Buffs In The NBA Timeline

Buffs in the NBA Timeline

1946
Bob Doll is drafted by St. Louis Bombers of BAA, becoming first CU player to be drafted. In 1949, the BAA will merge with the NBL to form the NBA.

1947-48
Doll averages a career-high 10.6 points per game with the St. Louis Bombers.

1955
CU All-American Burdette Haldorson is drafted 23rd overall (Round 4) by the St. Louis Hawks. Haldorson would not play in the NBA, instead having a brilliant career with the Phillips 66ers in the National Industrial Basketball League and remaining eligible to play for the 1956 and 1960 U.S. Olympic teams.

The Fort Wayne Pistons draft both Tom Harrold and Tom Mock, giving CU three players drafted in 1955.

1956
Haldorson, along with CU's Robert Jeangerard, team up with Bill Russell as the U.S. takes gold at the Olympic Games in Melbourne. Haldorson averages 8.6 points per game for the Olympics.

1960
Haldorson wins his second gold medal, averaging 2.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, as the U.S. dominates the Rome Olympics. Coached by Pete Newell, the U.S. features future NBA legends Jerry West and Oscar Robertson.

1969-70
Jim Davis has his most successful season with the Atlanta Hawks, playing in all 82 games while nearly averaging a double-double with 13.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Davis also led the NBA in personal fouls with 335.

1971
Cliff Meely becomes CU's first 1st-round pick, being selected 7th overall by the Houston Rockets. Meely also is selected in the 1st round (4th overall) by the Denver Rockets of the ABA, but plays for Houston, averaging career highs of 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in his rookie season of 1971-72.

1972-73
Chuck Williams, playing with the San Diego Conquistadors, is named an ABA All-Star. For the season, Williams led the ABA in assists (582) and assists per game (7.0), while averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game.

1973-74
Williams leads the ABA by playing in 90 games, the only player in the history of the NBA/ABA to play in 90 games in one regular season. Despite an 84-game schedule, the San Diego Conquistadors had played more games than the Kentucky Colonels at the point of the season when Williams was traded from San Diego to Kentucky.

1974
Scott Wedman becomes CU's second 1st-round pick after being selected 6th overall by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. Wedman is also selected 2nd overall by the Memphis Tams of the ABA, the highest a CU player has ever been drafted.

1974-75
Wedman is named to the NBA All-Rookie 1st Team after averaging 11.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.

Williams leads the ABA in assists for the second time in three seasons by compiling 576 while playing for the Memphis Sounds.

1975-76
Wedman becomes first CU player to be named an NBA All-Star, scoring eight points and pulling down six rebounds in the 1976 NBA All-Star Game. For the season, Wedman averages 15.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Kansas City Kings.

1976
The ABA merges with the NBA, closing the ABA record books with Williams ranking 8th in career assists (2,420) and 23rd in games played (500).

Dave Logan is drafted in the 9th round (143rd overall) by the Kansas City Kings. Logan also was drafted by the Cleveland Browns (3rd round, 65th overall) in the 1976 NFL Draft and was drafted in the 19th round by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school. Logan opted for the NFL, playing nine seasons with Cleveland and the Denver Broncos. Logan shares the distinction of being drafted in three sports with MLB hall-of-famer Dave Winfield.

1979-80
Wedman is named to the NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team and averages a career-high 19.0 points per game for the Kansas City Kings.

1980-81
Wedman averages 20.5 points per game in the 1981 NBA Playoffs, helping the fifth-seeded Kansas City Kings reach the Western Conference Finals, one of only two times since the merger that a five seed has reached the conference finals. For the season, Wedman matches his career high by averaging 19.0 points per game.

1981
CU matches its 1955 total by having three players (Joe Cooper, Jo Jo Hunter, Brian Johnson) selected in the NBA Draft.

Wedman signs as a veteran free agent with the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending his tenure with the Kansas City Kings (currently Sacramento Kings) franchise. Through the 2010-11 season, Wedman ranks 9th in franchise history in points (9,002), 4th in steals (640), 6th in minutes (18,973), 6th in field goals (3,856), 6th in field goal attempts (7,911), and 7th in games played (546).

1983-84
Wedman becomes the first Buff to win an NBA championship ring as he averages 5.2 points per game during the playoffs in helping the Boston Celtics to the title.

1984
Jay Humphries becomes CU's third 1st-round draft pick after the Phoenix Suns select him with the 13th overall pick.

1985-86
Wedman earns his second NBA championship ring with the Boston Celtics after averaging 3.8 points per game during the playoffs.

1986-87
Humphries starts all 82 games for the second consecutive season as he averages a career-high 7.7 assists per game with the Phoenix Suns.

1989-90
Humphries averages career highs of 15.3 points and 1.9 steals per game with the Milwaukee Bucks.

1991
Shaun Vandiver becomes CU's fourth 1st-round selection after the Golden State Warriors draft him with the 25th overall pick.

1992
Humphries is traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Utah Jazz. Through the 2010-11 season, Humphries ranks 5th in Bucks franchise history in both assists per game (6.0) and steals per game (1.8).

1993-94
Matt Bullard becomes the second Buff to win an NBA championship ring as he plays in 10 playoff games for the Houston Rockets en route to their first NBA title.

1997
Chauncey Billups becomes CU's fifth 1st-round draft pick and first lottery pick after the Boston Celtics select him with the 3rd overall pick. By being drafted 3rd overall, Billups is the highest NBA draft pick from CU.

1999-2000
Bullard ranks 3rd in the NBA in three-point percentage (.446) for the season.

2000-01
Bullard plays the final of his nine total seasons with the Houston Rockets. Through the 2010-11 season, Bullard ranks 4th in Houston Rockets franchise history in three-point makes (557).

2003-04
Billups is named NBA Finals MVP as he averages 21.0 points and 5.2 assists per game in leading the Detroit Pistons to a five-game series victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Billups becomes the third Buff to win an NBA title.

2004
David Harrison becomes CU's sixth 1st-round pick as the Indiana Pacers select him 29th overall.

2004-05
Billups is named to the NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team with the Detroit Pistons.

2005-06
Billups is named to the All-NBA 2nd Team and finishes 5th in NBA MVP voting after leading the Detroit Pistons to a league-best 64-18 record. Billups averages a career-high 8.6 assists in addition to 18.5 points per game, and ranked 2nd in the NBA with 699 assists.

Billups is named an NBA All-Star for the first time, becoming the second Buff to do so. Billups scores 15 points and dishes out seven assists in 16 minutes of action.

For the second straight season, Billups is named to the NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team.

For the month of January, Billups is named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

2006-07
Billups is named to the All-NBA 3rd Team, in addition to earning his second-consecutive NBA All-Star appearance as a member of the Detroit Pistons.

For the month of February, Billups is named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

2007-08
Billups is named to his third-straight NBA All-Star Game as a member of the Detroit Pistons.

Billups wins the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

2008-09
After being traded to the Denver Nuggets early in the season, Billups is named to the All-NBA 3rd Team and finishes 6th in NBA MVP voting after leading Denver to an NBA franchise-best 54 wins.

Billups reaches the conference finals for the seventh straight season (six with Detroit, first with Denver) as the Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Billups appears in his fourth-consecutive NBA All-Star game.

Billups wins the NBA Sportsmanship Award.

2009-10
Billups is named an NBA All-Star for the fifth straight season (second with the Denver Nuggets). In the All-Star game, Billups hit five three-pointers, finishing with 17 points and five assists.

Billups averages a career-high 19.5 points per game for the Denver Nuggets.

2010
The gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic team, including Burdette Haldorson, is elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

2010-11
Through the 2010-11 season, Billups ranks 5th all-time in the NBA in free throw percentage (.894), 5th all-time in NBA three-point makes (1,735), and 4th all-time in NBA three-point attempts (4,462).

2011
Alec Burks is selected with the 12th pick of the NBA Draft, the Buffs second lottery pick and fourth-highest pick overall.  

2011-12
Cory Higgins signed with the Charlotte Bobcats before the start of the 2011-12 season. Higgins is the only player in CU history with at least 2,000 points (2,001); 500 rebounds (547); 300 assits (320); and 150 steals (192). He also shares the all-time scoring record with his 2,001 points career points. In his first season with the Bobcats he played in 40 games and averaged 3.8 ppg.

2012 
Chris Copeland signed with the New York Knicks in the offseason after showcasing his talents in the Knicks summer league. Copeland averaged a team-high 13.8 ppg while shooting an impressive .473 percentage from the field including a .417 mark from three point range during the summer league. He has played in three games on the season thus far scoring seven points.

2012-13
For the first time ever, four former CU basketball players are on opening day NBA rosters. The foursome includes Chauncey Billups (L.A. Clippers), Alec Burks (Utah Jazz), Cory Higgins (Charlotte Bobcats), and Chris Copeland (N.Y. Knicks). Last year, Billups, Burks, and Higgins were the first CU trio since the 1992-93 season when Matt Bullard, Jay Humphries, and Alex Stivrins were on NBA rosters.