1970 NBA draft

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.

Three expansion franchises, the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the seventh, the eighth and the ninth pick in each round.

In the subsequent rounds, the Cavaliers and the Braves exchanged their order of selection, while the Blazers had the eighth pick throughout the draft.

[3] Maravich, Cowens and Archibald were also named to the list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.

[8][9] Dan Issel initially opted to play in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Kentucky Colonels.

He played six seasons in the ABA before finally joining the NBA with the Denver Nuggets when both leagues merged.

[13] Charlie Scott, the 106th pick, initially opted to play in the ABA with the Virginia Squires before joining the NBA in 1972.

[18] Tomjanovich coached two NBA teams, the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers.

[19] He also coached the United States national basketball team to a gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games.

A black person, wearing a gray suit, a tie and glasses, is looking to the front.
Bob Lanier was selected first overall by the Detroit Pistons .
Rudy Tomjanovich was selected second overall by the San Diego Rockets .
A black and white photo of a man, wearing a basketball uniform that says Jazz with the number 7 below it, is looking to the right.
Pete Maravich was selected third overall by the Atlanta Hawks .
Dave Cowens was selected fourth overall by the Boston Celtics .
Geoff Petrie was selected eighth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers .
A black person, wearing white t-shirt, is smiling and looking to the right.
Calvin Murphy was selected 18th overall by the San Diego Rockets .