1986 NBA draft
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The 1986 NBA Draft is perhaps most notable for the drug-related death of highly-touted Len Bias less than two days after being selected second overall by the defending champion Boston Celtics. Drug problems also hampered the careers of Chris Washburn (3) and Roy Tarpley (7). The problems of these lottery picks have given this draft the unusual quality of having more second-round selections who have gone on to become All Stars (Mark Price, Dennis Rodman, Kevin Duckworth, and Jeff Hornacek) than first-round selections who have done the same (Brad Daugherty). Also, two members of this draft are currently head coaches in the NBA (Larry Krystkowiak and Nate McMillan). A third, Scott Skiles, was let go during the 2007-08 season.
This draft contained two exceptional international players, both of whom played short careers for unusual reasons, and both were drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers.
- Third-round selection Drazen Petrovic 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.
- Arvydas Sabonis (24) was not permitted to play in the U.S. due to the political climate in the Soviet Union at the time. He won gold and bronze Olympic medals in 1988 (USSR) and 1992 (Lithuania). After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, Sabonis had a very successful career in Europe before finally coming to the Trail Blazers in 1995 and finishing second in both Sixth Man Award and Rookie of the Year voting. He played seven solid seasons with Portland before returning to his homeland of Lithuania to finish his career.
Round one
| = All-Star | |
| = Hall of Fame |
* compensation for draft choices traded away by Ted Stepien
Round two
Round three
Round four
| Pick | Player | Nationality | NBA Team | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Calvin Thompson |  United States
|
New York Knicks | Kansas |
| 72 | Derrick Taylor | United States
|
Indiana Pacers | LSU |
| 73 | Warren Martin | United States
|
Cleveland Cavaliers | North Carolina |
| 74 | Scott Meents | United States
|
Chicago Bulls | Illinois |
| 75 | Dan Bingenheimer | United States
|
Golden State Warriors | Missouri |
| 76 | Michael Graham | United States
|
Seattle Supersonics | Georgetown |
- 77. Grant Gondrezick Pepperdine Phoenix
- 78. John Brownlee Texas LA Clippers
- 79. Carlos Briggs Baylor San Antonio
- 80. Alvin Franklin Houston Sacramento
- 81. Steve Hale North Carolina New Jersey
- 82. Barry Mungar St. Bonaventure Washington
- 83. David Shaffer Florida State Portland
- 84. Marty Embry DePaul Utah
- 85. Myron Jackson Arkansas-Little Rock Dallas
- 86. Chauncey Robinson Mississippi State Detroit
- 87. Anthony Watson San Diego State Denver
- 88. Efrem Winters Illinois Atlanta
- 89. Conner Henry UC Santa Barbara Houston
- 90. Wes Stallings East Tennessee State Philadelphia
- 91. Bob Beecher Virginia Tech Sacramento
- 92. Dale Blaney West Virginia LA Lakers
- 93. Tony Benford Texas Tech Boston
Round five
- 94. Jerome Mincy UAB New York
- 95. Richard Rellford Michigan Indiana
- 96. Ben Davis Gardner-Webb Cleveland
- 97. Clinton Smith Cleveland State Golden State
- 98. Jimmy Gilbert Texas A&M Chicago
- 99. Dominic Pressley Boston College Seattle
- 100. Steffond Johnson San Diego State LA Clippers
- 101. Greg Spurling Carson-Newman Phoenix
- 102. Earl Kelley Connecticut San Antonio
- 103. Keith Morrison Washington State Sacramento
- 104. Paul Fortier Washington Washington
- 105. Archie Johnson UAB New Jersey
- 106. Jerry Adams Oregon Portland
- 107. Kerry Boagni Cal State Fullerton Utah
- 108. Jay Bilas Duke Dallas
- 109. Clarence Hanley Old Dominion Detroit
- 110. Jon Collins Eastern Illinois Denver
- 111. Nicky Jones Virginia Commonwealth Atlanta
- 112. Andre Banks Iowa Houston
- 113. Kevin Holmes DePaul Philadelphia
- 114. Bobby Deaton Southwestern (TX) Milwaukee
- 115. Roger Harden Kentucky LA Lakers
- 116. Dave Colbert Dayton Boston
Round six
- 117. Butch Wade Michigan New York
- 118. Jeff Hall Louisville Indiana
- 119. Gilbert Wilburn New Mexico State Cleveland
- 120. Pete Myers Arkansas-Little Rock Chicago
- 121. Bobby Lee Hurt Alabama Golden State
- 122. Curtis Kitchen South Florida Seattle
- 123. Jim McCaffrey Holy Cross Phoenix
- 124. Tim Kempton Notre Dame LA Clippers
- 125. Kevin Lewis SMU San Antonio
- 126. John Flowers UNLV Sacramento
- 127. Troy Webster George Washington New Jersey
- 128. Lorenzo Duncan Sam Houston State Washington
- 129. Tony Hampton Montana State Portland
- 130. Chuck Everson Villanova Utah
- 131. Greg Anderson Lamar Dallas
- 132. Greg Grant Utah State Detroit
- 133. Anthony Frederick Pepperdine Denver
- 134. Alexander Volkov USSR Atlanta
- 135. Robert Worthy Dyke (OH) Houston
- 136. Andre McCloud Seton Hall Philadelphia
- 137. John Kimbrell David Lipscomb Milwaukee
- 138. Walter Downing Marquette LA Lakers
- 139. Greg Wendt Detroit Boston
Round seven
- 140. Duane Kendall South Carolina New York
- 141. Steve Woodside Oregon State Indiana
- 142. Ralph Dalton Georgetown Cleveland
- 143. Steve Kenilvort Santa Clara Golden State
- 144. Robert Henderson Michigan Chicago
- 145. Glen McCants Clemson Seattle
- 146. Johnny Brown New Mexico LA Clippers
- 147. Damon Goodwin Dayton Phoenix
- 148. Michael Anderson Pan American San Antonio
- 149. Ron Rankin SE Missouri State Sacramento
- 150. Joe Price Notre Dame Washington
- 151. Jim Dolan Notre Dame New Jersey
- 152. Randy Schiff Linfield Portland
- 153. Mark Mitchell Hartford Utah
- 154. Kim Cooksey Middle Tennessee State Dallas
- 155. Larry Polec Michigan State Detroit
- 156. Mike Marshall McNeese State Denver
- 157. Valery Tikhonenko USSR Atlanta
- 158. Rick Olson Wisconsin Houston
- 159. Dan Palombizio Ball State Philadelphia
- 160. Jeff Strong Missouri Milwaukee
- 161. Mark Coleman Mississippi Valley St LA Lakers
- 162. Tom Ivey Boston U Boston
Draft trivia
- This draft is known as one of the worst in draft history. University of Maryland star Len Bias died (drug overdose) two days after being drafted. Chris Washburn (3rd pick by the Warriors) was another drug-related disappointment with an indifferent attitude toward the game. Roy Tarpley failed multiple drug tests and is still holding out for NBA reinstatement. Len Bias' death sparked a worldwide drug prevention campaign.
- Despite (or rather because of) the disappointments in the first round, this may be one of the few drafts where more quality players were actually chosen in the second round, or even later. Mark Price and Jeff Hornacek developed into premier backcourt players during the 1990s, while Dennis Rodman was a highly regarded defensive player who became one of the greatest rebounders in history and played a major role on both the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls championship teams. Nate McMillan, Kevin Duckworth, Kenny Walker, Johnny Newman and David Wingate also had long, productive careers. Dražen Petrović, selected in the third round, died in an auto accident in 1993 after a breakout season which put him on the brink of NBA stardom.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers had by far the best draft, landing Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and Ron Harper. Price and Daugherty would make numerous All-Star appearances, while all three became starters for the Cavaliers and were core members on a team that would make strong playoff appearances throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although Harper was never an All-Star, he was one of the most respected guards of his generation and was a part of five championship teams (the last three Bulls championship teams of the Michael Jordan era, and the first two Los Angeles Lakers championship teams to feature Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal).
- The draft pick that landed Ron Harper had been granted by the league to the Cavaliers after their previous owner, Ted Stepien, traded away a number of first-round picks earlier in the decade, a practice subsequently outlawed by the NBA.
- This draft is also known for the number of players who made important contributions to the sport of basketball apart from playing. For example, Nate McMillan had a highly successful run with the Sonics as head coach before taking his current job with the Portland Trail Blazers, Scott Skiles is a former coach of the Chicago Bulls and first coach to lead them to the playoffs in the post-Jordan era, and Larry Krystkowiak is currently coaching the Milwaukee Bucks. Jay Bilas, picked in the fifth round, is an analyst for the NBA Draft and college basketball.
- Arvydas Sabonis did not join the Blazers in 1986; he would finally join the team in 1995, shortly before his 31st birthday. By that time, he had lost much of his mobility due to a string of knee and Achilles tendon injuries.