The National Basketball Association (NBA) holds an annual draft where teams select eligible players to join the league. While most NBA players are drafted, undrafted players occasionally earn roster spots as well.[1] [2] Sometimes, they even outperform more celebrated draft picks.[3] The number of rounds in the draft has evolved since the first one in 1947.[4] The 1960 and 1968 drafts were 21 rounds, before settling at 10 rounds by 1974 (in 1977, however, the draft was held in eight); it was reduced to seven rounds in 1985. After negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association, the draft has been two rounds since 1989, leaving undrafted players free to negotiate with any team.[5] With the creation of two-way contracts in the NBA being made available ever since the 2017–18 season, more undrafted talents have gained opportunities to debut in the NBA than they previously had in recent years.
Unlike with American football in the National Football League (NFL), undrafted players are less likely to become recognizable stars in the NBA.[6] Only one modern-day undrafted player has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame—Ben Wallace in 2021.[7] [8] The first undrafted player to be voted an NBA All-Star starter in 2003,[9] Wallace played the most career games of any undrafted player with 1,088 games played in 15 seasons, won an NBA championship, was a four-time All-Star, and was a four-time winner of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.[10]
Other undrafted players who have made significant contributions include John Starks who was the first undrafted player in the modern era to become an All-Star in 1994.[11] Udonis Haslem became the first undrafted player to lead a franchise (Miami) in career rebounds in 2012,[12] and he was a member of each of the Heat's three championship teams.[13] Bruce Bowen played 13 seasons in the NBA, was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team eight times, and was a key contributor on three San Antonio Spurs championship teams. David Wesley scored 11,842 points in a 14-year NBA career, and retired as the highest-scoring undrafted player of the modern era.[14] Mike James from the 1998 draft was the first undrafted player to average 20 points in a season (20.3) in 2006.[15] Jorge Garbajosa was the first to be named All-Rookie First Team in 2007.[16] Undrafted in the 2016 draft, Fred VanVleet holds the single-game scoring record for an undrafted player with 54 points on February 2, 2021.[17] Troy Hudson, who enjoyed an 11-year NBA career after being passed over in the 1997 draft, alluded to his rise in his 2007 album Undrafted.[18] [19]
The following players were undrafted in the specified year, but later played in at least one official regular season or playoff game in their career.
The following players had previously played professional basketball before or around the inception of the Basketball Association of America (now NBA) but had played for the BAA/NBA at least once afterward.
| Year first played | Player | Pos. | Nationality | School | First professional team | Last team before entering the BAA/NBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | SG/SF | Dayton (Sr.) | Hoboken St. Joseph's | Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL) | ||
| 1933 | SG/SF | Catholic University of America (So.) | Indianapolis Pros | Waterloo Hawks (NBL) | ||
| 1934 | SG/SF | Manhattan (Fr.) | Brooklyn Visitations (ABL) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | ||
| 1938 | PF/C | Temple (Sr.) | Philadelphia Sphas (ABL) | Baltimore Bullets (ABL) | ||
| 1939 | PG/SG | Franklin College (Indiana) (Fr.) | Hammond Ciesar All-Americans (NBL) | Waterloo Hawks (NBL) | ||
| C | Loyola (Illinois) (Jr.) | Chicago Harmons (WPBT) | Syracuse Nationals (NBL) | |||
| C | Bowling Green (Sr.) | Zanesfield Independents | Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL) | |||
| 1940 | PF/C | East Texas State (Sr.) | Oshkosh All-Stars (NBL) | Oshkosh All-Stars (NBL) | ||
| PG | San Francisco Polytechnic (California) (HS Sr.) | San Francisco Olympic Club (AAU) | Baltimore Bullets (ABL) | |||
| PG/SG | Central (Indiana) (HS Sr.) | Fort Wayne Pistons | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | |||
| 1941 | PG | Indiana (Sr.) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | ||
| SG/SF | Wisconsin (Sr.) | Oshkosh All-Stars (NBL) | Oshkosh All-Stars (NBL) | |||
| PF/C | North Carolina (Sr.) | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots (NBL) | Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL) | |||
| SG/SF | Indiana (Sr.) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | Minneapolis Lakers (NBL) | |||
| PF/C | Western Kentucky (Sr.) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | |||
| 1942 | SF/PF | Clark University (Fr.) | New York Rens (WPBT) | New York Harlem Yankees (ABL) | ||
| PG | Villanova (So.) | Philadelphia Sphas (ABL) | Philadelphia Sphas (ABL) | |||
| SF | Arizona State (Jr.) | Tolleson Merchants | Phoenix Funk Jewels | |||
| PG | Notre Dame (Sr.) | Naval Station Great Lakes | Hammond Calumet Buccaneers (NBL) | |||
| PG/SG | Washington & Jefferson College (Sr.) | Dayton Dive Bombers | Toledo Jeeps (NBL) | |||
| PF/C | St. Mary's (Minnesota) (Sr.) | Chicago Bruins (WPBT) | Hammond Calumet Buccaneers (NBL) | |||
| 1943 | SF | Washington State (Sr.) | Bellingham Fircrest Dairy (AAU) | Bellingham Fircrests (PCBL) | ||
| SG | St. John's (Sr.) | New York Americans (ABL) | Rochester Royals (NBL) | |||
| SG/SF | Fordham (Fr.) | Arma AC | Sheboygan Red Skins (NBL) | |||
| PG/SG | Notre Dame (Jr.) | Camp Grant | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | |||
| SG/SF | St. John's (So.) | Brooklyn Eagles (ABL) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | |||
| 1944 | C | Marquette (So.) | Naval Station Great Lakes | Naval Station Great Lakes | ||
| SG/SF | Santa Clara (Jr.) | Dayton Acmes | Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL) | |||
| SG/SF | Illinois (Sr.) | Chicago American Gears (NBL) | Hammond Calumet Buccaneers (NBL) | |||
| PG/SG | Long Island (Sr.) | Philadelphia Sphas (ABL) | Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL) | |||
| SG/SF | DePaul (Sr.) | Chicago American Gears (NBL) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | |||
| 1945 | SG/SF | Iowa State (Sr.) | Baltimore Bullets (ABL) | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | ||
| PG | Oklahoma A&M (Sr.) | Bartlesville Phillips 66ers (AAU) | Oklahoma City Drillers (PBLA) | |||
| SG/SF | Ohio State (Sr.) | Columbus All-Stars | Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL) | |||
| C | Rice (Sr.) | Houston Mavericks (PBLA) | Houston Mavericks (PBLA) | |||
| PG | City College of New York (Sr.) | New York Gothams (ABL) | Rochester Royals (NBL) | |||
| PF/C | Rice (Sr.) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (NBL) | |||
| PF/C | Wyoming (Sr.) | Hollywood 20th Century Fox (AAU) | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | |||
| SG/SF | Eastern Kentucky (Sr.) | Sheboygan Red Skins (NBL) | Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL) | |||
| 1946 | SF | South Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) (HS Jr.) | Philadelphia Sphas (ABL) | Philadelphia Sphas (ABL) | ||
| SG/SF | LSU (Sr.) | Syracuse Nationals (NBL) | Syracuse Nationals (NBL) | |||
| SF | Rice (Sr.) | Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL) | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | |||
| PG | Sam Houston State (Sr.) | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | |||
| PG | Notre Dame (Sr.) | Buffalo Bisons (NBL) | Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL) | |||
| SF/PF | Bemidji State (Sr.) | Rochester Royals (NBL) | Rochester Royals (NBL) | |||
| SG/SF | Notre Dame (Sr.) | Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL) | Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL) | |||
| SG/SF | West Texas State (Sr.) | Oshkosh All-Stars (NBL) | Hammond Calumet Buccaneers (NBL) | |||
| C | DePaul (Sr.) | Chicago American Gears (NBL) | Minneapolis Lakers (NBL) | |||
| PF/C | Northwestern (Sr.) | Chicago American Gears (NBL) | Sheboygan Red Skins (NBL) | |||
| SF/PF | Pepperdine (So.) | Kansas City Smokies | Birmingham Vulcans (SPBL) | |||
| C | Wyoming (So.) | Atlanta Crackers (PBLA) | Saratoga Indians (NYSL) | |||
| SF/PF | Hamline (Sr.) | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | |||
| PG | Hamline (Sr.) | Anderson Duffey Packers (NBL) | Waterloo Hawks (NBL) | |||
| PG | Canisius (Sr.) | Buffalo Bisons (NBL) | Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL) | |||
| PG/SG | Penn State (Fr.) | Lancaster Red Roses (EPBL) | Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL) |
