hoops datahoops dataEvery pick from the 1979 NBA draft, headlined by No. 1 overall pick Magic Johnson. Click any player for full career stats.
| Pick | Player | Team | G | PTS | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 906 | 17,707 | 19.5 |
| 2 | David Greenwood | Chicago Bulls | 823 | 8,428 | 10.2 |
| 3 | Bill Cartwright | New York Knicks | 963 | 12,713 | 13.2 |
| 4 | Greg Kelser | Detroit Pistons | 305 | 2,965 | 9.7 |
| 5 | Sidney Moncrief | Milwaukee Bucks | 767 | 11,931 | 15.6 |
| 6 | James Bailey | Seattle SuperSonics | 595 | 5,245 | 8.8 |
| 7 | Vinnie Johnson | Seattle SuperSonics | 988 | 11,846 | 12.0 |
| 8 | Calvin Natt | New Jersey Nets | 599 | 10,289 | 17.2 |
| 9 | Larry Demic | New York Knicks | 204 | 976 | 4.8 |
| 10 | Roy Hamilton | Detroit Pistons | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 11 | Cliff Robinson | New Jersey Nets | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | Jim Paxson | Portland Trail Blazers | 784 | 11,199 | 14.3 |
| 13 | Dudley Bradley | Indiana Pacers | 600 | 3,133 | 5.2 |
| 14 | Brad Holland | Los Angeles Lakers | 93 | 293 | 3.2 |
| 15 | Phil Hubbard | Detroit Pistons | 665 | 7,229 | 10.9 |
| 16 | Jim Spanarkel | Philadelphia 76ers | 259 | 2,505 | 9.7 |
| 17 | Lee Johnson | Houston Rockets | 12 | 17 | 1.4 |
| 18 | Reggie King | Kansas City Kings | 437 | 3,898 | 8.9 |
| 19 | Wiley Peck | San Antonio Spurs | 52 | 180 | 3.5 |
| 20 | Larry Knight | Utah Jazz | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 21 | Sly Williams | New York Knicks | 305 | 3,342 | 11.0 |
| 22 | Kyle Macy | Phoenix Suns | 551 | 5,257 | 9.5 |
| R2 · 23 | Tico Brown | Utah Jazz | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 24 | Johnny High | Phoenix Suns | 274 | 1,396 | 5.1 |
| R2 · 25 | Oliver Mack | Los Angeles Lakers | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 26 | Bruce Flowers | Cleveland Cavaliers | 53 | 261 | 4.9 |
| R2 · 27 | Reggie Carter | New York Knicks | 134 | 471 | 3.5 |
| R2 · 28 | Danny Salisbury | Golden State Warriors | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 29 | Tony Price | Detroit Pistons | 5 | 4 | 0.8 |
| R2 · 30 | Gary Garland | Denver Nuggets | 78 | 334 | 4.3 |
| R2 · 31 | Edgar Jones | Milwaukee Bucks | 389 | 3,352 | 8.6 |
| R2 · 32 | Tony Zeno | Indiana Pacers | 8 | 14 | 1.8 |
| R2 · 33 | Lawrence Butler | Chicago Bulls | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 34 | Kim Goetz | New York Knicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 35 | James Bradley | Atlanta Hawks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 36 | Clint Richardson | Philadelphia 76ers | 586 | 4,084 | 7.0 |
| R2 · 37 | Bernard Toone | Philadelphia 76ers | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
| R2 · 38 | Larry Wilson | Atlanta Hawks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 39 | Victor King | Los Angeles Lakers | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 40 | Andrew Fields | Portland Trail Blazers | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 41 | Mark Young | Los Angeles Lakers | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R2 · 42 | Paul Mokeski | Houston Rockets | 693 | 2,762 | 4.0 |
| R2 · 43 | Johnny Moore | Seattle SuperSonics | 520 | 4,890 | 9.4 |
| R2 · 44 | Joe DeSantis | Washington Bullets | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Magic Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Magic Johnson (pick 1) leads the 1979 class with 17,707 career regular-season points.
The 1979 NBA draft included 44 picks across the first two rounds.