The 1955 NBA draft was the ninth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 13, 1955, before the 1955–56 season. In this draft, eight remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The Milwaukee Hawks participated in the draft, but relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, and became the St. Louis Hawks prior to the start of the season.[1] The draft consisted of 15 rounds comprising 96 players selected.
| 1955 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | April 13, 1955 |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Network(s) | NBC |
| Overview | |
| 95 total selections in 14 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| Teams | 8 |
| Territorial pick(s) | Dick Garmaker, Minneapolis Lakers Tom Gola, Philadelphia Warriors |
| First selection | Dick Ricketts, Milwaukee Hawks |
Draft selections and draftee career notes
editDick Ricketts from Duquesne University was selected first overall by the Milwaukee Hawks. Second pick of the draft, Maurice Stokes from Saint Francis University won the Rookie of the Year Award.[2] Dick Garmaker and Tom Gola were selected before the draft as Minneapolis Lakers' and Philadelphia Warriors' territorial picks respectively. Three players from this draft, Maurice Stokes, Tom Gola, and Jack Twyman, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[3] K. C. Jones, who was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the later rounds, has also been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame, although he did not enter the league immediately after the draft. In the 1956 draft, he was selected in the second round by the Boston Celtics, with whom he played for in his whole career.[4]
Key
edit| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
Draft
edit
Other picks
editThe following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[5][6]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 15 | Al Ferrari | G/F |  United States
|
Milwaukee Hawks | Michigan State |
| 3 | 16 | Ed Fleming | G/F | United States
|
Rochester Royals | Niagara |
| 3 | 17 | Bob Schafer | G | United States
|
Philadelphia Warriors | Villanova |
| 3 | 19 | Guy Sparrow | F | United States
|
New York Knicks | Detroit |
| 10 | 76 | K. C. Jones^ | G | United States
|
Minneapolis Lakers | San Francisco |
| 12 | 87 | Bob Armstrong | F/C | United States
|
Rochester Royals | Michigan State |
Notable undrafted players
editThese players were not selected in the 1955 NBA draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Harris | SG |  United Kingdom
|
Dayton (Sr.) |
| Med Park | SG/SF | United States
|
Missouri (Sr.) |
See also
editReferences
edit- General
- "1955 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- "1952–1956 NBA Drafts". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- "1955 NBA Draft". The Draft Review. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- Specific
- ^ "Hawks: Franchise History". NBA.com/Hawks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- ^ "Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ "K.C. Jones Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
- ^ "1955 NBA draft".
- ^ "NBA Past Drafts - RealGM".