The Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team, representing the Marshall University, has had 20 players drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) since the league began holding the yearly event in 1947. Andy Tonkovich was the first Marshall player drafted when he was selected first overall in the 1948 draft.

Each NBA franchise seeks to add new players through an annual draft. The NBA uses a draft lottery to determine the first three picks of the NBA draft; the 14 teams that did not make the playoffs the previous year are eligible to participate. After the first three picks are decided, the rest of the teams pick in reverse order of their win–loss record. To be eligible for the NBA draft, a player in the United States must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class. From 1967 until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, the American Basketball Association (ABA) held its own draft.

Key

G Guard F Forward C Center

* Selected to an NBA/ABA All-Star Game † Won an NBA/ABA championship ‡ Selected to an All-Star Game and won an NBA/ABA championship

Players selected in the NBA draft

+ Marshall Thundering Herd selected in the NBA draft Year Round Pick Overall Name Position TeamThis is the team that drafted the player, not their most recent team. Notes 1948 1 1 1 G Providence Steamrollers — 1954 3 2 20 Walt Walowac G Milwaukee Hawks — 1956 4 — 30 F Fort Wayne Pistons — 1957 8 6 61 G Syracuse Nationals — 1958 2 6 13 ‡ G Syracuse Nationals NBA All-Star (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970) NBA All-Star Game MVP (1968) NBA Champion (1967) All-NBA Second Team (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969) Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (2006) 1959 4 1 25 G Cincinnati Royals — 1960 13 1 85 G Cincinnati Royals — 1962 5 2 36 F New York Knicks — 1968 6 7 71 F San Francisco Warriors — 9 9 115 † F Los Angeles Lakers ABA Champion (1971) 11 7 141 G New York Knicks — 1971 11 14 182 C Milwaukee Bucks — 1972 1 6 6 G, F Milwaukee Bucks — 6 8 88 The NBA had a rule which stated a player was not eligible for the NBA Draft until four years after he graduated high school. Randy Noll was eligible for the NBA Draft as a junior since he transferred from Kentucky. Noll was a junior at Marshall when he was selected with the 88th pick in the 1972 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He chose to return to Marshall for his senior year and was later drafted by the Buffalo Braves with the 72nd pick in the 1973 NBA Draft. F Atlanta Hawks — 1973 2 2 20 G Kansas City-Omaha Kings — 5 3 72 F Buffalo Braves — 1983 9 12 196 C New York Knicks — 1984 6 14 130 F Dallas Mavericks — 1985 7 18 157 C Indiana Pacers — 2002 2 24 54 G New Jersey Nets — 2010 2 3 33 F, C Sacramento Kings NBA All-Defensive Second Team ()

Notes

References General

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