Inside The Numbers: UK And The NBA Draft

by Corey Price

The man in the picture above might be obscure to you, but he holds a place in history as the first player from the University Of Kentucky selected in the NBA Draft. He is Jack Tingle and he was selected in the very first NBA Draft in 1947, 63 years ago. I did some research concerning UK players in the NBA Draft and here is what I found. Hope you enjoy:

First UK Player Selected In The NBA Draft
Jack Tingle, 1947, Washington Capitols (Defunct Team)

Most Recent UK Player Selected In The NBA Draft
Jodie Meeks, 2009, 2nd Round, 41st Pick, Milwaukee Bucks

First UK Player Selected In The First Round Of The NBA DraftAlex Groza, 2nd Pick, 1949, Indianapolis Olympians (Defunct Team)

Last UK Player Selected In The First Round Of The NBA DraftRajon Rondo, 21st Pick, 2006, Phoenix Suns

Total Number Of UK Players Selected In The NBA Draft
90 Different Players Selected 91 Times
Johnny Cox was selected in the NBA Draft twice oddly enough. He was selected by the New York Knicks in both the 1958 NBA Draft and the 1959 NBA Draft. Don’t ask me how that I happened, not sure how to explain that one.

A UK player has been selected in 47 of the first 63 NBA Drafts (No UK players were selected in 1951, 1954, 1963, 1965, 1974, 1976, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007)

Most Consecutive NBA Drafts With A UK Player Selected8 Drafts, 1955-1962, 1966-1973, 1977-1984

Most Consecutive NBA Drafts Without A UK Player Selected4 Drafts, 1989-1992

Most Consecutive NBA Drafts With A UK Player Selected In The First Round5 Drafts, 1996-2000
Highest UK Player Selected In The NBA Draft
Alex Groza, 2nd Pick, 1949, Indianapolis Olympians (Defunct Team)
Sam Bowie, 2nd Pick, 1984, Portland Trail Blazers

That’s right, in UK’s storied history of basketball and of all the great players, the Wildcats have never had a player selected as the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Obviously, we expect that to change as John Wall is all but guaranteed the top selection in tonight’s draft.

Lowest UK Player Selected In The NBA Draft
By Round Number: Don Mills, 18th Round, 92nd Pick, 1960, Cincinnati Royals (Sacramento Kings)
By Pick Number: Jay Shidler, 183rd Pick, 9th Round, 1980, Chicago Bulls

Most UK Players Selected In The NBA Draft By Round Number
1st Round: 23
2nd Round: 13
3rd Round: 10
5th Round: 7
7th Round: 7
4th Round: 6
6th Round: 5
8th Round: 4
10th Round: 4
9th Round: 2
13th Round: 1
15th Round: 1
18th Round: 1

Most UK Players Selected In The NBA Draft By Year (At Least 4 Selected)
1984: 5 players
1949: 4 players
1975: 4 players
1978: 4 players
1988: 4 players
1996: 4 players

Most UK Players Selected In The NBA Draft By Pick Number (At Least 2 Selected)
6th Pick: 3
24th Pick: 3
45th Pick: 3
2nd Pick: 2
5th Pick: 2
8th Pick: 2
9th Pick: 2
13th Pick: 2
16th Pick: 2
18th Pick: 2
19th Pick: 2
37th Pick: 2
60th Pick: 2
64th Pick: 2
127th Pick: 2
163rd Pick: 2

A total of 28 teams (23 current, 5 defunct) have selected a UK player in the NBA Draft
The 5 Defunct Teams To Select A UK Player In The NBA Draft
Baltimore Bullets
Chicago Stags
Indianapolis Olympians
Syracuse Nationals
Washington Capitols
The 7 Current Teams To Not Yet Select A UK Player In The NBA Draft
Charlotte Bobcats
Denver Nuggets
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors

Most UK Players Selected In The NBA Draft By NBA Team (At Least 5 Players)
Boston Celtics: 8 players
Los Angeles Lakers: 7 players
Sacramento Kings: 7 players
Atlanta Hawks: 5 players
Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 players
Detroit Pistons: 5 players
New York Knicks: 5 players

Most UK Players Selected In A Single NBA Draft
5 Players, 1984 (Sam Bowie, Melvin Turpin, Dickey Beal, Jim Master, Tom Heitz)

Most UK Players Selected In The First Round In A Single NBA Draft3 Players, 1996 (Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty)

Most UK Players Selected In The Same Round In A Single NBA Draft3 Players, 3rd Round of 1988 (Rob Lock, Ed Davender, Winston Bennett) and 1st Round of 1996 (Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty)

Most UK Players Selected In The First 2 Rounds In A Single NBA Draft (Current Number Of Rounds In The Draft)
4 Players, 1996 (Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Mark Pope)

Most Players Selected In The First 60 Picks In A Single NBA Draft (Current Number Of Picks In The Draft)
4 Players, 1978 (Rick Robey, Jack Givens, James Lee, Mike Phillips) and 1996 (Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Mark Pope)

Most Players Selected In The First 10 Picks In A Single NBA Draft
2 Players, 1949 and 1984
1949
Alex Groza, 2nd Pick, Indianapolis Olympians (Defunct Team)
Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, 8th Pick, Washington Capitols (Defunct Team)
1984
Sam Bowie, 2nd Pick, Portland Trail Blazers
Melvin Turpin, 6th Pick, Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards)

Fourteen UK Players Selected In The Top Ten Of The NBA Draft
Alex Groza, 2nd Pick, 1949, Indianapolis Olympians (Defunct Team)
Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, 8th Pick, 1949, Washington Capitols (Defunct Team)
Frank Ramsey, 5th Pick, 1953, Boston Celtics
Bob Burrow, 9th Pick, 1956, Rochester Royals (Sacramento Kings)
Vernon Hatton, 9th Pick, 1958, Cincinnati Royals (Sacramento Kings)
Pat Riley, 7th Pick, 1967, San Diego Rockets (Houston Rockets)
Rick Robey, 3rd Pick, 1978, Indiana Pacers
Sam Bowie, 2nd Pick, 1984, Portland Trail Blazers
Melvin Turpin, 6th Pick, 1984, Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards)
Kenny Walker, 5th Pick, 1986, New York Knicks
Rex Chapman, 8th Pick, 1988, Charlotte Hornets (New Orleans Hornets)
Jamal Mashburn, 4th Pick, 1993, Dallas Mavericks
Antoine Walker, 6th Pick, 1996, Boston Celtics
Ron Mercer, 6th Pick, 1997, Boston Celtics

UK Play
ers Selected In The NBA Draft As Underclassmen
Rex Chapman, 1988 (left UK after sophomore season): 1st Round, 8th Pick, Charlotte Hornets (New Orleans Hornets)
Jamal Mashburn, 1993 (left UK after junior season): 1st Round, 4th Pick, Dallas Mavericks
Antoine Walker, 1996 (left UK after sophomore season): 1st Round, 6th Pick, Boston Celtics
Ron Mercer, 1997 (left UK after sophomore season): 1st Round, 6th Pick, Boston Celtics
Nazr Mohammed, 1998 (left UK after junior season): 1st Round, 29th Pick, Utah Jazz
Rajon Rondo, 2006 (left UK after sophomore season): 1st Round, 21st Pick, Phoenix Suns
Jodie Meeks, 2009 (left UK after junior season): 2nd Round, 41st Pick, Milwaukee Bucks

The Shortest Gap Between UK Players Selected In A Single NBA Draft
3 Picks, 1996
Tony Delk, 1st Round, 16th Pick, Charlotte Hornets
Walter McCarty, 1st Round, 19th Pick, New York Knicks

The Longest Gap Between UK Players Selected In A Single NBA Draft
126 Picks, 1971
Larry Steele, 3rd Round, 37th Pick, Portland Trail Blazers
Jim Dinwiddie, 10th Round, 163rd Pick, Philadelphia 76ers

The Longest Drought Between UK Players Selected In The NBA Draft
231 picks, 1988-1993
Winston Bennett, 1988, 3rd Round, 64th Pick, Cleveland Cavaliers
Jamal Mashburn, 1993, 1st Round, 4th Pick, Dallas Mavericks

Frequency Of UK Players Selected In The NBA Draft By Pick Number
1st – 10th: 14 players
11th – 20th: 9 players
21st – 30th: 9 players
31st – 40th: 9 players
41st – 50th: 6 players
51st – 60th: 6 players
61st – 70th: 4 players
71st – 80th: 1 player
81st – 90th: 3 players
91st – 100th: 2 players
101st and up: 18 players

NBA Teams To Select Multiple UK Players In The Same NBA Draft
Indianapolis Olympians, 1949
Alex Groza, 1st Round, 2nd Pick
Cliff Barker

Boston Celtics, 1953
Frank Ramsey, 1st Round, 5th Pick
Cliff Hagan, 3rd Round, 13th Pick
Lou Tsioropolous, 7th Round, 24th Pick

Minneapolis Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers), 1956
Jerry Bird, 3rd Round, 18th Pick
Phil Grawemeyer

Cincinnati Royals (Sacramento Kings), 1958
Vernon Hatton, 2nd Round, 9th Pick
Adrian Smith, 15th Round, 86th Pick

Atlanta Hawks, 1984
Dickey Beal, 4th Round, 81st Pick
Jim Master, 6th Round, 127th Pick

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