1973 NBA Draft - Draft Selections and Draftee Career Notes

Draft Selections and Draftee Career Notes

Doug Collins from Illinois State University was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. Jim Brewer from the University of Minnesota was selected second by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who obtained the pick from the Blazers in a trade. Ernie DiGregorio from Providence College, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was selected third by the Buffalo Braves. George McGinnis, who was selected by the 76ers with the 22nd pick, is the only player who was selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Star Game. Collins, 5th pick Kermit Washington and 50th pick Larry Kenon are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game. Collins's achievements include four All-Star Game selections. After retiring as a player, he went on to coach the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards. Brewer won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982. He later played basketball in Europe, where he won the Euroleague championship with the Ford Cantù in 1983. McGinnis had already played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) prior to the draft. He left college after his sophomore year in 1971 to play with the Indiana Pacers for four seasons. He later played in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, the team that drafted him, after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. He had one ABA Most Valuable Player Award, three ABA All-Star Game selections, three NBA All-Star Game selections, three All-ABA Team selections and two All-NBA Team selections. Kenon initially opted to play in the ABA. He spent three seasons in the ABA before finally joining the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs when both leagues merged. He was selected to three ABA All-Star Games and two NBA All-Star Games.

Mike D'Antoni, the 20th pick, only played four seasons in the NBA and ABA before he moved to Italy with the Olimpia Milano. He played there for thirteen seasons and won five Italian league titles and two Euroleague titles. After retiring as a player, he coached Olimpia Milano and Benetton Treviso, leading the latter to two Italian league titles. He then returned to the NBA and coached three NBA teams. He won the Coach of the Year Award in 2005. M. L. Carr, the 76th pick, won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in 1981 and 1984 as a player. Carr later became the Celtics' head coach for two seasons in the 1990s. Two other players drafted also went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 21st pick Allan Bristow and 66th pick George Karl.

In the fifth round, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Krešimir Ćosić from Brigham Young University with the 84th pick. However, he opted to return to Yugoslavia after his college career. Ćosić had a successful career in Europe, winning numerous league and club titles, as well as six gold medals with the Yugoslavian national team. For his achievements, he has been inducted by to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Atlanta Hawks used the 79th pick to draft Dave Winfield, who starred at both baseball and basketball at the University of Minnesota. He was also drafted in three other major sport leagues; Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and the ABA. He chose baseball and played 22 seasons in MLB.

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