1995 NBA expansion draft

The 1995 NBA Expansion Draft was the tenth expansion draft in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 24, 1995, so that the newly founded Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies could acquire players for the upcoming 1995–96 season. Toronto was awarded an expansion team on September 30, 1993,[1] while Vancouver was awarded the league's 29th franchise on April 27, 1994.[2] They were the first NBA teams based in Canada since the 1946–47 season Toronto Huskies.[1]

1995 NBA Expansion draft
General information
SportBasketball
Date(s)June 24, 1995
Overview
LeagueNBA
Expansion teamsToronto Raptors
Vancouver Grizzlies
Expansion season1995–96 NBA season
First selectionB. J. Armstrong

In an NBA expansion draft, new NBA teams are allowed to acquire players from the previously established teams in the league. Not all players on a given team are available during an expansion draft, since each team can protect a certain number of players from being selected. In this draft, each of the twenty-seven other NBA teams had protected eight players from their roster, and the Raptors and the Grizzlies selected fourteen and thirteen unprotected players respectively, one from each team.

Prior to the draft, the league conducted a coin flip between the Raptors and the Grizzlies to decide their draft order in this expansion draft and in the 1995 NBA draft. The Grizzlies won the coin flip and chose to have the higher pick in the 1995 Draft, allowing the Raptors to receive the first selection and the right to select fourteen players in the expansion draft.[2]

The Raptors were formed and owned by a group headed by Toronto businessman John Bitove. Brendan Malone was hired as the franchise's first head coach. The Raptors used their first pick to select three-time NBA champion B. J. Armstrong from the Chicago Bulls. However, Armstrong refused to report for training and was traded to the Golden State Warriors for five other players. The Raptors' other selections included four-time NBA champion John Salley and six other former first-round picks, Doug Smith, Willie Anderson, Ed Pinckney, Acie Earl, B. J. Tyler and Oliver Miller. Seven players from the expansion draft joined the Raptors for their inaugural season, but only Miller, Earl and Žan Tabak played more than one season for the team. Tabak and Andrés Guibert were the only international players in the draft.

The Grizzlies were formed and owned by Vancouver sports magnate Arthur Griffiths. Former Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Brian Winters was hired as the franchise's first head coach. The Grizzlies used their first pick to select former first-round pick Greg Anthony from the New York Knicks. The Grizzlies' other selections included three-time NBA champion Byron Scott and three other former first-round picks, Benoit Benjamin, Doug Edwards and Blue Edwards. On draft day, the Grizzlies acquired a second-round draft pick from the Orlando Magic in exchange for selecting Rodney Dent, who had never played in the NBA.[3] Eight players from the expansion draft joined the Grizzlies for their inaugural season, but only Anthony and Blue Edwards played more than one season for the team.

Key
Pos.GFC
PositionGuardForwardCenter
+ Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game
# Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game

Selections
Byron Scott was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies from the Indiana Pacers with the 18th pick.
John Salley was selected by the Toronto Raptors from the Miami Heat with the 25th pick.
Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team Previous team NBA years[a] Career with the franchise[b] Ref.
1 B. J. Armstrong+ G  United States Toronto Raptors Chicago Bulls 6 —[c] [4]
2 Greg Anthony G  United States Vancouver Grizzlies New York Knicks 4 1995–1997 [5]
3 Tony Massenburg F  United States Toronto Raptors Los Angeles Clippers 3 1995–1996 [6]
4 Rodney Dent#[A] F  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Orlando Magic 0[d] —[c] [7]
5 Andrés Guibert F/C  Cuba[e] Toronto Raptors Minnesota Timberwolves 2 —[c] [8]
6 Antonio Harvey F/C  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Los Angeles Lakers 2 1995 [9]
7 Keith Jennings G  United States Toronto Raptors Golden State Warriors 3 —[c] [10]
8 Reggie Slater F  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Denver Nuggets 1 —[c] [11]
9 Dontonio Wingfield F  United States Toronto Raptors Seattle SuperSonics 1 —[c] [12]
10 Trevor Ruffin G  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Phoenix Suns 1 —[c] [13]
11 Doug Smith F  United States Toronto Raptors Dallas Mavericks 4 —[c] [14]
12 Derrick Phelps G  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Sacramento Kings 1 —[c] [15]
13 Jerome Kersey F  United States Toronto Raptors Portland Trail Blazers 11 —[c] [16]
14 Larry Stewart F  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Washington Bullets 4 —[c] [17]
15 Žan Tabak C  Croatia[f] Toronto Raptors Houston Rockets 1 1995–1998 [18]
16 Kenny Gattison F/C  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Charlotte Hornets 8 1995–1996 [19]
17 Willie Anderson G/F  United States Toronto Raptors San Antonio Spurs 7 1995–1996 [20]
18 Byron Scott G  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Indiana Pacers 12 1995–1996 [21]
19 Ed Pinckney F  United States Toronto Raptors Milwaukee Bucks 10 1995–1996 [22]
20 Gerald Wilkins G/F  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Cleveland Cavaliers 9 1995–1996 [23]
21 Acie Earl F/C  United States Toronto Raptors Boston Celtics 2 1995–1997 [24]
22 Benoit Benjamin C  United States Vancouver Grizzlies New Jersey Nets 10 1995 [25]
23 B. J. Tyler G  United States Toronto Raptors Philadelphia 76ers 1 —[c] [26]
24 Doug Edwards F  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Atlanta Hawks 2 1995–1996 [27]
25 John Salley F/C  United States Toronto Raptors Miami Heat 9 1995–1996 [28]
26 Blue Edwards G/F  United States Vancouver Grizzlies Utah Jazz 6 1995–1998 [29]
27 Oliver Miller C  United States Toronto Raptors Detroit Pistons 3 1995–1996; 1997–1998 [30]

Notes

Trades

Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of future draft picks between the teams, along with a particular agreement in the expansion draft.

References
General
  • "NBA Expansion Drafts: Results". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  • "All-Time NBA Expansion Draft Results". NBA.com/Bobcats. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 16, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  • "1995 NBA Expansion Draft". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
Specific
  1. "Laying the Groundwork for the NBA in Toronto". NBA.com/Raptors. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  2. "The NBA Settles North of the Border". NBA.com/Grizzlies. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  3. "Memphis Grizzlies 2009–10 Media Guide (pg. 119)" (PDF). NBA.com/Grizzlies. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-09. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  4. "B.J. Armstrong Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  5. "Greg Anthony Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  6. "Tony Massenburg Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  7. Heisler, Mark (June 25, 1995). "Armstrong Becomes Top Expansion Pick". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  8. "Andres Guibert Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  9. "Antonio Harvey Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  10. "Keith Jennings Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  11. "Reggie Slater Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  12. "Dontonio Wingfield Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  13. "Trevor Ruffin Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  14. "Doug Smith Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  15. "Derrick Phelps Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  16. "Jerome Kersey Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  17. "Larry Stewart Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  18. "Žan Tabak Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  19. "Kenny Gattison Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  20. "Willie Anderson Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  21. "Byron Scott Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 6 September 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  22. "Ed Pinckney Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  23. "Gerald Wilkins Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  24. "Acie Earl Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  25. "Benoit Benjamin Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  26. "B.J. Tyler Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  27. "Doug Edwards Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  28. "John Salley Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  29. "Blue Edwards Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  30. "Oliver Miller Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  31. Araton, Harvey (August 14, 1994). "Defecting Cuban Finds Invisible Barrier Tallest". The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
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