The 1963 NBA draft was the 17th annual

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of the

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(NBA). The draft was held on April 30 and May 7, 1963, before the 1963–64 season. In this

, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S.

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players. 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. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Before the draft, a team could forfeit its first-round draft pick and then select any player from within a 50-mile radius of its home arena as their territorial pick. The Chicago Zephyrs relocated to

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and became the Baltimore Bullets prior to the draft. The Syracuse Nationals participated in the draft, but relocated to

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and became the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the start of the season. The draft consisted of 15 rounds comprising 84 players selected.
This draft holds the record for the fewest non-territorial picks who later debuted in the NBA, with 17 (18 if the territorial pick Tom Thacker is included).

Draft selections and draftee career notes

Tom Thacker from the

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was selected before the draft as Cincinnati Royals' territorial pick. Art Heyman from

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was selected first overall by the

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. Two players from this draft, Nate Thurmond and Gus Johnson, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Thurmond was also named in the

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list announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996. Thurmond's achievements include seven All-Star Game selections and five All-Defensive Team selections. Johnson's achievement include four All-NBA Team selections and five All-Star Game selections. Two players from this draft, 4th pick Eddie Miles and 13th pick Jim King, have also been selected to an All-Star Game. Reggie Harding, who was the first player drafted out of high school when he was drafted the previous year, was drafted again by the

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with the 48th pick. He finally enter the league after spending a year in the Midwest Professional Basketball League (MPBL) due to the rules that prevent a high school player to play in the league until one year after his high school class graduated. Larry Brown from the

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was selected with the 55th pick. However, he never played in the NBA. He spent his playing career within the

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(AAU) before joining the newly formed

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(ABA) in 1967. He played there for five seasons, earning one All-ABA Team selection and three ABA All-Star Game selections. After his playing career, he became a head coach. He coached nine NBA teams, most recently with the Charlotte Bobcats (now

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). He won the NBA championship with the

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and went to the

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two other times; with the Philadelphia 76ers in

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and with the Pistons in

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. In between his NBA coaching career, he also coached the

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of the University of Kansas for five seasons, winning the

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(NCAA)

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in 1988. He is the only coach to win both an NCAA title and an NBA championship. As a player, he won the

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with the United States national basketball team at the 1964 Olympic Games. He then coached the U.S. national team to a

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at the 2004 Olympic Games, becoming the only U.S. male basketball participant to both play and coach in the Olympics. Rod Thorn, the 2nd pick, also had a coaching career. He was the interim head coach of the

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in 1982.

Key

Draft

Other picks

The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.

Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 1963 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.

Trades

* On September 14, 1962, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired the a second-round pick from the Cincinnati Royals in exchange for Tom Hawkins. The Lakers used the pick to draft Jim King.

References

;General * * * * ;Specific

External links

NBA.com
{{1963–64 NBA season by team

Draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

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