The 1951 NBA draft was the fifth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 25, 1951, before the 1951–52 season. In this draft, ten remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The Tri-Cities Blackhawks participated in the draft, but relocated to Milwaukee and became the Milwaukee Hawks prior to the start of the season.[1] The draft consisted of 12 rounds comprising 87 players selected.
| 1951 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | April 25, 1951 |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Overview | |
| 87 total selections in 12 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Gene Melchiorre, Baltimore Bullets |
Draft selections and draftee career notes
editGene Melchiorre from Bradley University was selected first overall by the Baltimore Bullets. However, he never played in the NBA due to his involvement in a point shaving scandal while playing college basketball.[2] Myer Skoog from University of Minnesota was selected before the draft as Minneapolis Lakers' territorial pick.
Key
edit| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
Draft
editOther picks
editThe following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[3][4]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 23 | Jake Fendley | F |  United States | Fort Wayne Pistons | Northwestern |
| 3 | 24 | Bato Govedarica | G | United States | Syracuse Nationals | DePaul |
| 3 | 27 | Fred Diute | G | United States | Rochester Royals | St. Bonaventure |
| 4 | 31 | Jim Slaughter | C | United States | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | South Carolina |
| 4 | 32 | Bill Tosheff | G | United States | Indianapolis Olympians | Indiana |
| 4 | 37 | Elmer Behnke | C | United States | Rochester Royals | Bradley |
| 5 | 48 | Mike Kearns | G | United States | Philadelphia Warriors | Princeton |
| 6 | 51 | John Rennicke | G | United States | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | Drake |
| 6 | 55 | Al McGuire | G/F | United States | New York Knicks | St. John's |
| 6 | 56 | James Luisi | G | United States | Boston Celtics | St. Francis (NY) |
| 7 | 68 | George Dempsey | G | United States | Philadelphia Warriors | King's (NY) |
| 8 | 77 | James Phelan | G | United States | Philadelphia Warriors | La Salle |
Notable undrafted players
editThese players were not selected in the 1951 draft, but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| John O'Boyle | G | United States | Colorado State |
See also
editReferences
edit- General
- "1951 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
- "1947–1948 BAA Drafts, 1949–1951 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Archived from the original on July 4, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- "1951 NBA Draft". The Draft Review. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- Specific
- ^ "Hawks: Franchise History". NBA.com/Hawks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- ^ Goldstein, Joe (November 19, 2003). "Explosion: 1951 scandals threaten college hoops". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "1951 NBA draft".
- ^ "NBA Past Drafts - RealGM".