The 1986 NBA Draft was held on June 17, 1986.
Overview and aftermath[]
Drug and health issues involving drafted players[]
There were various drug-related problems that plagued players in the 1986 NBA draft. Most notable was the death of highly-touted Len Bias. Bias died less than two days after being selected second overall by the defending champion Boston Celtics. His death was ruled an overdose that resulted from the abuse of cocaine. Other problems involving drugs hampered the careers of Chris Washburn, Roy Tarpley, and William Bedford.
The top overall pick, Brad Daugherty, did not have drug issues but nonetheless saw his career end at age 28, after five All-Star appearances, due to chronic back problems.
Successful second-round players[]
While a number of first-round selections were unable to make an impact in the league, this draft did feature a number of talented second-round selections. Mark Price, Dennis Rodman, Kevin Duckworth, and Jeff Hornacek all went on to have successful careers, and each made the NBA All-Star Game.
International draftees[]
This draft contained two exceptional international players, both of whom had shortened careers for unusual reasons. Third-round selection Dražen Petrović was coming off an All-Star caliber fourth season when he was killed in an automobile accident in 1993. He has since been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. The other, Arvydas Sabonis, was not permitted to play in the United States because of the dangerous political climate in the Soviet Union. He won gold and bronze Olympic medals in 1988 (USSR), and in 1992 (Lithuania). After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Sabonis had a very successful career in Europe before finally joining the Portland Trail Blazers in 1995. Sabonis had lost much of his mobility by the time he joined the team because of a string of knee and Achilles tendon injuries. He finished second in both the Sixth Man Award and Rookie of the Year voting. He played seven seasons with Portland before returning to his homeland of Lithuania where he finished his career. Sabonis will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2011.
Other draftee contributions to the game[]
This draft is also known for the number of players who made important contributions to the sport of basketball outside of the court. For example, Nate McMillan had a highly successful run with the Seattle SuperSonics as a player and then as head coach before taking his current job with the Portland Trail Blazers, Scott Skiles was the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and also the first coach to lead the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs in the post-Jordan era. John Salley won four championship rings with three different NBA teams (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers) before becoming one of the hosts of The Best Damn Sports Show Period on Fox Sports Network. Jay Bilas is an ESPN college basketball analyst.
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for (an) All-Star Game(s) and (an) All-NBA Team(s) |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for (an) All-Star Game(s) |
| x | Denotes player who has been selected for (an) All-NBA Team(s) |
Round one[]
* compensation for draft choices traded away by Ted Stepien
Round two[]
Round three[]
| Pick | Player | Nationality | NBA Team | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Forrest McKenzie |  United States
|
San Antonio Spurs | Loyola Marymount |
| 49 | Juden Smith | United States
|
Portland Trail Blazers | UTEP |
| 50 | Kevin Henderson | United States
|
Cleveland Cavaliers | Cal State Fullerton |
| 51 | Mike Williams | United States
|
Golden State Warriors | Bradley |
| 52 | Ricky Wilson | United States
|
Chicago Bulls | George Mason |
| 53 | Tod Murphy | United States
|
Seattle SuperSonics | UC Irvine |
| 54 | Dwayne Polee | United States
|
L.A. Clippers | Pepperdine |
| 55 | Kenny Gattison | United States
|
Phoenix Suns | Old Dominion |
| 56 | Keith Colbert | United States
|
Philadelphia 76ers | Virginia Tech |
| 57 | Bruce Douglas | United States
|
Sacramento Kings | Illinois |
| 58 | David Henderson | United States
|
Washington Bullets | Duke |
| 59 | Wendell Alexis | United States
|
Golden State Warriors | Syracuse |
| 60 | Dražen Petrović^ | Template:YUG (  Croatia)
|
Portland Trail Blazers | Cibona Zagreb (Yugoslavia) |
| 61 | John Shasky | United States
|
Utah Jazz | Minnesota |
| 62 | Anthony Welch | United States
|
Dallas Mavericks | Illinois |
| 63 | Bill Breeding | United States
|
Utah Jazz | Rocky Mountain |
| 64 | Don Redden | United States
|
Denver Nuggets | LSU |
| 65 | Dave Hoppen | United States
|
Atlanta Hawks | Nebraska |
| 66 | Anthony Bowie | United States
|
Houston Rockets | Oklahoma |
| 67 | Ron Rowan | United States
|
Philadelphia 76ers | St. John's |
| 68 | Baskerville Holmes | United States
|
Milwaukee Bucks | Memphis State |
| 69 | Andre Turner | United States
|
Los Angeles Lakers | Memphis State |
| 70 | Jim Les | United States
|
Atlanta Hawks | Bradley |
Fourth round[]
| Pick | Player | School | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calvin Thompson | Kansas | New York Knicks |
| 2 | Derrick Taylor | LSU | Indiana Pacers |
| 3 | Warren Martin | North Carolina | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 4 | Scott Meents | Illinois | Chicago Bulls |
| 5 | Dan Bingenheimer | Missouri | Golden State Warriors |
| 6 | Michael Graham | Georgetown | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 7 | Grant Gondrezick | Pepperdine | Phoenix Suns |
| 8 | John Brownlee | Texas | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 9 | Carlos Briggs | Baylor | San Antonio Spurs |
| 10 | Alvin Franklin | Houston | Sacramento Kings |
| 11 | Steve Hale | North Carolina | New Jersey Nets |
| 12 | Barry Mungar | St. Bonaventure | Washington Bullets |
| 13 | David Shaffer | Florida State | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 14 | Marty Embry | DePaul | Utah Jazz |
| 15 | Myron Jackson | Arkansas–Little Rock | Dallas Mavericks |
| 16 | Chauncey Robinson | Mississippi State | Detroit Pistons |
| 17 | Anthony Watson | San Diego State | Denver Nuggets |
| 18 | Efrem Winters | Illinois | Atlanta Hawks |
| 19 | Conner Henry | UC Santa Barbara | Houston Rockets |
| 20 | Wes Stallings | East Tennessee State | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 21 | Bob Beecher | Virginia Tech | Sacramento Kings |
| 22 | Dale Blaney | West Virginia | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 23 | Tony Benford | Texas Tech | Boston Celtics |
Fifth round[]
Sixth Round[]
| Pick | Player | School | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Butch Wade | Michigan | New York Knicks |
| 2 | Jeff Hall | Louisville | Indiana Pacers |
| 3 | Gilbert Wilburn | New Mexico State | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 4 | Pete Myers | Arkansas–Little Rock | Chicago Bulls |
| 5 | Bobby Lee Hurt | Alabama | Golden State Warriors |
| 6 | Curtis Kitchen | South Florida | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 7 | Jim McCaffrey | Holy Cross | Phoenix Suns |
| 8 | Tim Kempton | Notre Dame | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 9 | Kevin Lewis | SMU | San Antonio Spurs |
| 10 | John Flowers | UNLV | Sacramento Kings |
| 11 | Troy Webster | George Washington | New Jersey Nets |
| 12 | Lorenzo Duncan | Sam Houston State | Washington Bullets |
| 13 | Tony Hampton | Montana State | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 14 | Chuck Everson | Villanova | Utah Jazz |
| 15 | Greg Anderson | Lamar | Dallas Mavericks |
| 16 | Greg Grant | Utah State | Detroit Pistons |
| 17 | Anthony Frederick | Pepperdine | Denver Nuggets |
| 18 | Alexander Volkov | Kiev Institute (USSR) | Atlanta Hawks |
| 19 | Robert Worthy | Dyke (Ohio) | Houston Rockets |
| 20 | Andre McCloud | Seton Hall | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 21 | John Kimbrell | David Lipscomb (Tenn.) | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 22 | Walter Downing | Marquette | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 23 | Greg Wendt | Detroit | Boston Celtics |