A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Before the draft, eight college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule, a similar case in which Spencer Haywood successfully argued in his court case against the NBA which allowed him to play in the NBA before his college class graduated.[3][4] These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier.[5] This was the first draft where college underclassmen were allowed to enter.
Paul Westphal, the 10th pick, was named All-NBA four times, an All-Star five, and on the 1974 NBA championship Boston Celtics.[12] After retiring as a player, he went on to coach three NBA teams, most recently the Sacramento Kings.[13] The 16th pick, Jim Price, and 34th pick, Don Buse, were also selected to an All-Star Game.[14][15]Chris Ford, the 17th pick, won the NBA championship in 1981 with the Celtics.[16] After retiring as a player, he went on to coach four NBA teams, including the Celtics.[17]Ralph Simpson, the 11th pick, had left college in 1970 to play professionally in the ABA with Denver Rockets. He was selected to five ABA All-Star Games and four All-ABA Teams before he joined the NBA in 1976.[18]
LaRue Martin is considered one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history.[19][20][21] Martin only lasted four seasons in the league with a career scoring average of 5.3.[22] Martin and eight other first-round picks all had insignificant contributions to the league; none of them had career scoring averages above 9 points per game and only one of them lasted more than six seasons in the NBA. Two of the first-round picks, Erving and Simpson, had already played in the ABA before the draft. They stayed there until both leagues merged in 1976 and only Simpson played for the team that he got drafted to.[10][18]
a On April 7, 1972, the Phoenix Suns acquired the fourth pick from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Otto Moore.[27] Previously, the Rockets acquired a first-round pick on December 10, 1971, from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Jim Davis.[28][29] The Suns used the pick to draft Corky Calhoun.
b On December 9, 1971, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Curtis Perry and a first-round pick from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Greg Smith and 1973 third-round pick.[30] The Bucks used the pick to draft Russ Lee.
c On April 2, 1971, the Detroit Pistons acquired a first-round pick from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Otto Moore.[27][29] The Pistons used the pick to draft Bob Nash.
d On October 13, 1971, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired a 1973 first-round pick, 1972 and 1973 second-round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Rick Roberson.[31] The Lakers used the pick to draft Jim Price.
f On November 11, 1970, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired a second-round pick from the Baltimore Bullets in exchange for John Tresvant.[33] The Lakers used the pick to draft Paul Stovall.
g On November 15, 1971, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired a second-round pick and a future pick from the New York Knicks in exchange for Luther Rackley.[34] The Cavaliers used the pick to draft Steve Hawes.
h On the draft-day, the Baltimore Bullets acquired a second-round pick from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Gus Johnson.[35] The Bullets used the pick to draft Tom Patterson.
j 12 On November 9, 1971, the Cincinnati Royals acquired Jim Fox and a second-round pick from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Norm Van Lier and a third-round pick.[38][39] The Royals used the pick to draft Mike Ratliff. The Bulls used the pick to draft Frank Russell.
k On September 11, 1971, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired a second-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for LeRoy Ellis.[40] The Blazers used the pick to draft Ollie Johnson.
l On August 13, 1971, the Phoenix Suns acquired 1972 and a future third-round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Greg Howard.[41] The Suns used the pick to draft Scott English.
k On October 12, 1969, the Cincinnati Royals acquired Wally Anderzunas and a third-round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Dave Newmark.[42] The Royals used the pick to draft Ron Riley.
"Complete First Round Results 1970–79". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
"1972 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
"1972–1976 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
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^"Evolution of the Draft and Lottery". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
^"5 Players Chosen In Hardship Draft". Ludington Daily News. Ludington, Michigan: Ludington Daily News, Inc. September 11, 1971. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
^"Off-Court Action Heavy". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. April 7, 1972. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^Aschburner, Steve (March 16, 2010). "Haywood made a stand, and today's players benefit from it". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^"Spencer Haywood Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
^"Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
^"Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^"The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^"Bob McAdoo Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^ abc"Julius Erving Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^"Julius Erving Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
^"Paul Westphal Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^"Paul Westphal Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
^"Jim Price Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Don Buse Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Chris Ford Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
^"Chris Ford Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
^ abc"Ralph Simpson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^Schoenfield, David (April 26, 2006). "The 100 worst draft picks ever". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^Hollinger, John (June 26, 2003). "The 10 biggest draft flops in NBA history". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^Curtis, Jake (June 29, 2005). "NBA Draft: All-time busts". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^"LaRue Martin Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^"Krešimir Ćosić Bio". FIBA. February 24, 2007. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
^"Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
^ ab"Otto Moore Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
^"Jim Davis Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
^ ab"Pistons: All-Time Transactions". NBA.com/Pistons. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
^"Curtis Perry Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
^"Rick Roberson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
^"Bob Rule Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
^"John Tresvant Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
^"Luther Rackley Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Gus Johnson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Shaler Halimon Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Golden State Warriors 2009–10 Media Guite: Draft & Transactions" (PDF). NBA.com/Warriors. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Norm Van Lier Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Chicago Bulls All-Time Transactions". NBA.com/Bulls. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Leroy Ellis Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Greg Howard Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"Wally Anderzunas Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
^"1972 Underclassmen Hardship List". The Draft Review. August 4, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2022.