1968 NBA draft

[1] In this draft, 14 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players.

The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip.

The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season.

It would also be a catalyst for the upstart rivaling American Basketball Association to either force an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA due to a leaked document that was sent to the ABA by a disgruntled ex-employee revealing the NBA's plans to show how much each team was to contribute to get the college star players to sign with the NBA teams over the ABA teams or engage in a merger between the two leagues, which eventually resulted in the NBA–ABA merger happening years later.

[7] They were also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.

However, Warren never played professional basketball; he opted for an acting career in films and television instead.

A black-and-white photo of a black man wearing a tie and a suit standing behind a microphone
Elvin Hayes was selected first overall by the San Diego Rockets .
A black-and-white photo of a black man wearing a red, white, and blue uniform that says "Bullets" on it with the number 41 worn.
Wes Unseld was selected second overall by the Baltimore Bullets .
A black-and-white photo of a white man wearing a white uniform that says "Bulls" on it.
Bob Kauffman was selected third overall by the Seattle SuperSonics .