| 1986 NBA Draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | June 17, 1986 |
| Location | Felt Forum (New York City, New York) |
| Network(s) | TBS Superstation |
| Overview | |
| 162 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Brad Daugherty (Cleveland Cavaliers) |
The 1986 NBA draft was held on June 17, 1986.
Overview and aftermath
This draft holds the record for the most players (out of prospects chosen) who later debuted in the NBA, with 66.
Drug and health issues involving drafted players
There were various drug-related problems that plagued players in the 1986 NBA draft. Most notable was the death of highly touted Len Bias. Bias died less than two days after being selected second overall by the defending champion Boston Celtics. His death was ruled an overdose that resulted from the abuse of the drug cocaine. Other problems involving drugs hampered the careers of Chris Washburn, Roy Tarpley, and William Bedford.
Successful second-round players
While a number of first-round selections were unable to make an impact in the league, this draft did feature a number of talented second-round selections. Dennis Rodman, who became one of the leading defenders and rebounders in NBA history, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2011. Mark Price, Kevin Duckworth, and Jeff Hornacek also went on to have successful careers, and each made the NBA All-Star Game. Three others – Johnny Newman, Nate McMillan, and David Wingate – had long, productive careers as role players.
International draftees
This draft contained two exceptional international players, both of whom had shortened careers for unusual reasons. Third-round selection Dražen Petrović was coming off an All-Star caliber fourth season when he was killed in an automobile accident in 1993. He has since been elected to both the Naismith Hall of Fame and the FIBA Hall of Fame. The other, Arvydas Sabonis, was not permitted to play in the United States because of the dangerous political climate in the Soviet Union. He won two Olympic medals before his arrival in the NBA—a gold in 1988 with the USSR, and a bronze in 1992 with Lithuania. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Sabonis had a very successful career in Europe before finally joining the Portland Trail Blazers in 1995. Sabonis had lost much of his mobility by the time he joined the team because of a string of knee and Achilles tendon injuries. He finished second in both the Sixth Man Award and Rookie of the Year voting; after the 1995–96 season, he won a second Olympic bronze medal with Lithuania. He played seven seasons with Portland before returning to his homeland of Lithuania where he finished his career. Sabonis entered the FIBA Hall in 2010 and the Naismith Hall in 2011.
Other draftee contributions to the game
This draft is also known for the number of players who made important contributions to the sport of basketball outside of the court. For example, Nate McMillan had a highly successful run with the Seattle SuperSonics as a player and then as head coach, and then spent seven seasons as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Scott Skiles was the former coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and also the first coach to lead the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs in the post-Jordan era. Larry Krystkowiak, a former Bucks head coach, was hired in April 2011 as the new head coach at the University of Utah. John Salley won four championship rings with three different NBA teams (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers) before becoming one of the hosts of The Best Damn Sports Show Period on Fox Sports Network. Mark Price served as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, a shooting consultant with Memphis (one season) and Atlanta (two seasons), a shooting coach for Golden State (one season), and in December 2011 was named Player Development Coach for the Orlando Magic.[1] Jeff Hornacek would also be a full-time assistant head coach for the Utah Jazz for two seasons before accepting a job as the head coach for the Phoenix Suns in the 2013–14 NBA season. In 2016, Jeff Hornacek became the head coach for the New York Knicks, and coached them until 2018. Pete Myers, selected in the sixth round as the 120th overall pick, was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls from 2001 to 2010 and Golden State Warriors since 2011. Jim Les, the 70th overall pick, was an assistant coach for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs from 1999 to 2001 then was head coach at Bradley University from 2002 to 2011 and UC Davis since 2011.
Jay Bilas, who was selected in the fifth round as the 108th overall pick but never played in the NBA, is an ESPN college basketball analyst.
Draft selections
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| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | 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 |
| x | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality[n 1] | NBA Team | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Brad Daugherty* | C |  United States | Cleveland Cavaliers (from L.A. Clippers via Philadelphia) | North Carolina (Sr.) |
| 1 | 2 | Len Bias# | SF | United States | Boston Celtics (from Seattle) | Maryland (Sr.) |
| 1 | 3 | Chris Washburn | C | United States | Golden State Warriors | NC State (So.) |
| 1 | 4 | Chuck Person | SF | United States | Indiana Pacers | Auburn (Sr.) |
| 1 | 5 | Kenny Walker | SF | United States | New York Knicks | Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 1 | 6 | William Bedford | C | United States | Phoenix Suns | Memphis State (Jr.) |
| 1 | 7 | Roy Tarpley | C | United States | Dallas Mavericks (from Cleveland) | Michigan (Sr.) |
| 1 | 8 | Ron Harper | SF | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers * | Miami (OH) (Sr.) |
| 1 | 9 | Brad Sellers | C | United States | Chicago Bulls | Ohio State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 10 | Johnny Dawkins | PG | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Duke (Sr.) |
| 1 | 11 | John Salley | PF | United States | Detroit Pistons (from Sacramento) | Georgia Tech (Sr.) |
| 1 | 12 | John Williams | PF | United States | Washington Bullets | LSU (So.) |
| 1 | 13 | Dwayne Washington | PG | United States | New Jersey Nets | Syracuse (Jr.) |
| 1 | 14 | Walter Berry | SF/PF | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | St. John's (Sr.) |
| 1 | 15 | Dell Curry | SG/SF | United States | Utah Jazz | Virginia Tech (Sr.) |
| 1 | 16 | Maurice Martin | SF | United States | Denver Nuggets (from Dallas) | Saint Joseph's (Sr.) |
| 1 | 17 | Harold Pressley | SF | United States | Sacramento Kings (from Detroit) | Villanova (Sr.) |
| 1 | 18 | Mark Alarie | PF | United States | Denver Nuggets | Duke (Sr.) |
| 1 | 19 | Billy Thompson | SF | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Louisville (Sr.) |
| 1 | 20 | Buck Johnson | SF | United States | Houston Rockets | Alabama (Sr.) |
| 1 | 21 | Anthony Jones | SF | United States | Washington Bullets (from Philadelphia) | UNLV (Sr.) |
| 1 | 22 | Scott Skiles | PG | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Michigan State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 23 | Ken Barlow# | PF | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
| 1 | 24 | Arvydas Sabonis^ | C |  Soviet Union(  Lithuania) | Portland Trail Blazers (from Boston via L.A. Clippers) | Zalgiris (Soviet Union) |
| 2 | 25 | Mark Price* | PG | United States | Dallas Mavericks, traded on draft day to the Cleveland Cavaliers | Georgia Tech (Sr.) |
| 2 | 26 | Greg Dreiling | C | United States | Indiana Pacers | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 2 | 27 | Dennis Rodman^ | PF | United States | Detroit Pistons | Southeastern Oklahoma State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 28 | Larry Krystkowiak | PF | United States | Chicago Bulls | Montana (Sr.) |
| 2 | 29 | Johnny Newman | SF | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Richmond (Sr.) |
| 2 | 30 | Nate McMillan | PG | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | NC State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 31 | Joe Ward# | SF | United States | Phoenix Suns | Georgia (Sr.) |
| 2 | 32 | Cedric Henderson | PF | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Georgia (Sr.) |
| 2 | 33 | Kevin Duckworth+ | C | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Eastern Illinois (Sr.) |
| 2 | 34 | Johnny Rogers | PF |  Spain[2] | Sacramento Kings | UC Irvine (Sr.) |
| 2 | 35 | Milt Wagner | SG | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Louisville (Sr.) |
| 2 | 36 | Steve Mitchell# | PG | United States | Washington Bullets | UAB (Sr.) |
| 2 | 37 | Panagiotis Fasoulas# | C |  Greece | Portland Trail Blazers | NC State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 38 | Lemone Lampley# | C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | DePaul (Sr.) |
| 2 | 39 | Rafael Addison | SF | United States | Phoenix Suns | Syracuse (Sr.) |
| 2 | 40 | Augusto Binelli# | C |  Italy | Atlanta Hawks | Virtus Bologna (Italy) |
| 2 | 41 | Otis Smith | SG | United States | Denver Nuggets | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
| 2 | 42 | Ron Kellogg# | SF | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 2 | 43 | Dave Feitl | C | United States | Houston Rockets | UTEP (Sr.) |
| 2 | 44 | David Wingate | SG | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Georgetown (Sr.) |
| 2 | 45 | Keith Smith | PG | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Loyola Marymount (Sr.) |
| 2 | 46 | Jeff Hornacek+ | SG | United States | Phoenix Suns | Iowa State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 47 | Michael Jackson | PG | United States | New York Knicks | Georgetown (Sr.) |
Notable post-second round picks
These players selected after the second round have played at least one game in the NBA.[3][4]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 48 | Forrest McKenzie | SF | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Loyola Marymount (Sr.) |
| 3 | 50 | Kevin Henderson | PG | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Cal State Fullerton (Sr.) |
| 3 | 51 | Mike Williams | PF/SF | United States | Golden State Warriors | Bradley (Sr.) |
| 3 | 52 | Ricky Wilson | PG | United States | Chicago Bulls | George Mason (Sr.) |
| 3 | 53 | Tod Murphy | PF | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | UC Irvine (Sr.) |
| 3 | 54 | Dwayne Polee | SG | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Pepperdine (Sr.) |
| 3 | 55 | Kenny Gattison | PF | United States | Phoenix Suns | Old Dominion (Sr.) |
| 3 | 57 | Bruce Douglas | SG | United States | Sacramento Kings | Illinois (Sr.) |
| 3 | 58 | David Henderson | PG | United States | Washington Bullets | Duke (Sr.) |
| 3 | 59 | Wendell Alexis | PF | United States | Golden State Warriors | Syracuse (Sr.) |
| 3 | 60 | Dražen Petrović^ | SG | .svg.png){kind=small} Yugoslavia(  Croatia) | Portland Trail Blazers | Cibona (Yugoslavia) |
| 3 | 61 | John Shasky | C | United States | Utah Jazz | Minnesota (Sr.) |
| 3 | 65 | Dave Hoppen | C | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Nebraska (Sr.) |
| 3 | 66 | Anthony Bowie | SG | United States | Houston Rockets | Oklahoma (Sr.) |
| 3 | 67 | Ron Rowan | SG | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | St. John's (Sr.) |
| 3 | 69 | Andre Turner | PG | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Memphis State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 70 | Jim Les | PG | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Bradley (Sr.) |
| 4 | 74 | Scott Meents | PF | United States | Chicago Bulls | Illinois (Sr.) |
| 4 | 77 | Grant Gondrezick | SG | United States | Phoenix Suns | Pepperdine (Sr.) |
| 4 | 85 | Myron Jackson | PG | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Arkansas–Little Rock (Sr.) |
| 4 | 89 | Conner Henry | SG | United States | Houston Rockets | UC Santa Barbara (Sr.) |
| 5 | 95 | Richard Rellford | SF | United States | Indiana Pacers | Michigan (Sr.) |
| 5 | 97 | Clinton Smith | SG | United States | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland State (Sr.) |
| 5 | 99 | Dominic Pressley | PG | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Boston College (Sr.) |
| 5 | 100 | Steffond Johnson | PF | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | San Diego State (Sr.) |
| 6 | 120 | Pete Myers | G/SF | United States | Chicago Bulls | Arkansas–Little Rock (Sr.) |
| 6 | 122 | Curtis Kitchen | PF | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | South Florida (Sr.) |
| 6 | 124 | Tim Kempton | PF | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
| 6 | 133 | Anthony Frederick | SF | United States | Denver Nuggets | Pepperdine (Sr.) |
| 6 | 134 | Alexander Volkov | C | Soviet Union (  Ukraine) | Atlanta Hawks | Budivelnik Kiev (USSR) |
- ^ Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules.
* compensation for draft choices traded away by Ted Stepien
Notable undrafted players
These players who declared or were automatically eligible for the 1986 draft were not selected but played in the NBA.
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Rose | SG | United States.svg.png){kind=small} Australia | George Mason (Sr.) |
| Andre Spencer | SF | United States | Northern Arizona (Sr.) |
| Kelvin Upshaw | SG | United States | Utah (Sr.) |
| Stojko Vranković | C | Yugoslavia ( Croatia) | KK Zadar (Croatia) |
References
- ^ "Magic Name Mark Price Player Development Coach". NBA.com. 9 December 2011.
- ^ Rogers was born in the United States, but represents Spain internationally.
- ^ "1986 NBA Draft - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ "NBA Past Drafts - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.