The Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball team, representing Texas Tech University, has had 23 players drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) since the league began holding drafts in 1947. Tony Battie, taken fifth overall in the 1997 draft, was Texas Tech's only player drafted in the first round until Zhaire Smith was selected 16th overall in the 2018 draft. The Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) have drafted 3 Red Raiders, more than any other NBA franchise.

Each NBA franchise seeks to add new players through an annual draft. The NBA uses a draft lottery to determine the first three picks of the NBA draft; the 14 teams that did not make the playoffs the previous year are eligible to participate. After the first three picks are decided, the rest of the teams pick in reverse order of their win–loss record. To be eligible for the NBA draft, a player in the United States must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class. From 1967 until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, the American Basketball Association (ABA) held its own draft.

Drafts

American Basketball Association Year Round Pick Overall Player Position ABA teamThis is the team that drafted the player, not their most recent team. Notes 1971 — — — Gene Knolle was drafted in the 1971 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and in the 1971 AFA draft by the Dallas Chaparrals. Dallas Chaparrals —

National Basketball Association

Year Round Pick Overall Player Position NBA teamThis is the team that drafted the player, not their most recent team. Notes 1947 — — — New York Knicks — 1953 — — — Baltimore Bullets — 1956 — — — Rochester Royals — 1956 — — — St. Louis Hawks — 1959 8 4 57 Minneapolis Lakers — 1962 3 4 20 Detroit Pistons — 1971 7 3 105 Portland Trail Blazers — 1972 15 5 192 Chicago Bulls — 1975 6 11 101 Houston Rockets — 1976 4 6 57 New York Knicks — 1978 3 8 52 Kansas City Kings — 1979 3 6 50 New York Knicks — 1980 10 13 212 Seattle SuperSonics — 1982 2 19 42 Houston Rockets — 1982 5 18 110 Seattle SuperSonics — 1985 4 16 86 Dallas Mavericks — 1985 6 21 137 Milwaukee Bucks — 1986 4 23 93 Boston Celtics — 1995 2 19 48 Minnesota Timberwolves — 1996 2 12 41 Sacramento Kings — 1997 1 5 5 Denver Nuggets — 1998 2 20 49 Atlanta Hawks — 2004 2 6 35 Seattle SuperSonics — 2018 1 16 16 Phoenix Suns — 2019 1 6 6 Phoenix Suns — 2020 2 12 42 Sacramento Kings —

Notes

References

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