With the NBA draft coming up, it is kind of fun to remember back to my draft day in 1981. It’s like going through your wedding album years later. But instead of the burgundy tuxedo and ruffled shirt, its 1980s hair and wide ties.
Going into my senior year at Syracuse, I was a relatively unknown player. I had played behind All-American center Roosevelt Bouie and had just played my first season as the starter. Scouting was primitive by today’s standards. TV coverage of college games was spotty at best, there was no digital recording and no internet delivery system.
At the end of the season, I was listed among the top 10 centers in the draft but did not have any real guidance beyond that. I had played well during the season and in the NIT, but our team was not highly ranked.
Luckily I was selected to play in the Aloha Classic, one of the top College All-Star tournaments at the time. I had a great week, making the All-Tournament Team. As a result, my stock improved greatly and I was expected to be a first-round pick.
At that time, the draft was much less thoroughly analyzed than it is now. There was no combine, no workouts, and little player contact before the draft. I interviewed with three teams in person but did not work out for any of them.
Draft day was a thrill nonetheless. There were about 20 of us at the draft. It was one of the first times that the draftees were actually there, and we sat in folding chairs waiting for the action to occur. I had very little idea where I might go.
I didn’t think that I would go in the top 10, and I knew that Portland was interested in me as Jack Ramsay valued smart players. They picked 15th and 16th. Beyond that, I was just there having fun.
This draft ended up sending shock waves through the league as the first three picks – Mark Aguirre, Isiah Thomas and Buck Williams – were underclassmen. This was the first time in history that it happened. Purists were sure that this was a signal that the league was in trouble. Two juniors and a sophomore were selected. How will the league survive?!
To young fans it must seem remarkable that after the first three picks, there were no other
underclassmen from that draft to play in an NBA game. The draft lasted a full 10 rounds with 58 players (on 23 teams) actually playing in the league. The only foreign player to make the league was Petur Gudmundsson from the basketball powerhouse of Iceland. He had a pedestrian career that ended after five seasons when INS denied him a work permit.
One of the players I was sitting next to was Kelly Tripucka from Notre Dame. Kelly was a New Jersey guy and hoping to be drafted by the Nets at No. 10. As the pick approached, he was tremendously excited and hopeful as we waited anxiously. Then the announcement finally came.
“The New Jersey Nets select Albert King from Maryland.” Kelly was crushed.
Then we remembered that the next two picks were Washington and Detroit, both doormats. Frank Johnson went to the Bullets before the Pistons picked Kelly. It was hard for him to be excited after the disappointment of not being picked by New Jersey.
In all of this chaos, I was totally surprised to hear that with the next pick I was chosen by the Utah Jazz. I had never spoken to anyone from the team, knew little about the city and had never seen them play.
I soon found out that the fans there were not too excited to hear my name chosen, either. They wanted the team to pick Herb Williams from Ohio State. I was resoundly booed by the fans. I immediately had a radio interview with Jazz announcer Hot Rod Hundley from their arena. I could hear the fans booing all of my answers. I was as cheerful as possible, but it was not the best start to a career.
After the interview, my experience kind of ended. At that time the league didn’t bring in the families. The team didn’t have anything set up for me to do. So we all just kind of wandered off. It was one of those experiences that had a long build-up to a big climax that ended quickly – kind of like bad sex.
But all in all, it was a fascinating experience. Obviously the league didn’t fold after the three underclassmen came to the party. The draft has mercifully been shortened, to seven rounds, then to three and finally two. It not only makes it a 
great made-for-TV event but also makes being drafted a bigger deal.
The Jazz had a history of being a great drafting team at that time. Over a six-year stretch, they selected Darrell Griffith, me, Dominique Wilkins, Thurl Bailey, John Stockton and Karl Malone with their first-round picks.
They traded away Dominique and myself for enough cash to keep the team operating and built a small dynasty with draft picks that also included Mark Eaton (fourth round, 1982).
So while the draft was an exciting time, in the big picture, most players end up somewhere else. So enjoy it for what it is, one of the least reliable ways to acquire players for the long term. Many teams try to build through the draft. Very few actually accomplish it.
Danny Schayes is a retired 18-year-veteran of the NBA, a professional broadcaster and soon-to-be-published author now penning NBA columns for SheridanHoops. Follow him on Twitter.
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