The NBA will hold its 78th draft on Wednesday and Thursday. Thirty first-round picks will be made starting at 7 p.m. CDT Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NBA teams have drafted 49 players from Alabama high schools and colleges in the first round.

In the first 26 NBA drafts – one-third of the event’s history – only four players from Alabama high schools and colleges were chosen in the first round.

And that paucity of representation continued as the NBA Draft moved into a new era. In 1973, the first round jumped to 18 picks, from 13 in 1972. But none of the first-rounders in the 1973 or 1974 drafts had Alabama basketball roots.

In 1975, a pair of former Alabama high school standouts – Joe Meriweather and Tom Boswell – were first-round selections, Including 1975, at least one player with Alabama basketball roots got picked in the first round in 13 of 14 drafts, including an unprecedented 11 years in a row.

By the time the second 26 years of the NBA Draft ended with the 1998 picks, the second third of the event’s history had produced 27 first-rounders from Alabama high schools and colleges, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Charles Barkley.

The first-round NBA Draft picks with Alabama basketball roots in the second third of the event’s history (from 1973 through 1998) were:

1975: Joe Meriweather (Central-Phenix City), No. 11 by the Houston Rockets

After the 6-foot-10 center from Southern Illinois was an All-Rookie pick, Houston sent him to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that brought the top pick in 1976 NBA Draft to the Rockets, who used it on Maryland guard John Lucas. Meriweather spent 10 seasons in the NBA as a noted shot-blocker, with a high average of 2.2 per game for the New Orleans Jazz in the 1977-78 season. In 670 NBA regular-season games, Meriweather averaged 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.2 blocks.

1975: Tom Boswell (Carver-Montgomery), No. 17 by the Boston Celtics

The 6-foot-9 power forward was a member of an NBA championship team as a rookie and appeared in six NBA seasons after playing collegiately at South Carolina. In 366 NBA regular-season games, Boswell averaged 7.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He averaged 17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for the Denver Nuggets in the 1979 playoffs.

1976: Leon Douglas (Colbert County, Alabama), No. 4 by the Detroit Pistons

The first Crimson Tide player drafted in the first round, Douglas provided muscle as a 6-foot-10 center for the Pistons and Kansas City Kings in seven NBA seasons before spending another nine seasons playing overseas. In 456 NBA regular-season games, Douglas averaged 7.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

1978: Mike Mitchell (Auburn), No. 15 by the Cleveland Cavaliers

The first player from Auburn drafted in the first round, the small forward was a 1981 NBA All-Star and averaged 22.3 points per game during his seven peak seasons with the Cavs and San Antonio Spurs. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged a career high of 24.5 points per game for Cleveland during his all-star season. In 759 NBA regular-season games, Mitchell averaged 19.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists. After his NBA career, Mitchell played another 11 seasons overseas.

1979: Reggie King (Jackson-Olin, Alabama), No. 18 by Kansas City Kings

After averaging 18.4 points per game in four seasons for Alabama, “Mule” played four seasons for the Kings and two for the Seattle Supersonics, averaging career highs of 14.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in 1980-81 for Kansas City. In 438 NBA regular-season games, the 6-foot-6 forward averaged 8.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

1979: Wiley Peck (Lee-Montgomery), No. 19 by the San Antonio Spurs

The small forward from Lee-Montgomery averaged 14.5 points and 11.3 rebounds for Mississippi State as a senior to get into the first round. In 52 NBA regular-season games, Peck averaged 3.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists. After his rookie season with the Spurs, Peck went to the Dallas Mavericks in the expansion draft, was then traded to the Phoenix Suns and never played in the NBA again.

1980: Andrew Toney (Glenn High School in Birmingham), No. 8 by the Philadelphia 76ers

After playing at Louisiana-Lafayette, Toney became known as “The Boston Strangler” because of his performances during the Sixers’ great rivalry with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. The 6-foot-3 guard spent all eight of his NBA seasons in Philadelphia, played in the NBA All-Star Game in 1983 and 1984 and averaged 19.7 points per game for the 76ers’ NBA championship team in the 1982-83 season. In 468 NBA regular-season games, Toney averaged 15.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He averaged 17.4 points in 72 playoff games. In the 1982 NBA Finals, Toney averaged 26.0 points as Philadelphia lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. The next year, when the Sixers swept the Lakers, Toney averaged 22.0 per game in the Finals.

1981: Kevin Loder (Alabama State), No. 17 by the Kansas City Kings

A 6-foot-6 forward, Loder went in the first round after he averaged 22.2 and 23.3 points per game in his final two seasons at Alabama State. In 148 NBA regular-season games, Loder averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Loder played all but one of his NBA games with Kansas City. In his final game, Loder played four minutes for the San Diego Clippers on Feb. 28, 1984, in a 117-99 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

1982: Eddie Phillips (Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama), No. 21 by the New Jersey Nets

After averaging 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in four seasons at Alabama, the 6-foot-7 forward played only one NBA season. In 48 NBA regular-season games, Phillips averaged 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists. After Phillips’ rookie season, the Nets traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers before the 1983-84 campaign. When the Sixers waived him, Phillips finished his basketball career overseas.

1983: Ennis Whatley (Phillips High School in Birmingham, Alabama), No. 13 by the Kansas City Kings

In two seasons at Alabama, Whatley averaged 13.7 points and 6.3 assists per game, and the 6-foot-3 guard started his NBA career by averaging 8.3 assists for the Bulls. But his next nine seasons in the NBA were spread across 13 years with seven teams. In 385 NBA regular-season games, Whatley averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

1984: Charles Barkley (Leeds High School, Auburn), No. 5 by the Philadelphia 76ers

“Sir Charles” entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 after a 16-season NBA career. The 6-foot-6 forward played in 11 All-Star Games – each one from 1987 through 1997. Barkley won the NBA MVP for the 1992-93 season in his first campaign with Phoenix, when he averaged 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and a career high 5.1 assists per game in leading the Suns to the NBA Finals. He also won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 as a member of the Dream Team at the Barcelona Olympics. In 1,073 NBA regular-season games, Barkley averaged 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals.

1985: Terry Catledge (South Alabama), No. 21 by the Philadelphia 76ers

The 6-foot-8 power forward had averaged 21.7 points and 10.8 rebounds in three seasons at South Alabama to become the first first-round pick produced by the Jaguars. Catledge had the best of his eight NBA seasons in 1989-90, when he averaged 19.4 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Orlando Magic, which had selected him in the expansion draft before the season. In 515 NBA regular-season games, Catledge averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 assists and 0.9 assists.

1986: Chuck Person (Brantley High School, Auburn), No. 4 by the Indiana Pacers

Person did not make a single 3-point shot while averaging 18.3 points per game in four seasons at Auburn because it did not exist in the college game during his career. But “The Rifleman” dropped in 1,220 3-point baskets during a 13-season NBA career. The 6-foot-8 forward reached a career high of 21.6 points per game for the Pacers in the 1988-89 season. In 943 NBA regular-season games, Person averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

1986: Buck Johnson (Hayes High School in Birmingham, Alabama), No. 20 by the Houston Rockets

A 20.7-points-per-game scorer as a senior at Alabama, the 6-foot-7 forward averaged 14.8 points for the Rockets in 1989-90, the best of his seven NBA seasons, which were followed by 10 seasons playing overseas. In 505 NBA regular-season games, Johnson averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

1987: Derrick McKey (Alabama), No. 9 by the Seattle Supersonics

After averaging 18.7 points per game in his final season at Alabama, McKey embarked on a 15-year NBA career, during which his team missed the playoffs only twice. In the eight seasons from 1988-89 through 1995-96, McKey averaged 14.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In 937 NBA regular-season games, McKey averaged 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals. He also played in 142 postseason games.

1987: Jim Farmer (Houston Academy in Dothan, Alabama), No. 20 by the Dallas Mavericks

The second first-rounder drafted from Alabama in 1987, Farmer was among the four Crimson Tide players picked that year. The 6-foot-4 guard played for five teams in his five NBA seasons. In 136 NBA regular-season games, Farmer averaged 5.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists.

1988: Chris Morris (Auburn), No. 4 by the New Jersey Nets

The 6-foot-8 swingman averaged 20.7 points per game as a senior at Auburn and reached an NBA high of 14.8 points per game in his second season. Morris’ scoring average was 12.9 points per game for the first eight of his 11 seasons in the NBA. He went to the NBA Finals twice with the Utah Jazz and averaged 17.5 points in a six-game loss to the Chicago Bulls in 1998. In 747 NBA regular-season games, Morris averaged 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals.

1991: Pete Chilcutt (Tuscaloosa Academy), No. 27 by the Sacramento Kings

After four seasons at North Carolina, the 6-foot-10 frontcourter started a nine-year NBA career that spanned seven teams as the final selection in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft. One of Chilcutt’s stops came with the Houston Rockets’ NBA championship team in 1995. In 585 NBA regular-season games, Chilcutt averaged 4.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists.

1992: Robert Horry (Andalusia High School, Alabama), No. 11 by the Houston Rockets

“Big Shot Bob” spent 16 seasons in the NBA with four teams without being named an All-Star. But Horry played for seven NBA championship teams – two with the Rockets, three with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the San Antonio Spurs. Horry won more NBA titles than any other player who wasn’t part of the Red Auerbach/Bill Russell Boston Celtics dynasty. In 1,107 NBA regular-season games, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals. Horry also played in 244 postseason contests, the fourth-most in league history.

1992: Latrell Sprewell (Alabama), No. 24 by the Golden State Warriors

Though probably better remembered for his run-in with Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo in the NBA, Sprewell was selected for four All-Star Games in 13 seasons – 1994, 1995 and 1997 with the Warriors and 2001 with the New York Knicks. In 913 NBA regular-season games, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 18.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Sprewell reached his career scoring high of 24.2 points per game in the 1996-97 season. In his second season, Sprewell led the NBA with 3,533 minutes played and made the All-NBA postseason team.

1993: James Robinson (Alabama), No. 21 by the Portland Trail Blazers

A 6-foot-2 guard nicknamed “Hollywood,” Robinson averaged 18.9 points per game in three seasons at Alabama. His top NBA scoring average came in the second of his seven seasons, when he reached 9.2 points per game for the Trail Blazers. In 381 NBA regular-season games, Robinson averaged 7.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

1994: Wesley Person (Brantley High School, Auburn), No. 23 by the Phoenix Suns

The 6-foot-6 swingman followed his brother Chuck Person through Brantley High School and Auburn to become a first-round pick and an NBA sniper, with 1,150 3-point baskets in 11 seasons. He led the league with 192 3-pointers in 1997-98 for the Cleveland Cavaliers, one of the seven stops in his 11 NBA seasons. In 733 NBA regular-season games, Person averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. His top scoring average came in the 2001-02 season when he reached 15.1 points per game for the Cavs.

1995: Antonio McDyess (Alabama), No. 2 by the Los Angeles Clippers

No player with Alabama basketball roots has been the No. 1 pick, so the former Crimson Tide star is tied for first off the state’s draft board at No. 2. After the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 13.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in his second season at Alabama, the Clippers picked McDyess after the Golden State Warriors opened the draft by choosing Maryland’s Joe Smith. Los Angeles traded McDyess to the Denver Nuggets on draft night. In his first six NBA seasons, McDyess averaged 17.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, made the All-Rookie team and played in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game. He also won a gold medal with the U.S. team at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. But 10 games into his seventh season, McDyess sustained a knee injury that caused him to miss the rest of that campaign and the entire 2002-03 season. He returned to play in eight more seasons, averaging 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds for that span. In 1,015 NBA regular-season games, McDyess averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks.

1995: Theo Ratliff (Demopolis High School), No. 18 by the Detroit Pistons

The 6-10 center led the NBA in blocked shots per game three times in his 16 seasons and was selected for the NBA All-Star Game in 2001, when he averaged career highs of 12.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Philadelphia 76ers. Ratliff played for nine franchises. When he led the league at 3.7 blocked shots per game in the 2000-01 season, he played for the 76ers. When his league-leading average was 3.2 blocked shots per game in 2002-03, Ratliff was with the Atlanta Hawks. The next season, when his NBA-best average was at 3.6, he played 53 games with Atlanta and 32 with the Portland Trail Blazers. In 810 NBA regular-season games, Ratliff averaged 7.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 2.4 blocks after playing for Wyoming in college.

1995: Jason Caffey (Davidson High School in Mobile, Alabama), No. 20 by the Chicago Bulls

The 6-foot-8 power forward played on an NBA championship team in his second season with the Bulls after getting hurt in his rookie season and missing Chicago’s playoff run to the league title. The Bulls won the NBA championship again in Caffey’s third season, but he wasn’t around for that title after Chicago traded him to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 19, 1998. Caffey had his top statistical season for the Warriors, the second of his three NBA stops. In 1999-2000, Caffey posted career highs of 12.0 points, 6.8 points and 1.7 assists per game. In 462 NBA regular-season games, Caffey average 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists.

1996: Roy Rogers (Linden High School, Alabama), No. 22 by the Vancouver Grizzlies

After averaging 3.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game across his first three seasons at Alabama, Rogers averaged 13.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a senior, when he blocked 14 shots in one game, to become the sixth first-round draft choice from the Crimson Tide in a five-draft span. After Rogers’ selection, though, Alabama produced one first-round pick over the next 21 NBA drafts. The 6-10 power forward played in every game for the Grizzlies as a rookie, when he averaged 2.0 blocks per game and started 50 times. But in a span of 15 months, Rogers got traded four times, and he played in only 55 more NBA games. In 137 NBA regular-season games, Rogers averaged 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.5 blocks.

1997: Kelvin Cato (South Alabama), No. 15 by the Dallas Mavericks

The 6-foot-11 center started his college career at South Alabama, although the Mavericks drafted him from Iowa State. Cato never played for Dallas, which traded him on draft night to the Portland Trail Blazers – the first of four times he was traded in his 10 NBA seasons. In 541 NBA regular-season games, Cato averaged 5.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.3 blocks.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.