With the first pick in the league's inaugural draft in April 1967, Indianapolis chose Jimmy Walker, who had been a collegiate All-American at Providence College, where his 30.4 points per game led all major college players.
In June 1967, Rick Barry left the San Francisco Warriors where he had been the league's leading scorer to sign with Oakland, making him the seventh player and the first superstar to defect from the NBA to the upstart league.