# 1955 NBA draft

The 1955 NBA draft was the ninth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 13, 1955, before the 1955–56 season. In this draft, eight remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The Milwaukee Hawks participated in the draft, but relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, and became the St. Louis Hawks prior to the start of the season. The draft consisted of 15 rounds comprising 96 players selected.

## Draft selections and draftee career notes

Dick Ricketts from Duquesne University was selected first overall by the Milwaukee Hawks. Second pick of the draft, Maurice Stokes from Saint Francis University won the Rookie of the Year Award. Dick Garmaker and Tom Gola were selected before the draft as Minneapolis Lakers' and Philadelphia Warriors' territorial picks respectively. Three players from this draft, Maurice Stokes, Tom Gola, and Jack Twyman, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. K. C. Jones, who was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the later rounds, has also been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame, although he did not enter the league immediately after the draft. In the 1956 draft, he was selected in the second round by the Boston Celtics, with whom he played for in his whole career.

## Key

| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| $^+$ | 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 |

## Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | College |
| T | – | Dick Garmaker* | G/F | United States | Minneapolis Lakers | Minnesota |
| T | – | Tom Gola^ | G/F | United States | Philadelphia Warriors | La Salle |
| 1 | 1 | Dick Ricketts | F/C | United States | Milwaukee Hawks | Duquesne |
| 1 | 2 | Maurice Stokes^ | F/C | United States | Rochester Royals | Saint Francis (PA) |
| 1 | 3 | Jim Loscutoff | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Oregon |
| 1 | 4 | Ken Sears$^+$ | F | United States | New York Knicks | Santa Clara |
| 1 | 5 | Ed Conlin | G/F | United States | Syracuse Nationals | Fordham |
| 1 | 6 | Johnny Horan | F | United States | Fort Wayne Pistons | Dayton |
| 2 | 7 | Jack Stephens | G/F | United States | Milwaukee Hawks | Notre Dame |
| 2 | 8 | Jack Twyman^ | G/F | United States | Rochester Royals | Cincinnati |
| 2 | 9 | Walter Devlin | G | United States | Philadelphia Warriors | George Washington |
| 2 | 10 | Dickie Hemric | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Wake Forest |
| 2 | 11 | Jerry Mullen$^#$ | F | United States | New York Knicks | San Francisco |
| 2 | 12 | Chuck Mencel | G | United States | Minneapolis Lakers | Minnesota |
| 2 | 13 | Jesse Arnelle | F | United States | Fort Wayne Pistons | Penn State |
| 2 | 14 | Don Schlundt$^#$ | C | United States | Syracuse Nationals | Indiana |

## Other picks

The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | College |
| 3 | 15 | Al Ferrari | G/F | United States | Milwaukee Hawks | Michigan State |
| 3 | 16 | Ed Fleming | G/F | United States | Rochester Royals | Niagara |
| 3 | 17 | Bob Schafer | G | United States | Philadelphia Warriors | Villanova |
| 3 | 19 | Guy Sparrow | F | United States | New York Knicks | Detroit |
| 10 | 76 | K. C. Jones^ | G | United States | Minneapolis Lakers | San Francisco |
| 12 | 87 | Bob Armstrong | F/C | United States | Rochester Royals | Michigan State |

## Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 1955 NBA draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
| Chris Harris | SG | United Kingdom England | Dayton (Sr.) |
| Med Park | SG/SF | United States | Missouri (Sr.) |