1971 NBA draft

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.

Sidney Wicks from the University of California, Los Angeles, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected second by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Gilmore spent five seasons with the Kentucky Colonels before finally joined the NBA in 1976 after both leagues merged.

[15][16] Spencer Haywood was selected in the second round by the Buffalo Braves although he already played in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics in the previous season.

The league and the other NBA teams opposed the move and argued Haywood should be prohibited to join and play with the Sonics.

He argued that he should be allowed to play because he was a "hardship case", due to his position as the sole wage earner in his family.

This led to the NBA allowing college underclassmen to enter the draft provided they could give evidence of "hardship".

[5][18] On September 10, 1971, the NBA hosted a supplemental hardship draft for college underclassmen who wish to join the league.

The first hardship draft saw North Carolina's Bill Chamberlain, Marquette's Jim Chones, St. John's Mel Davis, Duquesne's Mickey Davis, Villanova's Chris Ford, the first potential high school prospect in Raymond Lewis from Verbum Dei High School, future Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo from Vincennes Community College, another first potential high school prospect in Campy Russell from Pontiac Central High School, Princeton's Brian Taylor, future Hall of Famer Bill Walton from UCLA, and Michigan's Henry Wilmore all initially enter this year's draft by the hardship draft, but later declined their entry for at least another year.

[36] Three teams that were supposed to have the first three selections, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Buffalo Braves and Portland Trail Blazers, declined to exercise their rights.

[14] Joe Hammond, who had not played high school and college basketball, was selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Austin Carr was the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers .
Sidney Wicks was selected 2nd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers and was named 1972 NBA Rookie of the Year .
Stan Love was selected 9th overall by the Baltimore Bullets .
Curtis Rowe was selected 11th overall by the Detroit Pistons .
Spencer Haywood was selected 30th overall by the Buffalo Braves .
Larry Steele was selected 37th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers .
A black person, wearing a black suit and a tie, is standing beside a basketball player in front of the spectators.
Clifford Ray was selected in 40th overall by the Chicago Bulls .
Headshot of a man, who wears grey suit, a blue shirt and a blue tie
Phil Chenier was selected by the Baltimore Bullets with the fourth pick of the hardship draft.