1949 BAA draft
The 1949 BAA Draft was the third and final amateur player selection event organized by the Basketball Association of America (BAA), held on March 21, 1949, at a venue in New York City, involving the league's 11 franchises in choosing 83 prospects across eight rounds plus preliminary territorial selections.[1] Territorial picks allowed teams to claim promising players from local colleges before the regular draft began, a practice designed to boost fan interest by securing regional talent.[1] Of the draftees, 50 ultimately appeared in BAA or NBA games, with the process emphasizing college seniors and underscoring the league's growing emphasis on scouting amid financial challenges.[1] Among the draft's highlights were the territorial choices of future Hall of Famers: the St. Louis Bombers selected forward Ed Macauley from Saint Louis University, who went on to average 17.5 points per game over a 10-year career and win a championship with the St. Louis Hawks in 1958; the Minneapolis Lakers picked forward Vern Mikkelsen from Hamline University, a key contributor to four titles in his 10 seasons while averaging 14.4 points; and the New York Knicks took guard Dick McGuire from St. John's University (8th overall, territorial), an elite playmaker who earned seven All-Star nods and averaged 5.7 assists in 11 years.[1] In the regular draft, the Providence Steamrollers held the first pick, selecting guard Howie Shannon from Kansas State, who earned BAA Rookie of the Year honors and averaged 10.8 points per game over two seasons; other early selections included center Alex Groza from Kentucky (2nd overall, Indianapolis Jets), who averaged 22.5 points in two seasons before a lifetime ban for point-shaving in 1951.[1] These picks reflected the era's focus on versatile big men and guards capable of drawing crowds in an upstart league. The draft's significance lies in its timing as the last under the BAA banner, occurring just months before the league's merger with the rival National Basketball League (NBL) on August 3, 1949, which created the 17-team National Basketball Association (NBA) and absorbed additional talent pools for the 1949-50 season.[2] This transition stabilized professional basketball by combining the BAA's urban markets with the NBL's Midwest strength, though the 1949 draftees faced a diluted roster landscape initially.[3] Four players from the class—Macauley, Mikkelsen, McGuire, and guard Slater Martin (3rd round, Minneapolis Lakers)—were later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, highlighting the draft's lasting impact on the league's foundational talent.[1]Background
BAA and the path to the NBA
The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was established on June 6, 1946, by a group of ice hockey arena owners seeking to launch a professional basketball league in major urban centers across the northeastern and midwestern United States.[2] Positioned as a direct competitor to the nine-year-old National Basketball League (NBL), the BAA emphasized larger markets and prominent venues like Madison Square Garden and Boston Garden to attract top talent and fans, starting with 11 franchises including the Boston Celtics, Chicago Stags, New York Knickerbockers, Philadelphia Warriors, and Toronto Huskies.[4] This urban focus contrasted with the NBL's base in smaller Midwestern towns, setting the stage for a three-year rivalry over players and popularity.[2] The BAA's inaugural 1946-47 season highlighted early financial vulnerabilities, exacerbated by post-World War II economic adjustments and low attendance in some cities.[5] Four teams folded after that season due to mounting losses: the Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, and Toronto Huskies.[6] These collapses reduced the league to eight teams for 1947-48, as ongoing revenue shortfalls forced further contraction amid broader professional sports instability.[7] By the 1948-49 season, the BAA had rebounded somewhat, expanding to 12 teams through the addition of four NBL franchises—the Fort Wayne Pistons, Indianapolis Jets, Minneapolis Lakers, and Rochester Royals—which sought better financial prospects in the rival league.[2] However, persistent challenges like uneven gate receipts and competition for star players, such as George Mikan's move to the Lakers, underscored the need for consolidation.[8] The 1949 BAA draft took place on March 21, 1949, in New York City, selecting amateur and college players for the league's teams ahead of the 1949-50 campaign.[1] The Providence Steamrollers folded in July 1949, shortly after the draft but before the season began. Shortly after, on August 3, 1949, representatives from the BAA and NBL finalized a merger at the BAA's offices in New York's Empire State Building, absorbing six NBL teams (Anderson Packers, Denver Nuggets, Sheboygan Red Skins, Syracuse Nationals, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and Waterloo Hawks) to create a 17-team circuit renamed the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2] This union, led by BAA president Maurice Podoloff as the new NBA commissioner, resolved the leagues' duplicative efforts and stabilized professional basketball, with the 1949 draft effectively launching the inaugural NBA season.[9]Evolution of BAA drafts
The inaugural Basketball Association of America (BAA) draft took place on July 1, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan, marking the league's initial effort to allocate college talent systematically following its founding the previous year.[10] Teams selected players in reverse order of their 1946-47 season standings, with the Pittsburgh Ironmen holding the first pick, Clifton McNeely from Texas Western.[10] The draft consisted of 10 rounds and 78 total selections, emphasizing a straightforward format to build rosters from a post-World War II player pool that included many former service members returning to college basketball.[10] This structure prioritized parity by favoring underperforming teams, though the limited visibility of professional basketball at the time meant scouting relied heavily on college performances, including emerging NCAA tournaments that began showcasing national talent in 1939.[11] By the 1948 BAA draft, held on May 10, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois, the process had evolved to occur earlier in the calendar year, aligning better with the league's spring training preparations ahead of the 1948-49 season.[12] The number of selections expanded significantly to 113 picks across 15 rounds, reflecting the BAA's absorption of some National Basketball League (NBL) teams and the need to deepen rosters amid ongoing talent scarcity, as the post-war boom in college enrollment diluted the immediate professional pool with inexperienced players.[12] Selection order remained based on reverse standings from the prior season, with the Providence Steamrollers choosing first overall, Andy Tonkovich from Marshall University.[12] This increase in picks underscored growing emphasis on extensive scouting, as BAA teams competed with the rival NBL for a finite number of skilled collegians highlighted by rising NCAA tournament exposure.[13] Leading into 1949, the draft format continued to adapt to the BAA's challenges, including financial instability that saw several franchises fold or relocate due to low attendance and revenue.[13] Held on March 21, 1949, in New York, New York, the final BAA draft featured 83 picks over 10 rounds, maintaining the reverse-order principle to promote competitive balance among the 12 participating teams.[1] A key innovation was the introduction of territorial picks, enabling teams to claim players from colleges within a 50-mile radius of their home city before the regular draft, aimed at securing local stars to enhance fan engagement and gate receipts during the league's economic struggles.[14] This rule, first utilized by teams like the Boston Celtics and Minneapolis Lakers, addressed roster imbalances while leveraging the popularity of regional college basketball, influenced by the NCAA tournament's growing national profile in the late 1940s.[14] The 1949 draft preceded the BAA-NBL merger into the National Basketball Association, setting the stage for further refinements in player acquisition.[15]Draft overview
Date, location, and format
The 1949 BAA draft took place on March 21, 1949, a Monday.[1] It was held in New York, New York, at the Commodore Hotel where representatives gathered for the proceedings.[1] The draft followed a predetermined selection order based on the reverse standings from the 1948-49 BAA season, with no live lottery system in place.[16] It consisted of 8 rounds and a total of 83 picks distributed among 12 teams.[1] The event was conducted over a single day, primarily through an in-person conference among team representatives.[17] The first overall pick was awarded to the Providence Steamrollers, who had the league's worst record of 12 wins and 48 losses in the 1948-49 season.[1] Of the 83 draftees, 50 eventually played in BAA or NBA games.[1]Eligibility and selection process
Eligibility for the 1949 BAA draft was restricted to amateur U.S. college basketball players, primarily seniors and graduates who had completed the 1948-49 season. Players could not sign professional contracts until their college class had graduated, with a league minimum age of 16 years old, though the focus remained on post-collegiate athletes from NCAA programs. Professionals or individuals who had previously signed with BAA teams were ineligible to be drafted.[18] Prior to the regular draft, teams could exercise territorial pick rights to select promising local college players within a 50-mile radius of their home arena, without this choice impacting their position in the standard selection order. This provision, established in league minutes from 1946, allowed franchises to claim regional stars to enhance market appeal, with special considerations for teams like the Boston Celtics, whose territory extended to nearby areas such as Providence. To utilize a territorial pick, a team generally forfeited its first-round slot in the regular draft.[18][19] The regular selection process involved the 11 participating BAA teams drafting in reverse order of their 1948-49 regular-season standings, awarding the earliest choices to the lowest-finishing franchises to foster competitive balance. Teams that had independently signed players, such as underclassmen who departed college prematurely, often agreed to forfeit specific draft positions to retain those rights. No player trades occurred during the draft itself, though such transactions could follow the event. Subsequent rounds shifted from the standings-based order to an alphabetical listing of teams, further promoting parity by randomizing advantages across multiple selections.[20][21][22]Territorial picks
Boston Celtics selection
The Boston Celtics selected George Kaftan, a 6-foot-3 forward-center from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, as their territorial pick in the 1949 BAA draft.[23] This choice occurred prior to the regular draft proceedings on March 21, 1949, at the Hotel Roosevelt in New York City, allowing the Celtics to claim a local standout without competing in the standard selection process.[1] Kaftan, a senior in the 1948-49 season, averaged 11.6 points per game over 14 contests for Holy Cross, contributing to the team's independent schedule while earning recognition as a regional talent.[24] The Celtics, who had finished the 1948-49 BAA season with a 25-35 record and placed fifth in the Eastern Division, leveraged the territorial pick rule to secure Kaftan and enhance local fan engagement.[25] Established in the BAA to permit teams priority access to players from nearby colleges or hometowns, this mechanism aimed to boost attendance by featuring familiar names on rosters, particularly for franchises like Boston seeking to build community ties in a competitive league landscape. Kaftan's Massachusetts roots and All-East honors made him an ideal candidate to draw crowds to the Boston Garden. Following the draft, Kaftan joined the Celtics for the 1949-50 season, appearing in 42 games and averaging 9.2 points per contest in his rookie year.[23] His rights were subsequently sold to the New York Knicks on October 1, 1950, after which he continued his professional career across five NBA seasons with Boston, New York, and the Baltimore Bullets, retiring in 1954 with career averages of 7.5 points per game.[23]St. Louis Bombers selection
The St. Louis Bombers selected Ed Macauley, a forward from Saint Louis University, as their territorial pick in the 1949 BAA draft.[26] This choice occurred prior to the regular draft and allowed the Bombers to claim the local standout. Macauley, a senior in the 1948-49 season, was a consensus second-team All-American and averaged 14.3 points per game for Saint Louis.[27] The Bombers finished the 1948-49 season with a 29-31 record. Macauley's selection aimed to leverage local talent to boost fan interest. Due to the Bombers' folding after the 1949-50 season, Macauley's rights were acquired by the Boston Celtics in the dispersal draft, where he became a key player, averaging 17.5 points over his career and contributing to the 1957 championship. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.[26]New York Knicks selection
The New York Knicks selected Dick McGuire, a guard from St. John's University, as their territorial pick (8th overall) in the 1949 BAA draft.[28] McGuire, a senior, was a two-time All-American and averaged 14.9 points per game in his final college season.[29] The Knicks, with a 28-32 record in 1948-49, used the pick to secure a local playmaker. McGuire played 11 NBA seasons, primarily with the Knicks, averaging 8.0 points and 4.2 assists, earning seven All-Star selections. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.[28]Minneapolis Lakers selection
The Minneapolis Lakers selected Vern Mikkelsen as their territorial pick in the 1949 BAA draft. Mikkelsen, a 6-foot-7 forward from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, had just led his team to the 1949 NAIA national championship and earned two-time NAIA All-American honors for his rebounding and scoring ability.[22][30][31] As the defending BAA champions with a 44-16 regular-season record in 1948-49, the Lakers sought to reinforce their frontcourt around superstar center George Mikan by adding versatile forwards like Mikkelsen, who could contribute on both ends of the floor despite the territorial pick typically favoring local talent.[32][33] Mikkelsen's local ties to the Minneapolis area made him a natural fit under the league's territorial rules, which allowed teams to claim players from nearby institutions before the regular draft.[34] Mikkelsen joined the Lakers immediately for the 1949-50 season, averaging 8.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while helping the team secure another championship. His role as a tenacious rebounder and defender became integral to the franchise's early dominance, earning him induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.[35][34]Regular draft selections
First round picks
The first round of the 1949 BAA draft consisted of 12 picks (9 regular, excluding 3 territorial selections of Ed Macauley, Dick McGuire, and Vern Mikkelsen, detailed separately), with teams selecting in reverse order of their 1948-49 season records and no trades executed during the process.[1][21] The regular selections emphasized guards and forwards to fit the league's fast-break oriented style, though centers like Alex Groza were also chosen for their size and skill.| Pick | Team | Player | College | Brief Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence Steamrollers | Howie Shannon | Kansas State | Guard from Kansas State; Rookie of the Year in 1949-50, averaging 13.4 points but had a short career spanning two seasons. |
| 2 | Indianapolis Jets | Alex Groza | Kentucky | Standout center from the undefeated 1948-49 Kentucky team; 1948 Olympic gold medalist; averaged 22.5 points over two NBA seasons before a point-shaving scandal ended his career.[36] |
| 3 | Fort Wayne Pistons | Bob Harris | Oklahoma State | All-Big Seven forward known for scoring prowess; played five NBA seasons, averaging 6.8 points and 6.9 rebounds.[37] |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | George Kaftan | Holy Cross | Versatile forward who led Holy Cross in scoring; rookie average of 8.7 points over five NBA seasons (career 7.5 ppg).[23] |
| 6 | Philadelphia Warriors | Vern Gardner | Utah | Guard with strong defensive skills from the Mountain States Conference; two NBA seasons, averaging 8.9 points.[38] |
| 7 | Baltimore Bullets | Ron Livingstone | Wyoming | Forward selected for his size and college production; appeared in 47 games in his lone NBA season.[39] |
| 9 | Washington Capitols | Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones | Kentucky | Forward from the 1948-49 Kentucky champions; 1948 Olympic gold medalist; averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds over three NBA seasons.[40] |
| 10 | Chicago Stags | Ralph Beard | Kentucky | Quick guard from the unbeaten Kentucky squad; 1948 Olympic gold medalist; averaged 15.9 points over three NBA seasons before involvement in a point-shaving scandal.[41] |
| 12 | Rochester Royals | Pep Saul | Seton Hall | Guard known for playmaking; averaged 5.6 points over six NBA seasons, including stints with multiple teams.[42] |