Malovic San Diego State
150 San Antonio Spurs Hector Olivencia Sacred Heart University
151 Philadelphia 76ers Anthony Murray Alabama
152 Portland Trail Blazers Walter Reason Pacific University
Round 8
153 New Jersey Nets Bruce Campbell Providence
154 San Diego Clippers Felton Young Jacksonville University
155 Kansas City Kings Ron Hammye Bowling Green
156 Boston Celtics Kim Fisher Fairfield
157 Detroit Pistons Earl Evans UNLV
158 New Orleans Jazz Carl Kilpatrick Louisiana-Monroe
159 Chicago Bulls Chubby Cox San Francisco
160 Atlanta Hawks Ed Murphy Merrimack College
161 Cleveland Cavaliers Roland Martin Missouri Southern State
162 New York Knicks Greg Sanders St. Bonaventure
163 Golden State Warriors Tony Searcy Appalachian State University
164 Milwaukee Bucks Tom Zaliagiris UNC
165 Washington Bullets Nestor Cora St. Francis College
166 Denver Nuggets Larry Vaculik Colorado
167 Phoenix Suns George Fowler University of the Pacific
168 San Antonio Spurs Henry Taylor University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
169 Philadelphia 76ers Alan Cunningham Colorado State
170 Portland Trail Blazers Mark Wickman Linfield College
Round 9
171 New Jersey Nets Frank Sowinski Princeton
172 San Diego Clippers Bobby White Centenary (LA)
173 Boston Celtics Les Anderson George Washington
174 Detroit Pistons Ulice Payne Marquette
175 New Orleans Jazz Chad Nelson Drake University
176 Chicago Bulls Joe Ponsetto DePaul
177 Atlanta Hawks Maurice Robinson West Virginia
178 New York Knicks Denny Fields UNC Wilmington
179 Golden State Warriors Bobby Humbles Bradley
180 Cleveland Cavaliers Steve Bayless Central State University
181 Washington Bullets Tim Claxton Temple
182 Milwaukee Bucks Gary Rosenberger Marquette
183 Denver Nuggets Tom Schneeberger Air Force
184 Phoenix Suns Nate Stokes Grand Canyon University
185 San Antonio Spurs Rick Taylor Arizona State
186 Portland Trail Blazers Paul Cozens Holy Cross
Round 10
187 New Jersey Nets Michael Vicens Holy Cross
188 Boston Celtics Walter Harrigan Brandeis University
189 Detroit Pistons Dave Grauzer Central Michigan University
190 New Orleans Jazz Rickey Williams Cal State Long Beach
191 Chicago Bulls Mark Tucker Oklahoma State
192 Atlanta Hawks Marshall Lester Florida Southern College
193 Golden State Warriors Mike Muff Murray State
194 Cleveland Cavaliers Gary Winton United States Military Academy
195 New York Knicks Ernest Simons Pace University
196 Milwaukee Bucks Tom Anderson Green Bay
197 Washington Bullets Steve Connor Boise State
198 Denver Nuggets Phil Taylor Arizona
199 Phoenix Suns Lewis Cohen Cal Poly
200 San Antonio Spurs Larry Brewster Florida
201 Philadelphia 76ers Dennis James Widener University
202 Portland Trail Blazers Tim Warkentin Biola University

Selections by franchise

The same 202 selections arranged by the club that made them, using the franchise name as it stood in 1978.

  • San Diego Clippers 12 No. 41 Jerome Whitehead, No. 48 Mike Santos, No. 51 Ricky Gallon, No. 65 Marvin Delph, No. 68 Jim Boylan, No. 73 Larry Harris, No. 76 Leroy McDonald, No. 90 David Thompson, No. 112 Bob Misevicius, No. 133 Stan Pietkiewicz, No. 154 Felton Young, No. 172 Bobby White
  • Boston Celtics 11 No. 6 Larry Bird, No. 8 Freeman Williams, No. 30 Jeff Judkins, No. 50 Dana Skinner, No. 72 Dave Nelson, No. 94 Greg Tynes, No. 116 Dave Winey, No. 137 Steve Balkun, No. 156 Kim Fisher, No. 173 Les Anderson, No. 188 Walter Harrigan
  • Golden State Warriors 11 No. 5 Purvis Short, No. 22 Raymond Townsend, No. 40 Wayne Cooper, No. 56 Steve Neff, No. 77 Derrick Jackson, No. 101 Bubba Wilson, No. 122 Buzz Harnett, No. 142 Rick Bernard, No. 163 Tony Searcy, No. 179 Bobby Humbles, No. 193 Mike Muff
  • New York Knicks 11 No. 4 Michael Ray Richardson, No. 32 John Rudd, No. 34 Greg Bunch, No. 55 Marc Iavaroni, No. 79 Erving Giddings, No. 100 Greg Green, No. 121 Eddie Warren, No. 144 Gary Pember, No. 162 Greg Sanders, No. 178 Denny Fields, No. 195 Ernest Simons
  • Portland Trail Blazers 11 No. 1 Mychal Thompson, No. 7 Ron Brewer, No. 24 Keith Herron, No. 44 Clemon Johnson, No. 66 Sterling Edmonds, No. 110 Clay Johnson, No. 131 Tim Evans, No. 152 Walter Reason, No. 170 Mark Wickman, No. 186 Paul Cozens, No. 202 Tim Warkentin
  • Washington Bullets 11 No. 14 Roger Phegley, No. 18 Dave Corzine, No. 37 Terry Sykes, No. 58 Rick Apke, No. 81 Lawrence Boston, No. 102 Roger Dickens, No. 125 Archie Aldridge, No. 145 Ed Hopkins, No. 165 Nestor Cora, No. 181 Tim Claxton, No. 197 Steve Connor
  • Atlanta Hawks 10 No. 10 Butch Lee, No. 16 Jack Givens, No. 25 Rick Wilson, No. 54 Steve Grant, No. 98 Chris Potter, No. 120 Gerald Glover, No. 141 Jim DeWeese, No. 160 Ed Murphy, No. 177 Maurice Robinson, No. 192 Marshall Lester
  • Cleveland Cavaliers 10 No. 15 Mike Mitchell, No. 33 Harry Davis, No. 57 Kenny Higgs, No. 78 Stan Rome, No. 99 Ken Koenigs, No. 123 Ron Bell, No. 143 Tony Smith, No. 161 Roland Martin, No. 180 Steve Bayless, No. 194 Gary Winton
  • New Jersey Nets 10 No. 13 Winford Boynes, No. 45 Mike Phillips, No. 62 Dave Batton, No. 84 Walter Jordan, No. 89 Cecil Rose, No. 111 Golie Augustus, No. 132 Doug Jemison, No. 153 Bruce Campbell, No. 171 Frank Sowinski, No. 187 Michael Vicens
  • New Orleans Jazz 10 No. 11 James Hardy, No. 35 Tommie Green, No. 74 Mel Davis, No. 75 Jeff Covington, No. 96 Duck Williams, No. 118 John Douglas, No. 139 Willie Howard, No. 158 Carl Kilpatrick, No. 175 Chad Nelson, No. 190 Rickey Williams
  • Phoenix Suns 10 No. 19 Marty Byrnes, No. 63 Joel Kramer, No. 85 Bob Miller, No. 88 Wayne Smith, No. 107 Andre Wakefield, No. 128 Charles Thompson, No. 149 Steve Malovic, No. 167 George Fowler, No. 184 Nate Stokes, No. 199 Lewis Cohen
  • Chicago Bulls 9 No. 9 Reggie Theus, No. 31 Marvin Johnson, No. 53 Randy Ayers, No. 97 Ron Anthony, No. 119 John Shoemaker, No. 140 Jarvis Reynolds, No. 159 Chubby Cox, No. 176 Joe Ponsetto, No. 191 Mark Tucker
  • Denver Nuggets 9 No. 17 Rod Griffin, No. 21 Mike Evans, No. 46 Hollis Copeland, No. 106 Michael Edwards, No. 127 Robert Heard, No. 148 Jack Gilloon, No. 166 Larry Vaculik, No. 183 Tom Schneeberger, No. 198 Phil Taylor
  • Milwaukee Bucks 9 No. 12 George Johnson, No. 59 Pat Cummings, No. 80 Otis Howard, No. 103 Russ Coleman, No. 124 Dave Kyle, No. 146 Kim Anderson, No. 164 Tom Zaliagiris, No. 182 Gary Rosenberger, No. 196 Tom Anderson
  • San Antonio Spurs 9 No. 20 Frankie Sanders, No. 64 Gerald Henderson, No. 86 Rich Adams, No. 108 Eugene Parker, No. 129 Harry Morgan, No. 150 Hector Olivencia, No. 168 Henry Taylor, No. 185 Rick Taylor, No. 200 Larry Brewster
  • Detroit Pistons 8 No. 23 Terry Tyler, No. 29 John Long, No. 95 Dave Caligaris, No. 117 Audie Matthews, No. 138 Herb Entzminger, No. 157 Earl Evans, No. 174 Ulice Payne, No. 189 Dave Grauzer
  • Kansas City Kings 8 No. 2 Phil Ford, No. 49 Jeff Cook, No. 52 Mike Russell, No. 70 Geoff Crompton, No. 93 Derrick Clairborne, No. 114 Jim Krivacs, No. 136 Charles McMillian, No. 155 Ron Hammye
  • Philadelphia 76ers 8 No. 36 Maurice Cheeks, No. 43 Glenn Hagan, No. 87 Brett Vroman, No. 109 Mark Haymore, No. 130 Osborne Lockhart, No. 151 Anthony Murray, No. 169 Alan Cunningham, No. 201 Dennis James
  • Houston Rockets 7 No. 28 Buster Matheney, No. 47 Billy Ray Bates, No. 67 Jackie Robinson, No. 69 Joel Thompson, No. 91 Gary Goodner, No. 113 Eddie Joe Chavez, No. 134 Stan Stewart
  • Los Angeles Lakers 7 No. 26 Ron Carter, No. 38 Lew Massey, No. 60 Michael Cooper, No. 82 Harold Robertson, No. 104 Carlos Terry, No. 126 Kim Stewart, No. 147 Larry Paige
  • Indiana Pacers 6 No. 3 Rick Robey, No. 27 Wayne Radford, No. 71 Rickey Lee, No. 92 James Sparrow, No. 115 Sherman Dillard, No. 135 Ollie Matson Jr.
  • Seattle SuperSonics 5 No. 39 James Lee, No. 42 Keven McDonald, No. 61 Dave Baxter, No. 83 Billy Lewis, No. 105 Ralph Drollinger

Colleges and programs represented

143 programs produced at least one selection in the 1978 draft.

  • Marquette5
  • UNLV5
  • Kentucky4
  • San Francisco4
  • Holy Cross3
  • Miami University3
  • Minnesota3
  • New Mexico3
  • Southern University and A&M College3
  • UNC3
  • Arkansas2
  • Auburn2
  • Bradley2
  • Cincinnati2
  • Colorado State2
  • DePaul2
  • Detroit Mercy2
  • Fairfield2
  • Florida State2
  • Georgetown2
  • Houston2
  • Illinois2
  • Indiana State University2
  • Jacksonville University2
  • Kansas2
  • Louisville2
  • Merrimack College2
  • Michigan2
  • Missouri2
  • Notre Dame2
  • Providence2
  • Purdue2
  • San Diego State2
  • South Carolina2
  • St. Bonaventure2
  • Texas2
  • UCLA2
  • UMass2
  • University of North Texas2
  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley2
  • University of the Pacific2
  • Utah2
  • Wake Forest2
  • Air Force
  • Alabama
  • Appalachian State University
  • Arizona
  • Arizona State
  • Austin Peay State University
  • Biola University
  • Bloomfield College
  • Boise State
  • Bowling Green
  • Brandeis University
  • Briar Cliff University
  • Cal Poly
  • Cal State Fullerton
  • Cal State Long Beach
  • Centenary (LA)
  • Central Michigan University
  • Central State University
  • Clemson
  • Cleveland State University
  • Colorado
  • Columbus State University
  • Creighton
  • Dartmouth College
  • Dayton
  • Drake University
  • Florida
  • Florida A&M
  • Florida Southern College
  • George Washington
  • Gonzaga
  • Grambling State University
  • Grand Canyon University
  • Green Bay
  • Howard University
  • Idaho State University
  • Illinois State
  • Indiana
  • Jackson State University
  • James Madison University
  • Johnson C. Smith University
  • Kansas State
  • Kentucky State University
  • Lincoln University of Missouri
  • Linfield College
  • Louisiana-Monroe
  • Loyola Chicago
  • Loyola Marymount
  • LSU
  • Manhattan University
  • Maryland
  • McNeese State University
  • Missouri Southern State
  • Montana
  • Murray State
  • Nasson College
  • New Orleans
  • North Carolina A&T
  • Northeastern University
  • Oklahoma State
  • Oregon State
  • Pace University
  • Pacific University
  • Penn
  • Pepperdine
  • Pitt
  • Portland State
  • Princeton
  • Rutgers University
  • Sacred Heart University
  • Saint Mary's
  • Santa Clara
  • Seton Hall
  • Southern Nazarene University
  • St. Francis College
  • St. John's
  • Syracuse
  • Temple
  • Texas Tech
  • Towson University
  • UNC Charlotte
  • UNC Wilmington
  • United States Military Academy
  • University of California, Irvine
  • University of Puget Sound
  • University of San Diego
  • Utah State University
  • VCU
  • Villanova
  • Virginia
  • Virginia Military Institute
  • Virginia Tech
  • Washington
  • West Georgia
  • West Texas A&M University
  • West Virginia
  • Western Carolina University
  • Widener University
  • Winston-Salem State
  • Youngstown State University

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