| 1969 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | April 7, 1969 (Rounds 1 & 2) May 7, 1969 (Other rounds) |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Overview | |
| 218 total selections in 20 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | Lew Alcindor,[1] Milwaukee Bucks |
The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball 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.
The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip.[1] The Milwaukee Bucks won the coin flip in the commissioner's New York office on March 19 and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Phoenix Suns went second.[2][3][4] The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The Los Angeles Lakers were awarded an extra first-round draft pick as settlement of the Rudy LaRusso trade to the San Francisco Warriors.[5] The draft consisted of twenty rounds and selected 218 players.[6][7]