Was the 1986 NBA Draft Cursed?

[00:00:00] When we think about the NBA Draft, it's an exciting time where the future and the possibilities are endless. Everyone's hoping for that next superstar to change their team. But the 1968 Draft is known as being a cursed draft because two players' career would be ended by death and three others due to drug use.

[00:00:22] As this was the time when the NBA was really struggling with cocaine, they had added tougher policies which meant players couldn't just get away with it. And it ended more careers than we could count. Today we're going to dive into the 1986 NBA Draft and why was it cursed? Let's go!

[00:00:48] Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide because I don't date during the playoffs. So the 1986 NBA Draft happened on June 17th and it was a unique draft from the onset. See, the number one pick actually won by the Philadelphia 76ers who were actually a pretty good team at the time.

[00:01:12] They had Charles Barkley, Moses Malone, Bob McAdoo, Maurice Cheeks, and Dr. J on their team. Even though everyone but Barkley was getting older, they were still a really good team. They really weren't looking to reboot. And even though they won the lottery and were able to get the number one pick, they didn't want to keep it. Actually, they traded it to the LA Clippers, who then traded it to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

[00:01:37] So right away, this number one pick had been moved around and Cleveland needed a fresh start. And they drafted Brad Doherty, a player that would really change their franchise. He would be a five-time All-Star. They also got lucky with the first pick in the second round, drafting Mark Price. And these two players would make them a playoff team for multiple years. Both would be All-Stars and they made a great one-two combo.

[00:02:02] But injuries derailed Brad Doherty's career and they just were never the same. And they eventually fell off until they drafted this young kid out of Akron in 2003 that, you know, I guess changed their team forever. The story really begins why this draft is cursed with the second pick. Boston Celtics had gotten this pick. They got it from the Seattle Supersonics through some trades and it was crazy. They had the number two pick.

[00:02:28] They were the NBA champions, won 67 games, had a three-headed monster in Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish. And great role players in Danny Ainge and Bill Walton. There was no reason they should be getting a number one pick. But they were. And it was a chance for them to really get ready for the end of the Bird era and transition to a new team.

[00:02:51] And in comes Lynn Bias out of Maryland who was 6'8 and looked to be a great replacement for Larry Bird when he was ready to hang it up. He was an All-American, the ACC Player of the Year, and he was explosive and athletic. And a lot of people compared him to Michael Jordan. But we never really got to see that. He got to see the excitement of being the number two pick.

[00:03:16] Got to get his jersey, go visit the team, sign a shoe deal with Reebok, and then head home and celebrate with his friends. And that's where the story ends. He met up with some friends and a lot of them were partying and doing cocaine. And Lynn, who had never done it before, tried it. And within hours, 911 was called because Lynn was no longer breathing and unconscious.

[00:03:42] Despite all attempts to revive him and restart his heart, not. And he passed away just two days after being the number two pick. The ultimate high in just one drug use killed him. It's a sad story and it really set the Celtics back. So excited to have this new young player who could boost their team and lead them to a new era. Larry Bird even says he would have retired five years earlier if Lynn never died. But we can't stop that.

[00:04:11] And sadly, cocaine becomes a theme in this draft. As a number three pick in the 1968 draft, the Golden State Warriors selected center Chris Washburn out of Golden State. Now Chris wasn't squeaky clean. He had actually been suspended from North Carolina State for stealing stereos. And was sentenced to jail for 46 hours. And had a five year suspended sentence. And five years of probation. So he was not squeaky clean.

[00:04:39] But he was a big center that could move. And Golden State thought they had gotten someone special. But within his first year, Chris got hooked on cocaine. So much so that he would be doing it every single day. Even during practice. During games. And it changed his career. And within one year, he would be checked into rehab. And then traded to the Atlanta Hawks. And would fizzle out after just three years in the league.

[00:05:08] And be in and out of rehab for multiple years. He only ended up playing 72 games in over two seasons. Averaging three points and two rebounds. But he wasn't the only one to have this tale. Roy Tarpley was the number seven pick by the Dallas Mavericks. He was a center from Michigan who was very raw. But was able to become the Big Ten Player of the Year. And become a double-double machine. But just like Chris, got involved in drugs.

[00:05:36] And he would get arrested for a DWI and resisting arrest. And be suspended by the league for substance abuse. And he would be suspended two more times. And at that time, there was a three strikes and you're out policy. And he was out. Banned from the NBA forever. He would go on to play in Europe for multiple years. And actually become an all-star over there. But was really forgotten. Never had the chance to reach his total potential. Because he had some great skills.

[00:06:04] As he won the NBA sixth man of the year. Averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds in 1988. And would help the team go to the Western Conference Finals. But he just wasn't focused on basketball. Drugs overtook him. And unfortunately, in 2015, he would die at the age of 50 due to liver failure. And with the number six pick in the NBA draft. Phoenix Suns selected William Bedford. A center out of Memphis.

[00:06:32] William Bedford was actually already hooked on drugs by the time he made it to the NBA. And because of that, he was able to navigate the drug policy. And get around it a lot of times. So he was never really suspended by the NBA. But they knew what was happening. And they gave him kind of an ultimatum. You can either enter a drug rehab. Or take this drug test. Which he would fail. And face a two-year suspension. He chose the latter. And for the 1988-89 season, he would be in rehab.

[00:07:00] And miss the entire season. To avoid an official suspension. And this would allow him to continue playing. And he would actually win a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 1990. And was able to play seven seasons before he would be out of the league. More so due to people not wanting to have him around. And he would go on after this because of his drug issues that everyone knew about. It was everyone in the league knew. They just don't talk about it. And he was arrested for drug possession twice.

[00:07:29] In 1996 and 1997. And in 2001 would be accused of transporting 25 pounds of marijuana in Michigan. And would get arrested two more times. And be given a 10-year prison sentence. But it seemed that was a wake-up call. And now he is out of prison and coaching basketball in Memphis. Back in his hometown. So it may have ruined his NBA career. But at least he was able to get back on the right track. Now there was one other cautionary tale.

[00:07:57] Before we end on some highlights from this draft. Now this was the one that was not marred by drug use or anything. But unfortunately his career ended with death. When he could have been a Hall of Famer for sure. And that was Drazen Petrovic. Who was selected in the third round. The 60th pick by the Portland Trailblazers. We'll talk about them again. They had an eye for international talent. But Drazen was a great player for Croatia.

[00:08:26] And dominated the European Basketball League. But the problem was. He didn't come over here for three years. Now we've seen this happen a lot. But normally when this happens. We forget about the players. They're not very good. When they come over. They're just trying to get a paycheck by that point. Usually they're more at the tail end of their career. But he was not. He was a shooter. Say could have been the best shooter of all time. If really given the chance. But he joined Portland Trailblazers in 1989. But they were a stacked team at guard.

[00:08:55] They had Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter. And Danny Young was a great reserve for them. So he was relegated to the pinch. Averaging just 7 points in 12 minutes. His first year. In the following year they added even more guard depth. Bringing in Danny Ainge. So his minutes dropped again. So Petrovic asked for a trade. He was frustrated. He's like I can't show you if I'm good. If you don't let me have the chance. He came from the European League. Where he was dominating. Playing all the time. Winning championships.

[00:09:24] Taking his teams beyond what they thought. And he comes here and they just won't play him. He was a different style. More common to what we have today. He would dominate in today's game. But they didn't do that back then. It was about defense. It was about running set plays. And the 3 was not important. So they traded him. And he would go to the New Jersey Nets. On January 23rd, 1991. Where he would take off. He and rookie Derek Coleman. Who was the number one pick that year.

[00:09:53] Made an immediate impact on the team. And the team became an instant playoff contender. He was a scoring machine. His first full year with the Nets. He would average 20 points. 3 rebounds. 3 assists. And he would up that to 22 points the following year. But after that season. The Nets would be eliminated. By Brad Doherty. And Mark Price. Of the Cleveland Cavaliers. And he would travel back to Croatia. To play with his national team. And qualify for the Euro basketball tournament.

[00:10:21] But fortunately he would be involved in a car wreck. On June 7th, 1993. Ending his career forever. And leaving us for the great question. What if he just stayed here. Or they didn't lose that basketball game. Or he was given more chance to play. Because he just had two dominant seasons. And was forgotten. Now this draft was not just without its positives. Yes, Brad Doherty was pretty good for a number one pick. Even though he did have injuries that derailed his career.

[00:10:48] But there were some quality role players in the first round. Chuck Persons. Ron Harper. John Sally. Del Curry. Steph's dad. And Scott Stiles would be taken with the 22nd pick. And he would end up with a record for the most assists in a single game. But the last pick. The number 24 pick by the Portland Trailblazers. Was a player that was another what if tale. It was Arvidas Savonis. You might recognize that name. His son currently plays in the league. Demantis Savonis.

[00:11:16] But Arvidas was huge. He was 7'3". Weighing over 300 pounds. And was a dominant force. The best comparison to him is the Joker. Djokovic. Because he was a passing machine. He saw the game better than anybody. And he could play against anybody. Problem was. He played in the Soviet Union. He dominated in the Soviet Union. Winning gold in the 88 Olympics. Would win multiple medals throughout his career.

[00:11:45] But the Soviet did not play nice with America. So it wasn't until. And he was drafted the year before. But they didn't want to go through with it. So he was up to be drafted again. And they were able to hold on to their rights. Until 1995. When he would finally sign a contract. And head over to Portland. Where he was a force. He was huge. Able to compete with the Senators. Even at his old age at the time. Average 14 points and 8 rebounds his first year.

[00:12:15] And was a presence download for the team. For multiple years. But it was a what if story. Because what if he was here during his prime. Stories about what he was like. Playing with the Soviet Union. Are legendary. And it's a what if tale. Of what could have been if he was over here before. Just a few picks after him. Was a young kid. Who was playing in a tiny school. Out of southern eastern Oklahoma State. And that was Dennis Rodman. Who was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. Would help the bad boy Pistons win a championship.

[00:12:44] Before moving on to play with Michael Jordan. And win multiple championships with him. And Scottie Pippen. Was a rebounding machine. And there was other all-stars in this draft. Kevin Duckworth and Jeff Hornacek would be drafted in the second round. There was a lot of what if stories from this draft. And unfortunately as exciting as the draft can be for the future. The future is not always bright. Sometimes there's some sadness in the future. And that 86 draft shows it. As it's the ultimate. And the question is.

[00:13:13] What if for all these players? I want to thank you for listening to today's Daily Sports History. If you like this. Please make sure you like and subscribe wherever you're listening. That way you don't miss a single episode. And come back when we'll see you on the next one.