1980 NBA draft
The 1980 NBA draft was the 34th annual player selection by the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, held on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre in New York City.[1] A total of 214 players were chosen across ten rounds, with 57 ultimately playing at least one game in the league.[1] The Golden State Warriors selected Purdue center Joe Barry Carroll with the first overall pick, followed by the Utah Jazz taking Louisville guard Darrell Griffith second and the Boston Celtics choosing Minnesota forward Kevin McHale third overall.[2] This draft class produced several impactful players, though it is best remembered for a pivotal pre-draft trade that reshaped the Boston Celtics' frontcourt for the 1980s dynasty. On June 9, 1980—one day before the draft—the Celtics executed a franchise-altering deal with the Golden State Warriors, trading their first-round picks (Nos. 1 and 13) for center Robert Parish and the Warriors' No. 3 selection.[3] The Celtics used the No. 3 pick on McHale, pairing him with Parish to anchor the team alongside Larry Bird, leading to three NBA championships in the decade (1981, 1984, and 1986). McHale, a seven-time All-Star and three-time All-Defensive First Team member, was the only Hall of Famer from the 1980 draft class, inducted in 1999 for his post play and contributions to Boston's success. Other notable selections included Griffith, who earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1980–81 after averaging 20.6 points per game and was nicknamed "Dr. Dunkenstein" for his dunking ability, though injuries limited his career longevity.[4] Additional standouts were Denver Nuggets forward Kiki Vandeweghe (drafted 11th overall by the Dallas Mavericks and traded to Denver before the season), a two-time All-Star who averaged 19.7 points over 13 seasons, and Philadelphia 76ers guard Andrew Toney (eighth overall), known as "The Boston Strangler" for his clutch scoring against the Celtics during Philly's 1983 championship run.[5] The draft underscored the era's emphasis on big men and versatile forwards, reflecting the league's physical style amid the rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers.[1]Background
Historical Context
The 1979–80 NBA season marked a period of growth and competitive intensity for the league, which concluded with the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 4–2 in the NBA Finals to claim the championship, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league's Most Valuable Player. The Boston Celtics, bolstered by rookie Larry Bird, finished with the second-best record at 61–21, highlighting a renewed rivalry between the two storied franchises that dominated the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively. This season also saw the NBA expand to 23 teams with the addition of the Dallas Mavericks, who participated in an expansion draft on May 28, 1980, to build their roster ahead of their inaugural 1980–81 campaign.[6][7] In the broader landscape of college basketball, the 1980 NCAA Tournament captured national attention, culminating in the Louisville Cardinals' victory over UCLA by a score of 59–54 to secure their first national title, with standout guard Darrell Griffith earning Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors after averaging 23.2 points per game.[8] Griffith's dynamic play, including his high-flying dunks that earned him the nickname "Dr. Dunkenstein," positioned him as one of the premier prospects entering the professional ranks.[9][10] Leading into the draft, anticipation centered on a talented pool of college seniors, with Purdue center Joe Barry Carroll widely regarded as the top prospect due to his scoring prowess and rebounding ability, though evaluations also highlighted a close competition among the elite talents. Minnesota power forward Kevin McHale emerged as a rising star, praised for his post skills and versatility, often projected within the top three selections alongside Carroll and Griffith. This hype reflected the league's need for big men and scorers to elevate team competitions.[11][12] The 1980 draft represented a milestone in media coverage, as it became the first to be broadcast nationally on television via the USA Network, signaling the NBA's growing embrace of cable programming to reach wider audiences.[13]Eligibility and Entry Rules
The eligibility rules for the 1980 NBA draft followed the league's longstanding requirements established after a 1971 Supreme Court ruling, mandating that players must either complete their four-year college eligibility or be at least four years removed from high school graduation to enter the draft.[14] This ensured a focus on more mature prospects, primarily U.S. college seniors, while limiting direct high school or immediate post-freshman entries. An exception existed via the hardship clause, allowing underclassmen to petition for early entry by demonstrating financial need; this provision, introduced in 1971, was rarely invoked but enabled seven college underclassmen to declare for the 1980 draft. These included juniors Joseph Cammarano from LA Mission College (undrafted), Wes Matthews from the University of Wisconsin (selected 14th overall by the Washington Bullets), Jeff Ruland from Iona College (selected 25th overall by the Golden State Warriors, with rights immediately traded to the Washington Bullets), DeWayne Scales from Louisiana State University (selected 36th overall by the New York Knicks), Ron Webb from the University of Oklahoma (undrafted), sophomore Randy Owens from Philadelphia Textile (selected 124th overall by the Indiana Pacers), and junior William Phillips from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (undrafted).[15][1] None of these early entrants returned to college after declaring. The draft was overwhelmingly dominated by U.S. college talent, with no international players selected, reflecting the era's limited global scouting.[1] The overall pool comprised approximately 200 eligible players, leading to 214 selections across 10 rounds by the league's 23 teams.[1]Draft Process
Selection Mechanism
Prior to the introduction of the NBA draft lottery in 1985, the league determined the order of the first two selections through a coin flip between the teams with the worst regular-season records in each conference, a tradition established in 1966 to break ties and promote competitive balance across conferences.[16] This random process, conducted by the NBA Commissioner, assigned the winner the first overall pick and the loser the second, emphasizing pure chance over performance metrics and contrasting sharply with the modern weighted lottery system, where odds are proportional to records to discourage intentional tanking.[17] The remaining draft order followed the reverse order of the 1979–80 regular-season standings: non-playoff teams selected first based on their win-loss records (with tiebreakers applied as needed, such as head-to-head results or division standing), followed by playoff teams in reverse order of their conference finishing positions.[18] In the 1979–80 season, the Detroit Pistons held the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 16–66, but the Boston Celtics possessed their first-round pick rights through a prior trade. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz tied for the worst record in the Western Conference at 24–58 each, leading to an initial coin flip or tiebreaker process to determine the Western Conference representative for the primary coin flip against the Eastern Conference holder.[18] This setup highlighted the indirect influence of trades on draft positioning, as teams could acquire rights to poor-performing franchises' selections without bearing the on-court consequences. The 1980 draft consisted of 10 rounds, resulting in 214 total selections across the league's 23 teams, including the newly expansion Dallas Mavericks, who joined as the 23rd franchise for the 1980–81 season. As per NBA expansion rules, the Mavericks were assigned picks at the end of the first round (11th overall) and second round (26th overall) to avoid disrupting the top selections for established teams, with subsequent rounds following the standard reverse-order format.[19] This structure allowed for a broad pool of amateur and international talent, though many later-round picks went undrafted or unsigned in practice.[1]Early Entrants
In the 1980 NBA draft, seven college underclassmen declared early entry, taking advantage of the league's rules that had eliminated the financial hardship requirement in 1975, allowing juniors and sophomores to forgo remaining eligibility for professional opportunities.[20] These declarations were often driven by perceived professional readiness and the desire to begin earning NBA salaries sooner, amid an era where college basketball compensation was limited.[1] The group included Wes Matthews, a junior guard from the University of Wisconsin known for his tenacious defensive skills and quickness, which positioned him as the most prominent early entrant.[21] Also declaring were Randy Owens, a sophomore forward from Philadelphia Textile; William Phillips, a junior forward from Tennessee-Chattanooga; Joseph Cammarano, a junior forward from Los Angeles Mission College; Jeff Ruland, a junior center from Iona; DeWayne Scales, a junior forward from Louisiana State; and Ron Webb, a junior forward from Oklahoma.[15] Immediate outcomes varied, underscoring the risks of early entry in an era with limited player development resources outside the NBA. Matthews was selected 14th overall in the first round by the Washington Bullets, providing him a clear path to the league. Ruland was picked 25th overall in the second round by the Golden State Warriors, and Scales went 36th overall in the second round to the New York Knicks; Ruland went on to become a three-time All-Star (1984–1987) with the Washington Bullets after a trade. Owens was picked in the sixth round (124th overall) by the Indiana Pacers. Phillips, Cammarano, and Webb went undrafted, facing immediate challenges in securing professional contracts.[22][15][1]Event Details
Date, Location, and Broadcast
The 1980 NBA draft took place on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in New York City.[1][23] This event represented a milestone as the first NBA draft to be broadcast live on national television, airing on the USA Network.[13][24] The coverage focused on the early rounds, capturing the NBA Commissioner's formal announcements of each pick and the presence of team representatives on stage to accept selections.[24] A key feature of the proceedings was a green room area designated for top prospects, where invited attendees awaited their names to be called alongside family and agents.[25] Open to the public, the draft drew a modest in-person audience, underscoring its evolving status as a burgeoning spectacle amid the league's rising visibility.[23]Invited Attendees
The 1980 NBA draft featured a green room at the Sheraton Centre Hotel's Grand Ballroom in New York, New York, where top college prospects gathered with family and representatives to await their selections during the event on June 10.[25] This setup allowed for visible reactions as picks were announced live on the USA Network broadcast, enhancing the draft's dramatic appeal for viewers.[25] Six players received invitations to the green room, all of whom were selected in the first round as anticipated. The group included standout forwards, centers, and guards from prominent college programs, reflecting the league's focus on versatile big men and scorers that year.| Player | College | Draft Position | Selecting Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Barry Carroll | Purdue | 1st overall | Golden State Warriors |
| Darrell Griffith | Louisville | 2nd overall | Utah Jazz |
| Kevin McHale | Minnesota | 3rd overall | Boston Celtics |
| Mike O'Koren | North Carolina | 6th overall | New Jersey Nets |
| Mike Gminski | Duke | 7th overall | New Jersey Nets |
| Kiki Vandeweghe | UCLA | 11th overall | Dallas Mavericks |
Selections and Trades
Draft Selections
The 1980 NBA draft consisted of 10 rounds with 214 total selections, of which 57 players went on to play in the NBA.[1] The first round featured 23 picks to account for the league's expansion to 23 teams with the addition of the Dallas Mavericks.[1] The Golden State Warriors won the coin flip for the top pick against the Utah Jazz and selected center Joe Barry Carroll from Purdue University at No. 1 overall.[1] The Jazz picked shooting guard Darrell Griffith from the University of Louisville second, and the Boston Celtics took power forward Kevin McHale from the University of Minnesota third.[1] The Dallas Mavericks, as an expansion team, selected small forward Kiki Vandeweghe from the University of California, Los Angeles, with the 11th overall pick.[1] The draft's later rounds highlighted its depth, with standout selections like point guard Andrew Toney from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, taken eighth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.[1] Key notations in records include an asterisk (*) for players who never played in the NBA, and this draft had no prominent international selections.[1] The complete draft selections are presented in the table below, with columns for round, overall pick, team, player, position, college, and years played in the NBA (Yrs; 0 with * for non-players). Due to the length of 10 rounds, the table focuses on the first two rounds for detail, with later rounds following similar structure and available in full from authoritative records.[1]First Round
| Overall | Team | Player | Position | College | Yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | Joe Barry Carroll | C | Purdue | 10 |
| 2 | Utah Jazz | Darrell Griffith | SG | Louisville | 10 |
| 3 | Boston Celtics | Kevin McHale | PF | Minnesota | 13 |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls | Kelvin Ransey | PG | Ohio State | 6 |
| 5 | Denver Nuggets | James Ray | SF | Jacksonville | 3 |
| 6 | New Jersey Nets | Mike O'Koren | SF | North Carolina | 8 |
| 7 | New Jersey Nets | Mike Gminski | C | Duke | 14 |
| 8 | Philadelphia 76ers | Andrew Toney | PG | Louisiana | 8 |
| 9 | San Diego Clippers | Michael Brooks | PF | La Salle | 6 |
| 10 | Portland Trail Blazers | Ronnie Lester | PG | Iowa | 6 |
| 11 | Dallas Mavericks | Kiki Vandeweghe | SF | UCLA | 13 |
| 12 | New York Knicks | Mike Woodson | SG | Indiana | 11 |
| 13 | Golden State Warriors | Rickey Brown | PF | Mississippi St. | 5 |
| 14 | Washington Bullets | Wes Matthews | PG | Wisconsin | 9 |
| 15 | San Antonio Spurs | Reggie Johnson | PF | Tennessee | 4 |
| 16 | Kansas City Kings | Hawkeye Whitney | SG | NC State | 2 |
| 17 | Detroit Pistons | Larry Drew | PG | Missouri | 10 |
| 18 | Atlanta Hawks | Don Collins | SG | Washington St. | 6 |
| 19 | Utah Jazz | John Duren | PG | Georgetown | 3 |
| 20 | Seattle SuperSonics | Bill Hanzlik | SF | Notre Dame | 10 |
| 21 | Philadelphia 76ers | Monti Davis | SF | Tennessee St. | 1 |
| 22 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Chad Kinch | PG | UNC Charlotte | 1 |
| 23 | Denver Nuggets | Carl Nicks | PG | Indiana St. | 3 |
Second Round
| Overall | Team | Player | Position | College | Yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Golden State Warriors | Larry Smith | PF | Alcorn State | 13 |
| 25 | Golden State Warriors | Jeff Ruland | C | Iona | 8 |
| 26 | Chicago Bulls | Sam Worthen | PG | Marquette | 2 |
| 27 | Houston Rockets | John Stroud | SG | Ole Miss | 1 |
| 28 | Atlanta Hawks | Craig Shelton | PF | Georgetown | 2 |
| 29 | Indiana Pacers | Louis Orr | SF | Syracuse | 8 |
| 30 | Indiana Pacers | Kenny Natt | SG | Louisiana-Monroe | 3 |
| 31 | Los Angeles Lakers | Wayne Robinson | PF | Virginia Tech | 1 |
| 32 | Portland Trail Blazers | David Lawrence | C | McNeese St. | 0* |
| 33 | Portland Trail Blazers | Bruce Collins | SG | Weber St. | 0* |
| 34 | Dallas Mavericks | Roosevelt Bouie | C | Syracuse | 0* |
| 35 | Washington Bullets | Rick Mahorn | PF | Hampton | 18 |
| 36 | New York Knicks | DeWayne Scales | PF | LSU | 3 |
| 37 | Los Angeles Lakers | Butch Carter | SG | Indiana | 6 |
| 38 | Houston Rockets | Terry Stotts | PF | Oklahoma | 0* |
| 39 | San Antonio Spurs | Michael Wiley | SF | Cal St. Long Beach | 2 |
| 40 | Indiana Pacers | Dick Miller | SG | Toledo | 1 |
| 41 | Denver Nuggets | Jawann Oldham | C | Seattle U. | 10 |
| 42 | Phoenix Suns | Kimberly Belton | SF | Stanford | 0* |
| 43 | Houston Rockets | Billy Williams | SG | Clemson | 0* |
| 44 | Philadelphia 76ers | Clyde Austin | SG | NC State | 0* |
| 45 | Detroit Pistons | Brad Branson | PF | SMU | 2 |
| 46 | Boston Celtics | Arnette Hallman | SF | Purdue | 0* |
Pre-Draft and Draft-Day Trades
Several significant trades occurred in the lead-up to and during the 1980 NBA draft on June 10, 1980, altering the distribution of key draft picks among teams. These transactions primarily involved first-round selections and helped reshape the draft order just before selections began.[27] One notable pre-draft trade stemmed from free agency compensation. On September 6, 1979, the Boston Celtics acquired the Detroit Pistons' first- and 13th-overall picks in the 1980 draft from the Pistons as compensation for the Celtics signing free agent M.L. Carr; in exchange, the Celtics sent forward Bob McAdoo to Detroit.[28] This deal positioned Boston with the top pick after winning the coin flip against the Utah Jazz for the rights to the worst record's selection.[29] The most impactful pre-draft trade happened on June 9, 1980, one day before the draft. The Celtics traded their first-overall and 13th-overall picks to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for center Robert Parish—who had been out of the league after being waived by Golden State—and the Warriors' third-overall pick.[30] This swap allowed the Warriors to move up for the top selection while providing Boston with an established veteran and a high first-rounder.[31] On draft day itself, multiple trades involving freshly selected players and picks took place, further modifying team rosters. For instance, the Chicago Bulls, who had selected guard Kelvin Ransey fourth overall, immediately traded his rights to the Portland Trail Blazers along with their own 1981 first-round pick for Portland's 10th-overall pick (guard Ronnie Lester) and Portland's 1981 first-round pick.[32] This allowed Portland to acquire a starting-caliber point guard to bolster their backcourt.[33] Another draft-day deal saw the Warriors, after selecting center Jeff Ruland 25th overall in the second round, trade his rights to the Washington Bullets for a 1981 second-round pick.[34] Additionally, the Houston Rockets traded forward Calvin Garrett, whom they had just drafted 55th overall, to the Chicago Bulls for a 1982 second-round pick.[34] The following table summarizes the major pre-draft and draft-day trades involving 1980 draft picks:| Date | Teams Involved | Assets Exchanged by First Team | Assets Received by First Team | Impact on 1980 Picks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep. 6, 1979 | Detroit Pistons to Boston Celtics | 1980 #1 and #13 picks | Bob McAdoo (player) | Celtics gain top picks via compensation for M.L. Carr signing.[28] |
| Jun. 9, 1980 | Boston Celtics to Golden State Warriors | 1980 #1 and #13 picks | Robert Parish (player), 1980 #3 pick | Warriors move up to #1; Celtics acquire Parish and #3.[30] |
| Jun. 10, 1980 | Chicago Bulls to Portland Trail Blazers | Draft rights to Kelvin Ransey (#4), 1981 #1 pick (Chicago's) | Draft rights to Ronnie Lester (#10), 1981 #1 pick (Portland's) | Portland acquires #4 pick; Chicago gets #10 and future asset.[32] |
| Jun. 10, 1980 | Golden State Warriors to Washington Bullets | Draft rights to Jeff Ruland (#25) | 1981 #2-round pick | Bullets gain second-round talent; Warriors acquire future pick.[34] |
| Jun. 10, 1980 | Houston Rockets to Chicago Bulls | Draft rights to Calvin Garrett (#55) | 1982 #2-round pick | Bulls add late-round player; Rockets gain future selection.[34] |