The 1967 NBA expansion draft was the third expansion draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 1, 1967, so that the newly founded San Diego Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics could acquire players for the upcoming 1967–68 season. Seattle and San Diego had been awarded the expansion teams on December 20, 1966, and January 11, 1967, respectively.[1][2] The Rockets moved to Houston, Texas, in 1971 and are currently known as the Houston Rockets.[3] The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City, in 2008 and are currently known as the Oklahoma City Thunder.[4] In an NBA expansion draft, new NBA teams are allowed to acquire players from the previously established teams in the league. Not all players on a given team are available during an expansion draft, since each team can protect a certain number of players from being selected. The Rockets and the Sonics selected fifteen unprotected players each, while the ten other NBA teams lost three players each.
The Rockets, the 12th franchise in the NBA, were founded by Robert Breitbard. The Rockets name was chosen because it reflects the growth of the space-age industries in the city as well as the city's theme of "a city in motion".[3] Former Cincinnati Royals and Chicago Zephyrs head coach Jack McMahon was named as the franchise's first head coach and general manager.[5] The Rockets' selections included three-time All-Star Johnny Green. Ten players from the expansion draft joined the Rockets for their inaugural season, but only five played more than one season for the team. Don Kojis, who played three seasons with the Rockets, was named to the 1968 All-Star Game, becoming the franchise's first All-Star.[6]
The SuperSonics, the 11th franchise in the NBA, were founded by a group of investors led by Sam Schulman and Eugene Klein.[7] Schulman then served as president of the team and head of operations. He hired former Chicago Bulls assistant coach Al Bianchi to become the franchise's first head coach.[8] The Sonics' selections included six-time All-Star Richie Guerin and one-time All-Star Tom Meschery. Guerin, who was serving as the St. Louis Hawks' player-coach when the Sonics selected him, decided to retire from playing and became a full-time head coach for the Hawks. He never played for the Sonics, even though he later came back from retirement to play with the Hawks.[9] Nine players from the expansion draft joined the Sonics for their inaugural season, but only four played more than one season for the team. Walt Hazzard, who only played one season with the Sonics, was named to the 1968 All-Star Game, becoming the franchise's first All-Star.[6]
^"Seattle SuperSonics History". NBA.com/Thunder. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
^"This Date in History–January". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
^ ab"Owners, fans waited years before Rockets took off". The Houston Chronicle. September 20, 2001. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
^"SuperSonics, Seattle reach last-minute settlement". ESPN.com. July 3, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
^"2009-10 Houston Rockets Media Guide" (PDF). NBA.com/Rockets. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 10, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
^ ab"1968 NBA All-Star Game". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
^O'Neil, Danny (June 14, 2003). "Sam Schulman, 1910–2003: He ushered Seattle into big-time sports". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved March 11, 2010.[permanent dead link]
^"Suns Add Al Bianchi to Coaching Staff". NBA.com/Suns. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 18, 2002. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
^"Richie Guerin Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
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