Walt Bellamy, a 6'11" center out of Indiana, was the first player off the board in the '61 draft. The then-Chicago Packers had to be thankful they snagged him when Bellamy turned around and scored 31.6 points, 19.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 42.3 minutes per game.

Across 79 contests, Bellamy averaged .233 win shares per 48 minutes toward a total of 16.3, therefore breaking the tie between he and Sabonis. For his play, Bellamy was rewarded with a PER of 26.3 and that season's Rookie of the Year Award.