The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Dallas Mavericks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Detroit Pistons were awarded the second pick. 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. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 223 players.
The Dallas Mavericks used their first pick to draft 1980 Naismith College Player of the Year Mark Aguirre from DePaul University. Aguirre, who had just finished his junior season in college, became the second underclassman to be drafted first overall, after Magic Johnson in 1979. The Detroit Pistons used the second overall pick to draft Isiah Thomas, a sophomore guard from Indiana University. Thomas had just won the 1981 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship with Indiana and was named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The New Jersey Nets used the third pick to draft another underclassman, Buck Williams, from the University of Maryland. Williams went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to the All-Star Game in his rookie season. This draft marked the first time that the first three selections were college underclassmen. Danny Ainge, the 1981 Wooden College Player of the Year, was selected in the second round with the 31st pick by the Boston Celtics. Ainge had been playing professional baseball since 1979 with the Toronto Blue Jays in the Major League Baseball (MLB) while also playing college basketball at Brigham Young University. He reportedly preferred to continue his baseball career, but the Celtics successfully persuaded him to play basketball instead. He is one of only twelve athletes who have played in both the NBA and MLB.
Key Pos.GFCPositionGuardForwardCenter
Draft
Player Team 11 + G/F Dallas Mavericks DePaul 12 ^ G Detroit Pistons Indiana 13 *~ F/C New Jersey Nets Maryland 14 G/F Atlanta Hawks North Carolina 15 F Seattle SuperSonics Utah 16 F Chicago Bulls Notre Dame 17 + F/C Kansas City Kings Oregon State 18 * F/C San Diego Clippers Utah 19 + G Dallas Mavericks Kansas State 110 G/F New Jersey Nets Maryland 111 G Washington Bullets Wake Forest 112 + G/F Detroit Pistons Notre Dame 113 F/C Utah Jazz Syracuse 114 F/C Indiana Pacers Ohio State 115 G/F Portland Trail Blazers Virginia 116 G Portland Trail Blazers Kansas 117 G/F Kansas City Kings Alabama State 118 F New Jersey Nets Indiana 119 G/F Los Angeles Lakers Michigan 120 + F/C Phoenix Suns Clemson 121 F/C Milwaukee Bucks Arizona State122 G Philadelphia 76ers Cleveland State 123 G Boston Celtics Wyoming 224 F Dallas Mavericks Michigan State 225 G/F Boston Celtics Notre Dame 226 # F Portland Trail Blazers Utah State 227 F Utah Jazz Tennessee 228 G/F San Antonio Spurs Duke 229 G/F Kansas City Kings Illinois 230 F San Antonio Spurs South Alabama 231 + G/F Boston Celtics Brigham Young 232 # G Chicago Bulls Lamar 233 F Golden State Warriors Arizona State 234 F Denver Nuggets Pan American 235 F Washington Bullets Vanderbilt 236 G Indiana Pacers Oregon State 237 # G Indiana Pacers Bucknell 238 # G Atlanta Hawks DePaul 239 # F Los Angeles Lakers Toledo 240 # F New York Knicks LSU 241 F Washington Bullets Wisconsin 242 # F/C Los Angeles Lakers Florida State 243 G/F Dallas Mavericks Mississippi 244 F Washington Bullets South Dakota State 245 # F Houston Rockets Texas A&I 246 # F Philadelphia 76ers Texas A&M 347 # C Dallas Mavericks Kansas 348 # G Washington Bullets Colgate 349 G New Jersey Nets Saint Louis 350 # C Portland Trail Blazers Illinois 351 # G Los Angeles Lakers South Carolina 352 G/F Atlanta Hawks LSU 353 G Seattle SuperSonics Oregon State 354 F San Diego Clippers Ohio State 355 G Cleveland Cavaliers Florida State 356 # G Golden State Warriors Pittsburgh 357 F/C New York Knicks Penn State 358 # F Kansas City Kings Missouri 359 # F Cleveland Cavaliers American 360 # F Indiana Pacers USC 361 C Portland Trail Blazers Valur 362 # F Phoenix Suns Pittsburgh 363 # F New York Knicks St. John's 364 # G San Antonio Spurs Eastern Kentucky 365 # F Los Angeles Lakers Pacific 366 F Phoenix Suns Long Beach State 367 # F Milwaukee Bucks Illinois 368 # F Philadelphia 76ers Maryland 369 # G Boston Celtics Michigan 470 # G Dallas Mavericks Syracuse 471 # C Detroit Pistons South Alabama 472 G New Jersey Nets VCU 473 # G Utah Jazz Southern Nazarene 474 # G Cleveland Cavaliers LSU 475 # G Atlanta Hawks Southwestern Louisiana 476 G/F Golden State Warriors Drake 477 # G San Diego Clippers Virginia 478 F Kansas City Kings Duke 479 # F Washington Bullets Arizona 480 # G Golden State Warriors West Texas State 481 F Houston Rockets Howard 482 # F Kansas City Kings Lamar 483 # F Indiana Pacers Briar Cliff 484 # F Chicago Bulls Marquette 485 F Portland Trail Blazers Fresno State 486 F New York Knicks Villanova 487 # F San Antonio Spurs St. Bonaventure 488 G/F Los Angeles Lakers Creighton 489 # G Detroit Pistons Charlotte 490 # F Milwaukee Bucks Florida State 491 # F Boston Celtics La Salle 492 # F Philadelphia 76ers Texas A&M 593 # F Dallas Mavericks North Carolina 594 # C Detroit Pistons Charlotte 595 F/C New Jersey Nets Colorado 596 # G Cleveland Cavaliers New Mexico 597 # F Utah Jazz Oregon 598 # F Atlanta Hawks Iowa 599 # F Seattle SuperSonics Washington 5100 # F San Diego Clippers Memphis State 5101 # G Denver Nuggets LSU 5102 F/C Golden State Warriors Memphis State 5103 G/F Washington Bullets Holy Cross 5104 # G Kansas City Kings Arkansas 5105 # G Houston Rockets Bradley 5106 # F Indiana Pacers Jersey City State 5107 # G Portland Trail Blazers South Alabama 5108 # F Chicago Bulls Arizona State 5109 # F New York Knicks Rhode Island 5110 # G San Antonio Spurs Vanderbilt 5111 # C Los Angeles Lakers NC State 5112 # C Phoenix Suns Michigan 5113 # F Milwaukee Bucks Rutgers 5114 # G Philadelphia 76ers BYU 5115 # F Boston Celtics Indiana 6116 # F Dallas Mavericks Utah 6117 # F Detroit Pistons Iowa 6118 # G New Jersey Nets La Salle 6119 # C Utah Jazz Loyola Chicago 6120 # G Cleveland Cavaliers Hawaii 6121 # G Atlanta Hawks Hampton 6122 # F Seattle SuperSonics Auburn 6123 # G San Diego Clippers North Carolina 6124 # F Denver Nuggets Denver 6125 # F Washington Bullets Grambling State 6126 # G Golden State Warriors Ohio State 6127 # G Houston Rockets Kentucky 6128 # G Kansas City Kings Purdue 6129 # G Indiana Pacers Washington 6130 G Chicago Bulls Louisville 6131 # F Portland Trail Blazers UTEP 6132 # G New York Knicks Monmouth 6133 # F San Antonio Spurs Jackson State 6134 # F Los Angeles Lakers California 6135 # G Phoenix Suns Northeastern 6136 # G Milwaukee Bucks Colorado 6137 # F Boston Celtics Iowa 6138 # G Philadelphia 76ers North Park 7139 # F Dallas Mavericks UNC Wilmington 7140 # F Detroit Pistons West Virginia 7141 # G New Jersey Nets Northwestern 7142 # F Cleveland Cavaliers Nebraska 7143 # F Utah Jazz Central Michigan 7144 # C Atlanta Hawks Iona 7145 # G Seattle SuperSonics Villanova 7146 # G San Diego Clippers Southern Colorado 7147 # G Denver Nuggets Maryland 7148 # F Golden State Warriors Arizona 7149 # F Washington Bullets Houston Baptist 7150 G Kansas City Kings William Paterson 7151 # G Houston Rockets Bowling Green 7152 # F Indiana Pacers Boise State 7153 # G Portland Trail Blazers UTEP 7154 # G Chicago Bulls South Alabama 7155 # G New York Knicks Ripon 7156 # F San Antonio Spurs Northern Michigan 7157 # C Los Angeles Lakers Wisconsin 7158 # F Phoenix Suns Southern 7159 # C Milwaukee Bucks Virginia 7160 # F Philadelphia 76ers Kansas 7161 # F Boston Celtics Holy Cross 8162 # G Dallas Mavericks Cincinnati 8163 # F Detroit Pistons Saint Francis 8164 # F New Jersey Nets Fairleigh Dickinson 8165 F Utah Jazz Auburn 8166 # G Cleveland Cavaliers UAB 8167 # C Atlanta Hawks Notre Dame 8168 # F San Diego Clippers Davidson 8169 # G Denver Nuggets St. John's 8170 # G Washington Bullets Wofford 8171 # C Golden State Warriors Sumitomo Metal Sparks 8172 # G Houston Rockets West Georgia 8173 # G Kansas City Kings Wichita State 8174 # C Indiana Pacers Drexel 8175 # F Chicago Bulls Alabama–Huntsville 8176 # F Portland Trail Blazers Saint Joseph's 8177 # F New York Knicks Thomas More 8178 # F San Antonio Spurs San Diego 8179 # G Los Angeles Lakers Simon Fraser 8180 # F Phoenix Suns Indiana 8181 # G Milwaukee Bucks Michigan State 8182 # F Boston Celtics Creighton 8183 # F Philadelphia 76ers St. John's 9184 # C Dallas Mavericks Southern Indiana 9185 # F Detroit Pistons Alcorn State 9186 # F New Jersey Nets Providence 9187 # C Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland State 9188 # F Utah Jazz Wyoming 9189 # F Atlanta Hawks Wagner 9190 # F San Diego Clippers NC State 9191 # G Denver Nuggets Austin Peay 9192 # F Golden State Warriors San Jose State 9193 # G Washington Bullets Valdosta State 9194 # G Kansas City Kings Richmond 9195 # F Indiana Pacers William & Mary 9196 # F Portland Trail Blazers San Jose State 9197 # G Chicago Bulls Lambuth 9198 # G New York Knicks Syracuse 9199 # F San Antonio Spurs Hampton 9200 # F Phoenix Suns Colorado 9201 # F Milwaukee Bucks Northeastern 9202 # C Philadelphia 76ers Temple 9203 # F Boston Celtics VCU 10204 # G Dallas Mavericks Northern State 10205 # F Detroit Pistons Western Michigan 10206 # G New Jersey Nets UCLA 10207 # F Utah Jazz Wisconsin–Eau Claire 10208 # G Cleveland Cavaliers Augsburg 10209 # C Atlanta Hawks Georgetown 10210 # G San Diego Clippers San Diego State 10211 G Denver Nuggets Potsdam State 10212 # F Washington Bullets Houston Baptist 10213 # F Golden State Warriors USC 10214 # G Kansas City Kings Fort Hays State 10215 # F Indiana Pacers Wright State 10216 # G Chicago Bulls UCLA 10217 # G Portland Trail Blazers Lewis & Clark 10218 # C New York Knicks Saint Peter's 10219 # G San Antonio Spurs Lamar 10220 # G Phoenix Suns Oregon 10221 # G Milwaukee Bucks Marquette 10222 # G Boston Celtics NC State 10223 # C Philadelphia 76ers Delaware
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1981 draft but played at least one game in the NBA. Player Pos. Nationality School/club team C Texas Southern (Sr.) C/F New Mexico (Sr.)
Trades
Draft-day trades The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft. The Indiana Pacers acquired the draft rights to 32nd pick Mike Olliver from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to 36th pick Ray Blume and a 1982 second-round pick.
Pre-draft trades Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of picks between the teams.