1978 NBA Draft - Draft Selections and Draftee Career Notes

Draft Selections and Draftee Career Notes

Mychal Thompson from the University of Minnesota was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. Thompson, who was born in the Bahamas, became the first foreign-born player to be drafted first overall. Phil Ford from the University of North Carolina was selected second by the Kansas City Kings. He went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to the All-NBA Second Team in his rookie season. A college underclassman from Indiana State University, Larry Bird, was selected sixth by the Boston Celtics. However, he opted to return to Indiana State for his senior season before entering the league in 1979. He won the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to both the All-NBA First Team and the All Star Game in his rookie season. Bird spent his entire 13-year career with the Celtics and won three NBA championships. He also won three consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards and two Finals Most Valuable Player Awards. He was also selected to ten All-NBA Teams and thirteen consecutive All-Star Games. For his achievements, he has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Bird was also named to the list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996. After retiring as a player, Bird went on to have a coaching career. He coached the Indiana Pacers for three seasons, leading them to an NBA Finals appearance. He also won the Coach of the Year Award in 1998.

Before the draft, Larry Bird had just finished his junior year at Indiana State. However, he was eligible to be drafted without applying for "hardship" because his original college class at the Indiana University had graduated. He initially enrolled at Indiana in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. After sitting out a year, he enrolled at Indiana State. Despite being eligible for the draft, he stated that he would return to college for his senior season. His hometown team, the Indiana Pacers, initially held the first overall pick. However, when they failed to persuade him to leave college early, they traded the first pick to the Blazers, who also failed to convince him into signing. Five teams, including the Pacers who held the third pick, passed on Bird until the Celtics used the sixth pick to draft him. They drafted him even though they knew that they might lose the exclusive rights to him if he didn't sign before the next draft. He could reenter the draft in 1979 and sign with the other team that drafted him. Nevertheless, on April 1979, he signed a five-year, US$3.25-million contract with the Celtics, which made him the highest-paid rookie in the history of team sport at that time.

Maurice Cheeks, the 36th pick, was selected to four All-Star Games and five consecutive All-Defensive Teams. After retiring as a player, he coached the Portland Trail Blazers and the Philadelphia 76ers for four and a half seasons each. Micheal Ray Richardson, the fourth pick, Reggie Theus, the ninth pick, and Mike Mitchell, the fifteenth pick, are the only other players from this draft who were selected to an All-Star Game. Michael Cooper, the 60th pick, won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987 and was selected to eight consecutive All-Defensive Teams. He spent his entire 12-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five NBA championships. After retiring, he coached the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for eight seasons, leading them to two consecutive WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002. He also served as an interim head coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 2004–2005 season. Four other players drafted also went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: Reggie Theus, 21st pick Mike Evans, 53rd pick Randy Ayers and 55th pick Marc Iavaroni.