Territorial Picks

From Hoopedia

To enable teams to take advantage of the regional popularity of college stars, from 1947 to 1965 NBA teams were given the option of forfeiting their first-round pick and instead selecting, before the start of the draft, a player from the franchise’s immediate geographical area. These “territorial picks” as they were known, allowed NBA teams to choose a local player, presumably with a strong local following.

Among the more prominent players selected through this process were Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors, 1959), Tom Heinsohn (Boston Celtics, 1956) and Jerry Lucas (Cincinnati Royals, 1962).