1956 NBA draft
{{short description|Basketball player selection}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox sports draft
| name = 1956 NBA draft
| image =
| caption =
| logo =
| logosize =
| sport = Basketball
| date = April 30, 1956
| location = New York City, New York
| network =
| league = NBA
| teams =
| overall = 92
| rounds = 14
| first = Si Green, Rochester Royals
| territorial = Tom Heinsohn, Boston Celtics
| hofnum = {{Collapsible list
| title = 4
|1 = F Tom Heinsohn
|2 = C Bill Russell
|3 = G K. C. Jones
|4 = F Elgin Baylor}}
| prev = 1955
| next = 1957
}}
The 1956 NBA draft was the tenth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30, 1956, before the 1956–57 season. In this draft, eight 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, except for the defending champion and runner-up, who were assigned the last two picks in each round. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising 92 players selected.
Draft selections and draftee career notes
Si Green from Duquesne University was selected first overall by the Rochester Royals. Tom Heinsohn from the College of the Holy Cross was selected before the draft as Boston Celtics' territorial pick. Heinsohn went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/history/awards_rookieofyear.html|title=Rookie of the Year|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc|access-date=October 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329231204/http://www.nba.com/history/awards_rookieofyear.html|archive-date=March 29, 2010|url-status=dead}} Bill Russell from the University of San Francisco was selected second overall by the St. Louis Hawks and immediately traded to the Boston Celtics for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/history/players/russell_bio.html|title=Bill Russell Bio|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc|access-date=December 28, 2009}} Three players from this draft, Tom Heinsohn, Bill Russell, and K. C. Jones, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame after championship careers with the Boston Celtics.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/hof.html|title=Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees|work=basketball-reference.com|access-date=October 28, 2009}} Elgin Baylor and Sam Jones, who were selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the later rounds, have also been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame, although they did not enter the league immediately after the draft. In the 1957 draft, Sam Jones was selected in the first round by the Boston Celtics, with whom he played for in his whole career.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/history/players/sjones_bio.html|title=Sam Jones Bio|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc|access-date=March 9, 2010}} In the 1958 draft, Elgin Baylor was selected first overall by the Lakers, with whom he played for in his whole career.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/history/players/baylor_bio.html|title=Elgin Baylor Bio|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc|access-date=March 9, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100317143237/http://www.nba.com/history/players/baylor_bio.html| archive-date= 17 March 2010 | url-status= live}}
Draft
{{stack|
File:Tom heinsohn Celt.JPG was selected as the Boston Celtics' territorial pick.]]
File:BillRussellCeltics1.jpg was selected 2nd overall by the St. Louis Hawks (traded to the Boston Celtics.]]
File:Willie Naulls.jpg was selected 9th overall by the St. Louis Hawks.]]
File:Kc jones cropped.jpg was selected 13th overall by the Boston Celtics.]]
}}
| class="wikitable sortable"
! width="1%"| Round ! width="1%"| Pick ! width="19%"| Player ! width="1%"| Position ! width="16%"| Nationality ! width="35%"| Team ! width="20%"| College |
| align=center|{{hs|0}}T
| align=center|{{hs|00}}– | bgcolor="#FFFF99"| {{sortname|Tom|Heinsohn}}^ | F/C | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|1
| align=center|{{hs|0}}1 | {{sortname|Si|Green}} | G/F | {{flagu|United States}} | Duquesne |
| align=center|1
| align=center|{{hs|0}}2 | bgcolor="#FFFF99"| {{sortname|Bill|Russell}}^ | C | {{flagu|United States}} | St. Louis Hawks (traded to Boston){{ref label|Note1|a|a}} |
| align=center|1
| align=center|{{hs|0}}3 | {{sortname|Jim|Paxson|Jim Paxson, Sr.}} | G/F | {{flagu|United States}} | Dayton |
| align=center|1
| align=center|{{hs|0}}4 | {{sortname|Ronnie|Shavlik}} | F | {{flagu|United States}} | NC State |
| align=center|1
| align=center|{{hs|0}}5 | {{sortname|Joe|Holup}} | F | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|1
| align=center|{{hs|0}}6 | {{sortname|Ron|Sobieszczyk}} | G | {{flagu|United States}} | Fort Wayne Pistons (traded to New York){{ref label|Note2|b|b}} | DePaul |
| align=center|1
| align=center|{{hs|0}}7 | {{sortname|Hal|Lear}} | G | {{flagu|United States}} | Temple |
| align=center|2
| align=center|{{hs|0}}8 | {{sortname|Bob|Burrow}} | F/C | {{flagu|United States}} | Kentucky |
| align=center|2
| align=center|{{hs|0}}9 | bgcolor="#FFCC00"| {{sortname|Willie|Naulls}}+ | F/C | {{flagu|United States}} | UCLA |
| align=center|2
| align=center|10 | bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| {{sortname|Terry|Rand}}# | C | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|2
| align=center|11 | {{sortname|Gary|Bergen}} | C | {{flagu|United States}} | Utah |
| align=center|2
| align=center|12 | bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| {{sortname|Paul|Judson}}# | F | {{flagu|United States}} | Illinois |
| align=center|2
| align=center|13 | bgcolor="#FFFF99"| {{sortname|K. C.|Jones}}^ | G | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|2
| align=center|14 | bgcolor="#C0C0C0"| {{sortname|Bob|Kessler}}# | F | {{flagu|United States}} | Maryland |
| align=center|2
| align=center|15 | {{sortname|Phil|Rollins}} | G | {{flagu|United States}} |
Other picks
The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1956.html|title = 1956 NBA draft}}{{Cite web|url=http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/past_drafts/1956|title = NBA Past Drafts - RealGM}}
| class="wikitable sortable"
! width="1%"| Round ! width="1%"| Pick ! width="19%"| Player ! width="1%"| Position ! width="16%"| Nationality ! width="35%"| Team ! width="20%"| College |
| align=center|3
| align=center|16 | {{sortname|Dave|Piontek}} | F/C | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|3
| align=center|18 | {{sortname|Jerry|Bird}} | F | {{flagu|United States}} | Kentucky |
| align=center|3
| align=center|20 | {{sortname|Forest|Able}} | G | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|3
| align=center|22 | {{sortname|Bill|Thieben}} | F/C | {{flagu|United States}} | Hofstra |
| align=center|4
| align=center|24 | {{sortname|Johnny|McCarthy}} | G | {{flagu|United States}} | Canisius |
| align=center|4
| align=center|28 | {{sortname|Swede|Halbrook}} | C | {{flagu|United States}} | Wichita Vickers {{small|(NIBL)}} |
| align=center|4
| align=center|29 | {{sortname|Dan|Swartz}} | F | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|5
| align=center|33 | {{sortname|Norm|Stewart}} | F | {{flagu|United States}} | Missouri |
| align=center|5
| align=center|36 | {{sortname|Jim|Ray|Jim Ray (basketball)}} | G | {{flagu|United States}} | Toledo |
| align=center|6
| align=center|42 | {{sortname|Phil|Jordon}} | F/C | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|6
| align=center|43 | {{sortname|Pat|Dunn|Pat Dunn (basketball)}} | G | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|7
| align=center|50 | {{sortname|John|Barber|John Barber (basketball)}} | F | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|10
| align=center|74 | {{sortname|Bob|Hopkins}} | F/C | {{flagu|United States}} |
| align=center|14
| align=center|90 | bgcolor="#FFFF99"| {{sortname|Elgin|Baylor}}^ | F | {{flagu|United States}} | Minneapolis Lakers{{ref label|Note3|c|c}} | Seattle |
Notable undrafted players
{{further|List of undrafted NBA players}}
These players were not selected in the 1956 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| class="wikitable sortable sortable" |
| style="width:19%;"| Player
!style="width:1%;"| Pos. !style="width:16%;"| Nationality !style="width:20%;"| School/club team |
|---|
| {{sortname|Rich|Eichhorst}}
| G | {{flagu|United States}} |
Trades
- {{note label|Note1|a|a}} On draft-day, the Boston Celtics acquired the draft rights to second pick Bill Russell from the St. Louis Hawks in exchange for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan.
- {{note label|Note2|b|b}} On draft-day, the New York Knicks acquired the draft rights to sixth pick Ron Sobieszczyk from the Fort Wayne Pistons in exchange for Gene Shue.{{cite web|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/oct/25/sports/chi-obit-sobieszczyk-25oct25|title=Ron Sobieszczyk, 1934-2009: Former DePaul basketball standout, played in NBA|first=Kim|last=Janssen|work=Chicago Tribune|date=October 25, 2009|access-date=December 28, 2009|archive-date=March 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303001126/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/|url-status=dead}}
- {{note label|Note3|c|c}} Baylor would not play for the Minneapolis Lakers until he was drafted by them again 1st overall in the 1958 NBA draft.
See also
References
;General
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1956.html|title=1956 NBA Draft|work=basketball-reference.com|access-date=October 28, 2009}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.apbr.org/5256drft.html|title=1952–1956 NBA Drafts|publisher=The Association for Professional Basketball Research|access-date=September 26, 2009}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2585&Itemid=103|title=1956 NBA Draft|publisher=The Draft Review|access-date=October 30, 2009}}
{{refend}}
;Specific
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.nba.com/ NBA.com]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090315112610/http://www.nba.com/history/draft_index.html NBA.com: NBA Draft History]
{{NBA Drafts}}
{{NBA Draft history by team}}
{{1956 NBA draft}}
{{1956–57 NBA season by team}}