| 1951 NBA draft | |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Date: | April 25, 1951 |
| Location: | New York City, New York |
| League: | NBA |
| Overall: | 87 |
| Rounds: | 12 |
| First: | Gene Melchiorre, Baltimore Bullets |
| Prev: | 1950 |
| Next: | 1952 |
The 1951 NBA draft was the fifth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 25, 1951, before the 1951–52 season. In this draft, ten 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 Tri-Cities Blackhawks participated in the draft, but relocated to Milwaukee and became the Milwaukee Hawks prior to the start of the season.[1] The draft consisted of 12 rounds comprising 87 players selected.
Gene Melchiorre from Bradley University was selected first overall by the Baltimore Bullets. However, he never played in the NBA due to his involvement in a point shaving scandal while playing college basketball.[2] Myer Skoog from University of Minnesota was selected before the draft as Minneapolis Lakers' territorial pick.
| Pos. | G | F | C | |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | – | G | Minneapolis Lakers | Minnesota | |||
| 1 | 1 | G | Baltimore Bullets | Bradley | |||
| 1 | 2 | + | F/C | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | Brigham Young | ||
| 1 | 3 | C | Indianapolis Olympians | Oklahoma | |||
| 1 | 4 | G | Fort Wayne Pistons | Niagara | |||
| 1 | 5 | F | Syracuse Nationals | Northwestern State | |||
| 1 | 6 | F | New York Knicks | Harvard | |||
| 1 | 7 | G/F | Boston Celtics | Kansas State | |||
| 1 | 8 | G | Rochester Royals | NC State | |||
| 1 | 9 | + | G | Philadelphia Warriors | Illinois | ||
| 2 | 10 | G/F | Baltimore Bullets | Kansas State | |||
| 2 | 11 | F/C | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | Colorado A&M | |||
| 2 | 12 | G | Indianapolis Olympians | Millikin | |||
| 2 | 13 | G | Fort Wayne Pistons | Syracuse | |||
| 2 | 14 | G/F | Syracuse Nationals | Le Moyne | |||
| 2 | 15 | G | New York Knicks | Brigham Young | |||
| 2 | 16 | F | Boston Celtics | Indiana | |||
| 2 | 17 | F | Rochester Royals | Northwestern | |||
| 2 | 18 | G/F | Philadelphia Warriors | Tulane | |||
| 2 | 19 | F/C | Minneapolis Lakers | Kansas State |
The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[3] [4]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 23 | F | Fort Wayne Pistons | Northwestern | |||
| 3 | 24 | G | Syracuse Nationals | DePaul | |||
| 3 | 27 | G | Rochester Royals | St. Bonaventure | |||
| 4 | 31 | C | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | South Carolina | |||
| 4 | 32 | G | Indianapolis Olympians | Indiana | |||
| 4 | 37 | C | Rochester Royals | Bradley | |||
| 5 | 48 | G | Philadelphia Warriors | Princeton | |||
| 6 | 51 | G | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | Drake | |||
| 6 | 55 | G/F | New York Knicks | St. John's | |||
| 6 | 56 | G | Boston Celtics | St. Francis (NY) | |||
| 7 | 68 | G | Philadelphia Warriors | King's (NY) | |||
| 8 | 77 | G | Philadelphia Warriors | La Salle |
These players were not selected in the 1951 draft, but played at least one game in the NBA.