Team Protesting The Length of the Draft Made Some Unbelievably Weird Picks

Published on July 11th, 2023 4:25 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The NBA Draft used to be incredibly long.

In 1977, for instance, 170 players were taken over a total of 8 rounds.

Many teams thought that this was ridiculous, and that the draft was far too long and should be shortened.

Due to the number of picks all teams could make, "joke" picks were made in an effort to show how ridiculous the length of the draft was.

Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, for instance, were particularly upset that the draft wasn't shorter.

This led to some ridiculously crazy picks being made in the 1977 Draft.

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The fun started in the seventh round, when the New Orleans Jazz took Lusia Harris with their 137th overall pick.

There were a few problems with this pick:

1. Lusia Harris was a woman.

2. Lusia Harris didn't want to play in the NBA.

3. Lusia Harris was pregnant.

The Kansas City Kings took Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce Jenner) in the seventh round as well, and there were a few problems with this pick:

1. Caitlyn Jenner was an Olympic athlete.

2. Caitlyn Jenner hadn't played basketball since high school.

3. Caitlyn Jenner wasn't interested in playing in the NBA.

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Later in the draft is when things got really strange.

1. The Boston Celtics drafted a water boy.

2. The Los Angeles Lakers tried to draft Scooby Doo.

3. The Los Angeles Lakers tried to draft a chair. That's right - a wooden chair.

The two Lakers picks were both rejected by the NBA, which was clearly starting to get tired of the "joke" picks.

Sorry - no Scooby Doo in the NBA.

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Despite the protest, the NBA wouldn't shorten the number of rounds in the Draft until 1989.