Draft Board

1981 NBA Draft Results

1981 NBA Draft results with every pick in order, led by No. 1 pick Mark Aguirre to Dallas Mavericks.

Previous year Next year Future picks tracker

The 1981 NBA Draft produced 223 selections across 10 rounds, with 23 franchises making at least one pick. Dallas Mavericks held the first overall selection and took Mark Aguirre out of DePaul.

Dallas Mavericks made the most selections that year with 12. 143 different colleges and programs were represented across the board, led by Indiana with 4 players drafted.

Pick Team Player College
Round 1
1 Dallas Mavericks Mark Aguirre DePaul
2 Detroit Pistons Isiah Thomas Indiana
3 New Jersey Nets Buck Williams Maryland
4 Atlanta Hawks Al Wood UNC
5 Seattle SuperSonics Danny Vranes Utah
6 Chicago Bulls Orlando Woolridge Notre Dame
7 Kansas City Kings Steve Johnson Oregon State
8 San Diego Clippers Tom Chambers Utah
9 Dallas Mavericks Rolando Blackman Kansas State
10 New Jersey Nets Albert King Maryland
11 Washington Bullets Frank Johnson Wake Forest
12 Detroit Pistons Kelly Tripucka Notre Dame
13 Utah Jazz Danny Schayes Syracuse
14 Indiana Pacers Herb Williams Ohio State
15 Portland Trail Blazers Jeff Lamp Virginia
16 Portland Trail Blazers Darnell Valentine Kansas
17 Kansas City Kings Kevin Loder Alabama State University
18 New Jersey Nets Ray Tolbert Indiana
19 Los Angeles Lakers Mike McGee Michigan
20 Phoenix Suns Larry Nance Clemson
21 Milwaukee Bucks Alton Lister Arizona State
22 Philadelphia 76ers Franklin Edwards Cleveland State University
23 Boston Celtics Charles Bradley Wyoming
Round 2
24 Dallas Mavericks Jay Vincent Michigan State
25 Boston Celtics Tracy Jackson Notre Dame
26 Portland Trail Blazers Brian Jackson Utah State University
27 Utah Jazz Howard Wood Tennessee
28 San Antonio Spurs Gene Banks Duke
29 Kansas City Kings Eddie Johnson Illinois
30 San Antonio Spurs Ed Rains University of South Alabama
31 Boston Celtics Danny Ainge BYU
32 Chicago Bulls Mike Olliver Lamar
33 Golden State Warriors Sam Williams Arizona State
34 Denver Nuggets Ken Green University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
35 Washington Bullets Charles Davis Vanderbilt
36 Indiana Pacers Ray Blume Oregon State
37 Indiana Pacers Al Leslie Bucknell
38 Atlanta Hawks Clyde Bradshaw DePaul
39 Los Angeles Lakers Harvey Knuckles Toledo
40 New York Knicks Greg Cook LSU
41 Washington Bullets Claude Gregory Wisconsin
42 Los Angeles Lakers Elvis Rolle Florida State
43 Dallas Mavericks Elston Turner Ole Miss
44 Washington Bullets Steve Lingenfelter South Dakota State
45 Houston Rockets Ed Turner None listed
46 Philadelphia 76ers Vernon Smith Texas A&M
Round 3
47 Dallas Mavericks Art Housey Kansas
48 Washington Bullets Mike Ferrara Colgate
49 New Jersey Nets David Burns Saint Louis
50 Portland Trail Blazers Derek Holcomb Illinois
51 Los Angeles Lakers Zam Fredrick South Carolina
52 Atlanta Hawks Rudy Macklin LSU
53 Seattle SuperSonics Mark Radford Oregon State
54 San Diego Clippers Jim Smith Ohio State
55 Cleveland Cavaliers Mickey Dillard Florida State
56 Golden State Warriors Carlton Neverson Pitt
57 New York Knicks Frank Brickowski Penn State
58 Kansas City Kings Curtis Berry Missouri
59 Cleveland Cavaliers Russell Bowers American University
60 Indiana Pacers Purvis Miller USC
61 Portland Trail Blazers Pétur Guðmundsson Washington
62 Phoenix Suns Sam Clancy Pitt
63 New York Knicks Wayne McKoy St. John's
64 San Antonio Spurs Tom Baker Eastern Kentucky University
65 Los Angeles Lakers Ron Cornelius University of the Pacific
66 Phoenix Suns Craig Dykema Cal State Long Beach
67 Milwaukee Bucks Mark Smith Illinois
68 Philadelphia 76ers Ernest Graham Maryland
69 Boston Celtics John Johnson Michigan
Round 4
70 Dallas Mavericks Eddie Moss Syracuse
71 Detroit Pistons John May University of South Alabama
72 New Jersey Nets Ed Sherod VCU
73 Utah Jazz Georgie Torres Southern Nazarene University
74 Cleveland Cavaliers Ethan Martin LSU
75 Atlanta Hawks Kevin Figaro Louisiana
76 Golden State Warriors Lewis Lloyd Drake University
77 San Diego Clippers Lee Raker Virginia
78 Kansas City Kings Kenny Dennard Duke
79 Washington Bullets Ron Davis Arizona
80 Golden State Warriors Terry Adolph West Texas A&M University
81 Houston Rockets Larry Spriggs Howard University
82 Kansas City Kings B.B. Davis Lamar
83 Indiana Pacers Rolando Frazer Briar Cliff University
84 Chicago Bulls Oliver Lee Marquette
85 Portland Trail Blazers Pete Verhoeven Fresno State
86 New York Knicks Alex Bradley Villanova
87 San Antonio Spurs Earl Belcher St. Bonaventure
88 Los Angeles Lakers Kevin McKenna Creighton
89 Detroit Pistons Don Koonce UNC Charlotte
90 Milwaukee Bucks Kris Anderson Florida State
91 Boston Celtics Stanley Williams La Salle
92 Philadelphia 76ers Rynn Wright Texas A&M
Round 5
93 Dallas Mavericks Pete Budko UNC
94 Detroit Pistons George DeVone UNC Charlotte
95 New Jersey Nets Joe Cooper Colorado
96 Cleveland Cavaliers Kenny Page New Mexico
97 Utah Jazz Mike Clark Oregon
98 Atlanta Hawks Steve Krafcisin Iowa
99 Seattle SuperSonics Andra Griffin Washington
100 San Diego Clippers Dennis Isbell Memphis
101 Denver Nuggets Willie Sims LSU
102 Golden State Warriors Hank McDowell Memphis
103 Washington Bullets Garry Witts Holy Cross
104 Kansas City Kings U.S. Reed Arkansas
105 Houston Rockets Hasan Houston Bradley
106 Indiana Pacers George Peterson New Jersey City University
107 Portland Trail Blazers Herb Andrew University of South Alabama
108 Chicago Bulls Johnny Nash Arizona State
109 New York Knicks Jim Wright Rhode Island
110 San Antonio Spurs Mike Rhodes Vanderbilt
111 Los Angeles Lakers Craig Watts NC State
112 Phoenix Suns Paul Heuerman Michigan
113 Milwaukee Bucks Kelvin Troy Rutgers University
114 Philadelphia 76ers Steve Craig BYU
115 Boston Celtics Glen Grunwald Indiana
Round 6
116 Dallas Mavericks Karl Bankowski Utah
117 Detroit Pistons Vince Brookins Iowa
118 New Jersey Nets Kevin Lynam La Salle
119 Utah Jazz Kevin Sprewer Loyola Chicago
120 Cleveland Cavaliers Aaron Strayhorn Hawaii
121 Atlanta Hawks Darryl Warwick Hampton
122 Seattle SuperSonics Earl Banks Auburn
123 San Diego Clippers Mike Pepper UNC
124 Denver Nuggets Alonzo Weatherly Denver
125 Washington Bullets Robert Williams Grambling State University
126 Golden State Warriors Carter Scott Ohio State
127 Houston Rockets Fred Cowan Kentucky
128 Kansas City Kings Brian Walker Purdue
129 Indiana Pacers Robert Fronk Washington
130 Chicago Bulls Roger Burkman Louisville
131 Portland Trail Blazers Roshern Amie Texas-El Paso
132 New York Knicks John Blair Monmouth University
133 San Antonio Spurs Northern Shavers Jackson State University
134 Los Angeles Lakers Kevin Singleton California
135 Phoenix Suns Pete Harris Northeastern University
136 Milwaukee Bucks Jo Jo Hunter Colorado
137 Boston Celtics Steve Waite Iowa
138 Philadelphia 76ers Michael Thomas North Park University
Round 7
139 Dallas Mavericks Danny Davis UNC Wilmington
140 Detroit Pistons Greg Nance West Virginia
141 New Jersey Nets Rod Roberson Northwestern
142 Cleveland Cavaliers Andre Smith Nebraska
143 Utah Jazz Mike Robinson Central Michigan University
144 Atlanta Hawks Kevin Vesey Iona College
145 Seattle SuperSonics Tom Sienkiewicz Villanova
146 San Diego Clippers Randy Johnson University of Southern Colorado
147 Denver Nuggets Greg Manning Maryland
148 Golden State Warriors Robbie Dosty Arizona
149 Washington Bullets Randy Martel Houston Baptist University
150 Kansas City Kings Clinton Wheeler William Paterson University
151 Houston Rockets Joe Faine Bowling Green
152 Indiana Pacers Larry McKinney Boise State
153 Portland Trail Blazers Julius Wayne Texas-El Paso
154 Chicago Bulls Scott Williams University of South Alabama
155 New York Knicks Terry Cramer Ripon College
156 San Antonio Spurs Mark Minderman Northern Michigan University
157 Los Angeles Lakers Larry Petty Wisconsin
158 Phoenix Suns David Williams Southern University and A&M College
159 Milwaukee Bucks Lewis Latimore Virginia
160 Philadelphia 76ers John Crawford Kansas
161 Boston Celtics Tom Seaman Holy Cross
Round 8
162 Dallas Mavericks David Kennedy Cincinnati
163 Detroit Pistons Joe Schoen Saint Francis University
164 New Jersey Nets Ken Webb Fairleigh Dickinson University
165 Utah Jazz Bobby Cattage Auburn
166 Cleveland Cavaliers Glenn Marcus UAB
167 Atlanta Hawks Gilbert Salinas Notre Dame
168 San Diego Clippers Todd Haynes Davidson
169 Denver Nuggets Curtis Redding St. John's
170 Washington Bullets Mike Howard Wofford College
171 Golden State Warriors Yasutaka Okayama None listed
172 Houston Rockets Stanley Brewer West Georgia
173 Kansas City Kings Randy Smithson Wichita State
174 Indiana Pacers Len Hatzenbeller Drexel
175 Chicago Bulls Ben Mitchell None listed
176 Portland Trail Blazers John Smith Saint Joseph's
177 New York Knicks Brian O'Connor Thomas More College
178 San Antonio Spurs Bob Bartholomew University of San Diego
179 Los Angeles Lakers Jay Triano Simon Fraser University
180 Phoenix Suns Steve Risley Indiana
181 Milwaukee Bucks Mike Brkovich Michigan State
182 Boston Celtics George Morrow Creighton
183 Philadelphia 76ers Frank Gilroy St. John's
Round 9
184 Dallas Mavericks John Hollinden Southern Indiana
185 Detroit Pistons Eddie Baker Alcorn State
186 New Jersey Nets Rudy Williams Providence
187 Cleveland Cavaliers Paul Roba Cleveland State University
188 Utah Jazz Ken Ollie Wyoming
189 Atlanta Hawks Howard Thompkins Wagner College
190 San Diego Clippers Art Jones NC State
191 Denver Nuggets Andrew Burton Austin Peay State University
192 Golden State Warriors Doug Murrey San Jose State
193 Washington Bullets Eddie Brown Valdosta State University
194 Kansas City Kings Mike Perry Richmond
195 Indiana Pacers Scott Whitley William & Mary
196 Portland Trail Blazers Sid Williams San Jose State
197 Chicago Bulls Terry Martin Lambuth University
198 New York Knicks Marty Headd Syracuse
199 San Antonio Spurs Leonel Marquetti Hampton
200 Phoenix Suns Brian Johnson Colorado
201 Milwaukee Bucks Chip Rucker Northeastern University
202 Philadelphia 76ers Ron Wister Temple
203 Boston Celtics Greg McCray VCU
Round 10
204 Dallas Mavericks Scott Bolanko Northern State University
205 Detroit Pistons Melvin Maxwell Western Michigan
206 New Jersey Nets Vic Sison UCLA
207 Utah Jazz Joe Merten University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
208 Cleveland Cavaliers Greg Boone Augsburg College
209 Atlanta Hawks Mike Frazier Georgetown
210 San Diego Clippers Tony Gwynn San Diego State
211 Denver Nuggets Derrick Rowland State University of New York at Potsdam
212 Washington Bullets Ralton Way Houston Baptist University
213 Golden State Warriors Barry Brooks USC
214 Kansas City Kings Mark Wilson Fort Hays State University
215 Indiana Pacers Rodney Benson Wright State University
216 Chicago Bulls Kenny Easley UCLA
217 Portland Trail Blazers Steve Cochran Lewis and Clark College
218 New York Knicks Kevin Rogers Saint Peter's College
219 San Antonio Spurs Alvin Brooks Lamar
220 Phoenix Suns Felton Sealey Oregon
221 Milwaukee Bucks Artie Green Marquette
222 Boston Celtics Kenny Matthews NC State
223 Philadelphia 76ers Pete Mullenberg University of Delaware

Selections by franchise

The same 223 selections arranged by the club that made them, using the franchise name as it stood in 1981.

  • Dallas Mavericks 12 No. 1 Mark Aguirre, No. 9 Rolando Blackman, No. 24 Jay Vincent, No. 43 Elston Turner, No. 47 Art Housey, No. 70 Eddie Moss, No. 93 Pete Budko, No. 116 Karl Bankowski, No. 139 Danny Davis, No. 162 David Kennedy, No. 184 John Hollinden, No. 204 Scott Bolanko
  • Kansas City Kings 12 No. 7 Steve Johnson, No. 17 Kevin Loder, No. 29 Eddie Johnson, No. 58 Curtis Berry, No. 78 Kenny Dennard, No. 82 B.B. Davis, No. 104 U.S. Reed, No. 128 Brian Walker, No. 150 Clinton Wheeler, No. 173 Randy Smithson, No. 194 Mike Perry, No. 214 Mark Wilson
  • Portland Trail Blazers 12 No. 15 Jeff Lamp, No. 16 Darnell Valentine, No. 26 Brian Jackson, No. 50 Derek Holcomb, No. 61 Pétur Guðmundsson, No. 85 Pete Verhoeven, No. 107 Herb Andrew, No. 131 Roshern Amie, No. 153 Julius Wayne, No. 176 John Smith, No. 196 Sid Williams, No. 217 Steve Cochran
  • Washington Bullets 12 No. 11 Frank Johnson, No. 35 Charles Davis, No. 41 Claude Gregory, No. 44 Steve Lingenfelter, No. 48 Mike Ferrara, No. 79 Ron Davis, No. 103 Garry Witts, No. 125 Robert Williams, No. 149 Randy Martel, No. 170 Mike Howard, No. 193 Eddie Brown, No. 212 Ralton Way
  • Boston Celtics 11 No. 23 Charles Bradley, No. 25 Tracy Jackson, No. 31 Danny Ainge, No. 69 John Johnson, No. 91 Stanley Williams, No. 115 Glen Grunwald, No. 137 Steve Waite, No. 161 Tom Seaman, No. 182 George Morrow, No. 203 Greg McCray, No. 222 Kenny Matthews
  • Indiana Pacers 11 No. 14 Herb Williams, No. 36 Ray Blume, No. 37 Al Leslie, No. 60 Purvis Miller, No. 83 Rolando Frazer, No. 106 George Peterson, No. 129 Robert Fronk, No. 152 Larry McKinney, No. 174 Len Hatzenbeller, No. 195 Scott Whitley, No. 215 Rodney Benson
  • New Jersey Nets 11 No. 3 Buck Williams, No. 10 Albert King, No. 18 Ray Tolbert, No. 49 David Burns, No. 72 Ed Sherod, No. 95 Joe Cooper, No. 118 Kevin Lynam, No. 141 Rod Roberson, No. 164 Ken Webb, No. 186 Rudy Williams, No. 206 Vic Sison
  • Atlanta Hawks 10 No. 4 Al Wood, No. 38 Clyde Bradshaw, No. 52 Rudy Macklin, No. 75 Kevin Figaro, No. 98 Steve Krafcisin, No. 121 Darryl Warwick, No. 144 Kevin Vesey, No. 167 Gilbert Salinas, No. 189 Howard Thompkins, No. 209 Mike Frazier
  • Detroit Pistons 10 No. 2 Isiah Thomas, No. 12 Kelly Tripucka, No. 71 John May, No. 89 Don Koonce, No. 94 George DeVone, No. 117 Vince Brookins, No. 140 Greg Nance, No. 163 Joe Schoen, No. 185 Eddie Baker, No. 205 Melvin Maxwell
  • Golden State Warriors 10 No. 33 Sam Williams, No. 56 Carlton Neverson, No. 76 Lewis Lloyd, No. 80 Terry Adolph, No. 102 Hank McDowell, No. 126 Carter Scott, No. 148 Robbie Dosty, No. 171 Yasutaka Okayama, No. 192 Doug Murrey, No. 213 Barry Brooks
  • Los Angeles Lakers 10 No. 19 Mike McGee, No. 39 Harvey Knuckles, No. 42 Elvis Rolle, No. 51 Zam Fredrick, No. 65 Ron Cornelius, No. 88 Kevin McKenna, No. 111 Craig Watts, No. 134 Kevin Singleton, No. 157 Larry Petty, No. 179 Jay Triano
  • New York Knicks 10 No. 40 Greg Cook, No. 57 Frank Brickowski, No. 63 Wayne McKoy, No. 86 Alex Bradley, No. 109 Jim Wright, No. 132 John Blair, No. 155 Terry Cramer, No. 177 Brian O'Connor, No. 198 Marty Headd, No. 218 Kevin Rogers
  • Philadelphia 76ers 10 No. 22 Franklin Edwards, No. 46 Vernon Smith, No. 68 Ernest Graham, No. 92 Rynn Wright, No. 114 Steve Craig, No. 138 Michael Thomas, No. 160 John Crawford, No. 183 Frank Gilroy, No. 202 Ron Wister, No. 223 Pete Mullenberg
  • San Antonio Spurs 10 No. 28 Gene Banks, No. 30 Ed Rains, No. 64 Tom Baker, No. 87 Earl Belcher, No. 110 Mike Rhodes, No. 133 Northern Shavers, No. 156 Mark Minderman, No. 178 Bob Bartholomew, No. 199 Leonel Marquetti, No. 219 Alvin Brooks
  • Chicago Bulls 9 No. 6 Orlando Woolridge, No. 32 Mike Olliver, No. 84 Oliver Lee, No. 108 Johnny Nash, No. 130 Roger Burkman, No. 154 Scott Williams, No. 175 Ben Mitchell, No. 197 Terry Martin, No. 216 Kenny Easley
  • Cleveland Cavaliers 9 No. 55 Mickey Dillard, No. 59 Russell Bowers, No. 74 Ethan Martin, No. 96 Kenny Page, No. 120 Aaron Strayhorn, No. 142 Andre Smith, No. 166 Glenn Marcus, No. 187 Paul Roba, No. 208 Greg Boone
  • Milwaukee Bucks 9 No. 21 Alton Lister, No. 67 Mark Smith, No. 90 Kris Anderson, No. 113 Kelvin Troy, No. 136 Jo Jo Hunter, No. 159 Lewis Latimore, No. 181 Mike Brkovich, No. 201 Chip Rucker, No. 221 Artie Green
  • Phoenix Suns 9 No. 20 Larry Nance, No. 62 Sam Clancy, No. 66 Craig Dykema, No. 112 Paul Heuerman, No. 135 Pete Harris, No. 158 David Williams, No. 180 Steve Risley, No. 200 Brian Johnson, No. 220 Felton Sealey
  • San Diego Clippers 9 No. 8 Tom Chambers, No. 54 Jim Smith, No. 77 Lee Raker, No. 100 Dennis Isbell, No. 123 Mike Pepper, No. 146 Randy Johnson, No. 168 Todd Haynes, No. 190 Art Jones, No. 210 Tony Gwynn
  • Utah Jazz 9 No. 13 Danny Schayes, No. 27 Howard Wood, No. 73 Georgie Torres, No. 97 Mike Clark, No. 119 Kevin Sprewer, No. 143 Mike Robinson, No. 165 Bobby Cattage, No. 188 Ken Ollie, No. 207 Joe Merten
  • Denver Nuggets 7 No. 34 Ken Green, No. 101 Willie Sims, No. 124 Alonzo Weatherly, No. 147 Greg Manning, No. 169 Curtis Redding, No. 191 Andrew Burton, No. 211 Derrick Rowland
  • Houston Rockets 6 No. 45 Ed Turner, No. 81 Larry Spriggs, No. 105 Hasan Houston, No. 127 Fred Cowan, No. 151 Joe Faine, No. 172 Stanley Brewer
  • Seattle SuperSonics 5 No. 5 Danny Vranes, No. 53 Mark Radford, No. 99 Andra Griffin, No. 122 Earl Banks, No. 145 Tom Sienkiewicz

Colleges and programs represented

143 programs produced at least one selection in the 1981 draft.

  • Indiana4
  • LSU4
  • Maryland4
  • Notre Dame4
  • University of South Alabama4
  • Arizona State3
  • Colorado3
  • Florida State3
  • Illinois3
  • Iowa3
  • Kansas3
  • Lamar3
  • Michigan3
  • NC State3
  • Ohio State3
  • Oregon State3
  • St. John's3
  • Syracuse3
  • UNC3
  • Utah3
  • Virginia3
  • Washington3
  • Arizona2
  • Auburn2
  • BYU2
  • Cleveland State University2
  • Creighton2
  • DePaul2
  • Duke2
  • Hampton2
  • Holy Cross2
  • Houston Baptist University2
  • La Salle2
  • Marquette2
  • Memphis2
  • Michigan State2
  • Northeastern University2
  • Oregon2
  • Pitt2
  • San Jose State2
  • Texas A&M2
  • Texas-El Paso2
  • UCLA2
  • UNC Charlotte2
  • USC2
  • Vanderbilt2
  • VCU2
  • Villanova2
  • Wisconsin2
  • Wyoming2
  • Alabama State University
  • Alcorn State
  • American University
  • Arkansas
  • Augsburg College
  • Austin Peay State University
  • Boise State
  • Bowling Green
  • Bradley
  • Briar Cliff University
  • Bucknell
  • Cal State Long Beach
  • California
  • Central Michigan University
  • Cincinnati
  • Clemson
  • Colgate
  • Davidson
  • Denver
  • Drake University
  • Drexel
  • Eastern Kentucky University
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University
  • Fort Hays State University
  • Fresno State
  • Georgetown
  • Grambling State University
  • Hawaii
  • Howard University
  • Iona College
  • Jackson State University
  • Kansas State
  • Kentucky
  • Lambuth University
  • Lewis and Clark College
  • Louisiana
  • Louisville
  • Loyola Chicago
  • Missouri
  • Monmouth University
  • Nebraska
  • New Jersey City University
  • New Mexico
  • North Park University
  • Northern Michigan University
  • Northern State University
  • Northwestern
  • Ole Miss
  • Penn State
  • Providence
  • Purdue
  • Rhode Island
  • Richmond
  • Ripon College
  • Rutgers University
  • Saint Francis University
  • Saint Joseph's
  • Saint Louis
  • Saint Peter's College
  • San Diego State
  • Simon Fraser University
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota State
  • Southern Indiana
  • Southern Nazarene University
  • Southern University and A&M College
  • St. Bonaventure
  • State University of New York at Potsdam
  • Temple
  • Tennessee
  • Thomas More College
  • Toledo
  • UAB
  • UNC Wilmington
  • University of Delaware
  • University of San Diego
  • University of Southern Colorado
  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  • University of the Pacific
  • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
  • Utah State University
  • Valdosta State University
  • Wagner College
  • Wake Forest
  • West Georgia
  • West Texas A&M University
  • West Virginia
  • Western Michigan
  • Wichita State
  • William & Mary
  • William Paterson University
  • Wofford College
  • Wright State University

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