NBA draft

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Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	2	Neal Walk	Center	United States	Florida
2	24	Gene Williams	Forward	United States	Kansas State
3	30	Floyd Kerr	Guard	United States	Colorado State
3	33	Lamar Green	Forward	United States	Morehead State
3	39	Lloyd Kerr	Guard	United States	Colorado State
4	41	Dennis Stewart	Forward	United States	Michigan
5	58	Rich Jones	Forward	United States	Memphis
6	72	Dan Sadlier	Forward	United States	Dayton
7	86	Bill Sweek	Guard	United States	UCLA
8	100	Bob Edwards	Center	United States	Arizona State
9	14	Steve Jennings	Guard	United States	USC
10	128	Rich Abrahamson	Guard	United States	Oregon
11	142	Fred Lind	Forward	United States	Duke
12	156	Bob Miller	Forward	United States	Toledo
13	169	Andy White	Guard	United States	UTEP
14	180	Marv Schmidt	Guard	United States	Western New Mexico
15	189	Bob Beamon	Guard	United States	UTEP
16	195	Wayne Huckel	Guard	United States	Davidson
17	201	Howie Dickenman	Center	United States	Central Connecticut
18	207	Al Nuness	Guard	United States	Minnesota
19	212	Solomon Davis	Forward	United States	Kentucky State
20	216	Jim Plump	Forward	United States	Northern Arizona

Close

Prior to the inception of the NBA draft lottery, the first pick in the draft was decided by a coin flip between the teams with the worst record in the league's two divisions. The NBA's two expansion teams from 1968, the Suns (16–66) and the Milwaukee Bucks (27–55), finished last in the Western Division and Eastern Division, respectively. Prior to the flip, Suns general manager Jerry Colangelo chose "heads", losing the first pick to the Bucks when the coin landed "tails".^[1] According to Jerry Colangelo, the coin flip originally landed on heads from what he heard on the phone, but then-commissioner J. Walter Kennedy flip the coin onto his hand to showcase tails instead.^[2] The Bucks would select prized UCLA center Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) with the first pick. Alcindor, in three years at UCLA, led the Bruins to three national championships and an 88–2 record. Considered by many to be the greatest college basketball player of all-time,^[3][4][5] Abdul-Jabbar would lead the Bucks to a championship in just his second season, and would eventually win six Most Valuable Player awards, six NBA Championships, and retire as the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

The Suns would use the second pick to select center Neal Walk from Florida. Walk averaged 25.2 points and 18.4 rebounds per game in his final two seasons with the Gators.^[6] Walk would play five seasons with the Suns before being traded to the New Orleans Jazz in 1974. While overshadowed by Abdul-Jabbar, Walk was productive for the Suns, averaging a double-double in two consecutive seasons (20.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in 1972–73 and 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in 1973–74).^[7] The only other draft pick who played for the franchise was Lamar Green, who, like Walk, would play five seasons with the Suns before being drafted by the Jazz in the 1974 Expansion Draft. "Leapin' Lamar" was known for his vertical leap and rebounding ability,^[8] averaging a career high 9.3 rebounds per game in 1972–73 while playing 25.6 minutes a game.^[9] In the fifteenth round, the Suns selected Bob Beamon, a famous track and field athlete who broke Jesse Owens' 25-year world record in the long jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics.^[10]

Free agency

Despite losing the number one draft pick to the Bucks, the Suns would win another significant coin flip. The Suns bested the Seattle SuperSonics for the rights to ABA star Connie Hawkins. In his freshman year with Iowa, Hawkins was implicated, without evidence, in a point shaving scandal, which led to his expulsion from the university. While eligible, Hawkins went undrafted in the 1964, 1965 and 1966 NBA drafts, before being officially barred from the league.^[11] Hawkins would star in the upstart American Basketball League (ABL), winning the Most Valuable Player Award in the ABL's inaugural 1961–62 season.^[12] Hawkins would then spend four years with the Harlem Globetrotters, before joining the Pittsburgh Pipers of the upstart American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967. Hawkins led the league in scoring, while leading the Pipers to the first ABA championship, and receiving the ABA's first Most Valuable Player Award in 1968.^[13] In 1966, Hawkins' attorneys filed a $6 million anti-trust lawsuit against the NBA. In 1969, a Time Magazine article absolved Hawkins from involvement in the point shaving scandal, leading the NBA to pay a $1.3 million settlement and allow Hawkins into the league.^[14] "The Hawk" would become the Suns first official star, making the All-NBA First Team in 1970, and appearing in four consecutive All-Star Games. On November 19, 1976, Hawkins became the first player in Suns franchise history to have his number retired.^[15] On September 11, 1969, the Suns waived swingman Bob Warlick. Warlick would sign as a free agent with the Los Angeles Stars of the ABA.^[16] On October 1, 1969, Dave "Big Daddy D" Lattin was waived. Lattin would later sign with the Pittsburgh Condors of the ABA.^[17]

Trades

On May 8, 1969, the Suns traded Gary Gregor to the Atlanta Hawks for Paul Silas. Gregor, the Suns first draft pick, was named to the All-Rookie Team in 1969 after averaging 11.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.^[18] Silas would join Connie Hawkins and Jim Fox to form a formidable starting frontcourt that would combine to average over 50 points and 29 rebounds a game. As a Sun, Silas would become an All-Star, and be selected to two All-Defensive teams.^[19] The Suns also traded the rights to expansion draft picks Bill Melchionni and Bumper Tormohlen for a 1970 second-round draft pick (Joe DePre) and a 1970 third-round draft pick (Vann Williford). Neither pick would play for the franchise.^[20]

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Team-by-team results

Game log

All-Star

• Connie Hawkins was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. Hawkins led all Western Conference forwards in voting. It was his first All-Star selection in the NBA.
• Dick Van Arsdale was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his second consecutive All-Star selection.

Season

• Connie Hawkins was named to the All-NBA First Team. Hawkins also finished fifth in MVP voting.

Season

* – Stats with the Suns.
^ – Minimum 70 games played.

Playoffs

Trades

May 8, 1969	To Atlanta Hawks Gary Gregor	To Phoenix Suns Paul Silas
September 13, 1969	To Philadelphia 76ers Bill Melchionni	To Phoenix Suns 1970 second-round draft pick ( Joe DePre)
September 20, 1969	To Atlanta Hawks Bumper Tormohlen	To Phoenix Suns 1970 third-round draft pick ( Vann Williford)
October 26, 1969	To Seattle SuperSonics Dick Snyder	To Phoenix Suns Art Harris

Free agents