The 1953 NBA draft was the seventh annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 24, 1953, before the 1953–54 season. In this draft, nine remaining 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 19 rounds comprising 122 players selected.
Draft selections and draftee career notes Ray Felix from Long Island University was selected first overall by the Baltimore Bullets and went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. Ernie Beck and Walter Dukes were selected before the draft as Philadelphia Warriors' and New York Knicks' territorial picks respectively. Three players from this draft, Bob Houbregs, Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Key Pos.GFCPositionGuardForwardCenter
Draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team CollegeT– G/F Philadelphia Warriors PennsylvaniaT– + C New York Knicks Seton HallT– G Philadelphia Warriors Villanova11 +~ C Baltimore Bullets Manchester British-Americans 12 ^ F/C Milwaukee Hawks Washington13 + F Fort Wayne Pistons Columbia14 + G Rochester Royals Seton Hall15 ^ G/F Boston Celtics Kentucky16 C Syracuse Nationals Wofford17 F/C Minneapolis Lakers Hamline28 G New York Knicks (from Baltimore) Manchester British-Americans (ABL)29 # F/C Baltimore Bullets (from Milwaukee) NC State210 # G Fort Wayne Pistons Fairleigh Dickinson211 F Rochester Royals Detroit212 # F/C Boston Celtics Oregon213 C Syracuse Nationals Kansas State214 # F New York Knicks Furman215 G Minneapolis Lakers DePaul
Other picks The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game. Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team College316 F Philadelphia Warriors La Salle317 F Baltimore Bullets Oregon318 G/F Milwaukee Hawks Illinois320 F Rochester Royals Syracuse321 ^ G/F Boston Celtics Kentucky322 G/F Syracuse Nationals St. Bonaventure535 C Baltimore Bullets Texas Tech536 F Milwaukee Hawks DePaul541 F New York Knicks Iona650 G New York Knicks Indiana State758 F Boston Celtics Kentucky863 G/F Baltimore Bullets Centenary977 F New York Knicks Niagara1189 F Milwaukee Hawks Georgetown13102 * G Philadelphia Warriors La Salle14108 + F Rochester Royals Santa Clara
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1953 draft but played at least one game in the NBA. Player Pos. Nationality School/club team F Portland F Villanova G LIU Brooklyn
See also List of first overall NBA draft picks
References General
Specific
External links NBA.com NBA.com: NBA Draft History