| 1954 NBA draft | |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Date: | April 24, 1954 |
| Location: | New York City, New York |
| Network: | NBC |
| League: | NBA |
| Teams: | 8(9) |
| Hofnum: | 3 |
| Overall: | 100 |
| Rounds: | 13 |
| First: | Frank Selvy, Baltimore Bullets |
| Prev: | 1953 |
| Next: | 1955 |
The 1954 NBA draft was the eighth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 24, 1954, before the 1954–55 season. In this draft, nine 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 draft consisted of 13 rounds comprising 100 players selected.
Frank Selvy from Furman University was selected first overall by the Baltimore Bullets. Second pick of the draft, Bob Pettit from Louisiana State University, has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[1] Pettit also won the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season.[2]
| Pos. | G | F | C | |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | + | G/F | Baltimore Bullets | Furman | ||
| 1 | 2 | ^ | F/C | Milwaukee Hawks | LSU | ||
| 1 | 3 | G | Philadelphia Warriors | Maryland | |||
| 1 | 4 | G/F | Fort Wayne Pistons | Notre Dame | |||
| 1 | 5 | G/F | Boston Celtics | Holy Cross | |||
| 1 | 6 | + | F/C | Syracuse Nationals | Illinois | ||
| 1 | 7 | G/F | Rochester Royals | Western Kentucky | |||
| 1 | 8 | G/F | New York Knicks | Western Kentucky | |||
| 1 | 9 | F/C | Minneapolis Lakers | Minnesota | |||
| 2 | 10 | G | Baltimore Bullets | Indiana | |||
| 2 | 11 | C | Milwaukee Hawks | Oklahoma A&M | |||
| 2 | 12 | ^ | G | Philadelphia Warriors | Niagara | ||
| 2 | 13 | G | Fort Wayne Pistons | Oklahoma City | |||
| 2 | 14 | F/C | Boston Celtics | Idaho | |||
| 2 | 15 | G/F | Syracuse Nationals | Indiana | |||
| 2 | 16 | F | Rochester Royals | NYU | |||
| 2 | 17 | ^ | G | New York Knicks | Iona | ||
| 2 | 18 | G | Minneapolis Lakers | Bowling Green |
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 | 24 | F | Syracuse Nationals | Duquesne | |||
| 3 | 26 | F | New York Knicks | SW Missouri State | |||
| 4 | 29 | G | Milwaukee Hawks | Toledo | |||
| 4 | 30 | + | G | Philadelphia Warriors | Louisville | ||
| 4 | 34 | C | Rochester Royals | Western Kentucky | |||
| 5 | 43 | F | Rochester Royals | Niagara | |||
| 6 | 47 | G | Milwaukee Hawks | Bradley | |||
| 6 | 52 | F/C | Rochester Royals | St. John's | |||
| 8 | 67 | C | Fort Wayne Pistons | Valparaíso | |||
| 9 | 80 | G/F | Minneapolis Lakers | Minnesota | |||
| 11 | 95 | G/F | Rochester Royals | Dayton | |||
| 13 | 100 | F | Philadelphia Warriors | George Washington |
These players were not selected in the 1954 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Jackson State | |||
| F | Western Kentucky | |||
| G | UConn |