Each NBA and WNBA franchise seeks to add new players through their respective 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.[1][2] 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.[3] From 1967 until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, the American Basketball Association (ABA) held its own draft.[4] The WNBA Draft is similar to the NBA with a couple of exceptions. Only four WNBA teams are eligible for the draft lottery, compared to the 14 eligible teams in the NBA. Also, all non-playoff teams that participate in the draft lottery select their picks in the order of the lottery outcome; the remainder of the league selects in reverse order of their win–loss record.[5] The WNBA requires that players be at least 22 years old during the calendar year of the applicable seasons, have either graduated from a four-year university or have completed their intercollegiate basketball eligibility, or have played at least two seasons for another professional basketball league.[6]
^"Article X, Section 1(b)(i)". 2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. National Basketball Players Association. Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
^"Magic rookie has big influence". The Sporting News. NBC Sports/MSNBC. 2005-01-19. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2009-11-24. [Ray] chuckles at Howard's salary, pointing out that when the Warriors won the championship in 1975 and he led the team in rebounding...
^"NBA Rookie Award to Alvan Adams". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. The Associated Press. 1976-05-09. p. D9. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ...He was the leading write-in candidate in the fan balloting for the 1976 All-Star Game and was chosen for the team by the West coaches...
^Schmidt, Andy (2007-07-31). "Ex-Bull Stacey King leadings A's". McHenryCountySports.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2009-11-11. The 40-year-old King, who was part of the Bulls' first three championship teams from 1991–93...
^Frey, Jennifer (1994-02-02). "Ewing, Starks on All-Stars". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ...Starks and Ewing were joined by Atlanta's Mookie Blaylock and Dominique Wilkins...
^Sandoval, Greg (2005-02-03). "Mystics Guard Announces Retirement". The Washington Post. p. D09. Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ...Dales-Schuman made the WNBA all-star team in 2002...