NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history

NBA Draft is a moment of hope for so many franchises, their chance at turning the pain of losing into the balm of future success. Until each draft selection becomes a player, it is a source of hope, of mysterious promises. The first pick in the draft is a limitless well of that hope, a chance to take the very best available player and change a franchise around.</p> <p>That hope is not baseless fancy; rather it comes from a long history of players taken first overall turning into superstars. 18 players taken first overall since Elgin Baylor in 1958 have been selected to the basketball Hall of Fame, and somewhere from four to nine active players are on trajectory to join them. The draft is far from a sure thing, but picking first gives you a chance at a franchise-defining superstar.</p> <p>The number of first overall picks that pan out is long, and the number that absolutely bust — Anthony Bennett, Michael Olowokandi, Andrea Bargnani — is slim. For a stretch from Magic Johnson in 1979 to Tim Duncan in 1997, all but two top picks made at least one All-Star team in their careers, and nine players ended up in the Hall of Fame (and Chris Webber is still in the mix to make it ten).</p> <p>Not all of the best players in NBA history went first overall, however. Michael Jordan famously went third in the 1984 NBA Draft. Bill Russell went second. Kevin Garnett was fifth, Stephen Curry seventh, Kobe Bryant 13th. Yet most lists of the top 10 players in NBA history will find at least half were chosen with that first pick.</p> <h2>Whittling down a list of the 30 best first overall picks</h2> <p>Turning 74 players from Clifton McNeely to Anthony Edwards into a list of 30 was a difficult task, but then lining them up in order was another. How do you compare Elgin Baylor, drafted in the 1950s and who never won a title, with someone like James Worthy, drafted in the 1980s and who won three titles but never as the top guy. Even more difficult was parsing out the elite even on this list, the top-10 all-time players. Then what do you do with a second-year player on a superstar trajectory like Zion Williamson?</p> <p>In the end, we landed on the following list of 30 players, all selected first overall and all of whom put together exemplary careers. Although talented, we do apologize to Larry Johnson, Brad Daugherty, John Wall, Mychal Thompson, Andrew Bogut, Kenyon Martin, Glenn Robinson and Derrick Coleman who all missed the cut.</p> <p>The list begins with an offensive savant who helped one of the greatest defenses in league history win a pair of titles.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 30 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_427330" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-427330 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2160,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F04%2F912429876.jpeg" alt="Mark Aguirre" width="3200" height="2160" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/04/912429876.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/04/912429876-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Mark Aguirre (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 30. Mark Aguirre</h2> <p>The <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/detroit-pistons/">Detroit Pistons</a> of the late 1980s battled against the great star-laden squads of the decade, getting closer and closer to a title but unable to break through until 1989 when the “Bad Boy” Pistons won the first of two consecutive titles. What changed in 1989? Detroit traded their incumbent small forward, Adrian Dantley, to the Dallas Mavericks for Mark Aguirre.</p> <p>A Chicago native, Aguirre went to local DePaul University and was the best collegiate player in the nation his junior year before declaring for the NBA Draft. The Dallas Mavericks, coming off of a 15-67 record as an expansion franchise, took Aguirre with the first overall pick to bolster a roster bereft of star talent.</p> <p>Aguirre exploded out of the gate for the Mavericks, getting all of the shots he could handle and averaging 18.7 points per game as a rookie. By year three that number was up to 29.5 per game, 2nd-best in the league behind only Dantley. Aguirre earned his first of what would be three All-Star game appearances.</p> <p>After seven-and-a-half seasons in Dallas, averaging 24.6 points per game as one of the league’s most prolific scorers, fellow Chicago native Isiah Thomas lobbied for the Pistons to trade for Aguirre. His ability to fit into his role on a defense-first squad helped to unlock the ceiling for the Pistons. In a league where the best teams won with high-flying offenses, the Pistons gummed up the works and leveraged elite physicality to punish their opponents.</p> <p>Despite a pedigree as an elite scorer, Aguirre gave up shots for the good of the whole and became a key rotation player on two NBA champion teams in 1989 and ’90. His ability to both be “the guy” in Dallas and pivot to being a useful member of an ensemble cast in Detroit speaks highly of him and gets him onto a list of all-time greats.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 29 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426675" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426675 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1089,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1303588024.jpeg" alt="Karl-Anthony Towns" width="1600" height="1089" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1303588024.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1303588024-768x523.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Karl-Anthony Towns, Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 29. Karl-Anthony Towns</h2> <p>Karl-Anthony Towns is the first of a few recent first overall picks that are difficult to place on a historical list alongside players who completed their careers. After four incredibly healthy seasons to start his career, injuries have plagued Towns the past two seasons and he is at just 394 games played for his career, and only five postseason games. Yet when he has played, Towns has been one of the most brilliant offensive centers to ever play the game.</p> <p>The <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/minnesota-timberwolves/">Minnesota Timberwolves</a> played their part in forming LeBron James’ latest superteam in 2014, trading All-Star big man Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In return they received two previous first overall picks, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, and bottomed out so drastically the following season they earned the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.</p> <p>The Timberwolves took Kentucky big man Karl-Anthony Towns with that first overall pick, the first of four Wildcats to go in the lottery that year. He immediately showed his scoring ability in averaging 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He would never average less than those numbers again.</p> <p>Through six seasons and the aforementioned 394 games, Towns has redefined what a center can do on offense in the NBA. Not only does he average 22.9 points per game for his career, but he does so from all three levels. He is a career 39.6 percent 3-point shooter, has increased his assists to average 4.6 per game in his most recent season, and his career offensive rating of 119.3 is 13th all-time in league history.</p> <p>Towns has barely had a chance to play postseason games, and with the collection of one-way players the Minnesota front office keeps putting around him it isn’t looking like he will play in many more anytime soon. He is not a perfect player, between his recent injuries and his defensive limitations. Yet he scores like a wing, a special skill for a player 6’11” tall. With two All-Star appearances, one All-NBA selection and plenty of career in front of him, Towns deserves the nod among the best first overall picks of all time.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 28 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_399866" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-399866 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1340,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51615228.jpeg" alt="Elton Brand" width="1600" height="1340" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51615228.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51615228-768x643.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Elton Brand – MARIO TAMA/AFP via Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 28. Elton Brand</h2> <p>On this list of the 30 greatest first overall picks in league history, a few colleges have alumni showing up twice: LSU, UCLA, Kentucky and Georgetown. The only one to show up three times is Duke University.</p> <p>Elton Brand will be the only multi-year Duke player on this list, but he is also the first Duke player selected in the NBA Draft to leave school early.<br> His sophomore year was a dominant one as Brand was named the consensus player of the year in 1999. Duke made it to the championship game before losing to UConn, and Brand declared for the NBA Draft. He was taken first overall by the Chicago Bulls, a franchise that had lost its way after the end of the Michael Jordan dynasty years.</p> <p>Brand dropped 20 and 10 as a rookie, with an NBA-ready body despite leaving school early. The Bulls offloaded him after just two seasons to try a high school experiment with Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. Brand, now on the LA Clippers, became a fixture on the block. A picture of consistency, Brand averaged 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds in Chicago and…20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in Los Angeles.</p> <p>Brand returned to the Eastern Conference in 2008, playing four seasons for a Philadelphia 76ers team he would later run as general manager. On the downside of his career, Brand bounced around the league for a few more seasons before retiring in 2016. By the end, Brand had totaled 109.6 win shares, good for fifteenth among all first overall picks. He made two All-Star Games and one All-NBA team, all with the Clippers, and ranks fourth in Clippers franchise history in points scored.</p> <p>Despite the longevity of his career, Brand never found the top of the pyramid in a league dominated by elite power forwards. He played in just 40 playoff games and only 12 in one season with the Clippers. A talented player who brought it every game for 17 seasons, Brand never made the impact that most of the players above him on this list did.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 27 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_396872" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-396872 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F542642202.jpeg" alt="Ben Simmons" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/542642202.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/542642202-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Ben Simmons Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 27. Ben Simmons</h2> <p>Ben Simmons was questioned as the first overall pick when he declared for the NBA Draft in 2016. The Australia native spent just one year at LSU, a disappointing one where Simmons filled up the stat sheet but the team drastically underperformed expectations and missed the NCAA Tournament. On draft night, the Philadelphia 76ers looked past the concerns and took him first overall.</p> <p>A foot injury pushed back the start of Simmons’ career by a season, putting his rookie year in 2017-18. Right from the start, Simmons showed what a unique and versatile player he was, averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game as a rookie. Now in his fourth season, Simmons continues to impact the game in a myriad of ways, including as one of the game’s best forward defenders.</p> <p>Just four seasons into his career, Simmons has made three All-Star Games and one All-NBA team. The Philadelphia 76ers have made the playoffs every single year, giving Simmons very few meaningless games to tally stats. The high-stakes nature of being on an Eastern Conference contender has set the table to show off his versatile impact but has also highlighted his complete lack of shooting and how that negatively impacts the Philadelphia 76ers’ offense.</p> <p>Simmons is a unique player, an elite defender and playmaker but one who is not made to be a team’s primary offensive option. The 76ers have slowly crafted a roster that fits around Simmons and fellow two-way star Joel Embiid. Moving forward, if the 76ers can make it work, Simmons could continue to thrive with a franchise that clearly believes in him.</p> <p>If things don’t work in Philadelphia, then Simmons could be the centerpiece of a package for a star player. In other cities, he could be the centerpiece, a role that could be difficult for him but would also allow him to truly stretch his wings. Whatever the path ahead, Simmons has had almost as good of a start to his career as you could ask.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 26 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426676" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426676 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2215,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1157241637.jpeg" alt="Zion Williamson" width="3200" height="2215" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1157241637.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1157241637-768x532.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Zion Williamson Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 26. Zion Williamson</h2> <p>It seems reckless bordering on ludicrous to include a player on this list who has less than a season’s worth of games on his ledger. Zion Williamson has played in just 76 games at the time of writing, spread across his first two seasons in the league. Yet the level to which Williamson has played thus far demands inclusion on this list, and will likely propel him up it in the years to come.</p> <p>The South Carolina native joined a superstar freshman class at Duke for the 2018-19 NBA season. Williamson’s elite athleticism and nightly highlight plays made him a national phenomenon, one that drew celebrities from Lebron James to Barrack Obama. He was the obvious pick first overall for the New Orleans Pelicans.</p> <p>Williamson was a force down low as a rookie, moving offball to find seams on the interior and scoring with a smooth touch. As a sophomore, he has played with the ball in his hands, unleashed as a playmaker and freight train that cannot be stopped en route to the rim. He is averaging 26.8 points per game on a staggering 61.4 percent from the field.</p> <p>Williamson is doing things no player has ever done, scoring as efficiently as Shaquille O’Neal while handling the ball like a guard. NBA defenses have not yet found a solution to him, and he is only getting better as he is not old enough to drink yet. Zion ranks in the top-10 among first overall picks in Box Plus-Minus, and with the right team-building around him, has to finish in the top 10 on a future version of this list. He is that good out of the gate.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 25 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426677" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426677 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F627765124.jpeg" alt="Blake Griffin" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/627765124.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/627765124-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Blake Griffin. Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 25. Blake Griffin</h2> <p>Wheat. Natural Gas. Love’s Travel Stops. These are Oklahoma’s top exports to the rest of the country. In 2009, they added future dunk champion Blake Griffin, an Oklahoma City native who played for the University of Oklahoma before declaring for the 2009 NBA Draft.</p> <p>An absolute monster in college, Griffin’s athleticism leapt off the screen/court/planet even as a rookie. Playing for the LA Clippers in the 2010-11 season, Griffin poured in 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds, earning an All-Star appearance even as a rookie. It would be the first of six All-Star nods to go along with five All-NBA selections.</p> <p>Griffin became known for his affable demeanor and skywalking dunks, helping to earn his teams the label of “Lob City.” Far from simply a one-trick pony, Griffin grew his game over the course of his career, adding a 3-point shot and improving as a passer. Injuries robbed Griffin of multiple postseason runs and have leached the end of his career, but that doesn’t diminish his early career dominance.</p> <p>The pinnacle of his career came in the 2013-14 NBA season. Griffin finished sixth in scoring and third in MVP voting behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James. For his career, he ranks within the top-50 in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Box Plus/Minus (BPM), and he has averaged 21.2 points per game in 53 career playoff games. Only 13 first overall picks have been named to more All-NBA squads. While there is a bitter taste of success from his career, it shouldn’t erase the high-level play he brought to the Clippers for so many years.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 24 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_427338" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-427338 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1109,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F04%2F151470211.jpeg" alt="Ralph Sampson" width="1600" height="1109" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/04/151470211.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/04/151470211-768x532.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Ralph Sampson (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 24. Ralph Sampson</h2> <p>Ralph Sampson is the first of three players on this list who saw their careers marred by injury but provided such high-level play when healthy that they find a place here anyway. For Sampson, the first four seasons of his career vault him here before back and knee injuries saw him dissolve into a role player at best.</p> <p>The second-best high school player in the nation, the Virginia native stayed close to home and attended the University of Virginia. He was a national star even as a teenager, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 19 and five more times by his rookie season. At Virginia, he was named player of the year three consecutive years. In an interesting story, Sampson elected to return for his senior year rather than risk being drafted by the San Diego Clippers.</p> <p>Instead, he entered the 1983 NBA Draft and was picked first overall by the Houston Rockets, who were coming off of a disastrous 14-68 season. He stepped into the league and crushed the competition immediately, scoring 21 points and 11.1 rebounds per game and playing all 82 games. He was an immediate All-Star, as he would be each of his first four seasons in the league, and won Rookie of the Year.</p> <p>The following offseason, the Rockets drafted another big man who would come to be known as Hakeem Olajuwon. The “twin towers” approach was an immovable force on defense and immediately made the leap into postseason contention. By 1985-86 the Rockets knocked off the Showtime Lakers in the Western Conference Finals before losing in six to a Boston Celtics team many call the best team in NBA history.</p> <p>That would be the pinnacle for Sampson, matching up with Kevin McHale in the NBA Finals. He missed half the season in 1986-87, his last All-Star nod, and only one time over the rest of his career would he play more than 50 games. He burned bright at the high point of his career, but it was a career snuffed out way too early.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 23 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426678" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426678 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F114507272.jpeg" alt="Derrick Rose" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/114507272.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/114507272-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Derrick Rose, Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 23. Derrick Rose</h2> <p>For just over a decade, the best high school players in the country jumped right into the NBA Draft upon graduation, bypassing college altogether. With the NBA changing their rules to require a “gap year” between high school and entering the league, a new generation of players was born: the “one-and-done” basketball prospect.</p> <p>Derrick Rose was one of the early such players, an elite high school talent who stopped by college for one season. He made that season count, joining a veteran Memphis Tigers squad and boosting them to an NCAA-record 38 wins and a spot in the NCAA title game, a close overtime loss to the Kansas Jayhawks. Rose then declared for the NBA Draft, where he was taken first overall by the Chicago Bulls.</p> <p>The Bulls as a franchise were still struggling to find an identity in the decade since Michael Jordan retired, and a few years into Rose’s career they found just that. After the young point guard’s second season, the team hired Tom Thibodeau, the architect of the contending Boston Celtics’ vaunted defense. Thibodeau crafted the Bulls’ defense into a lockdown unit and gave Rose the keys to the cars.</p> <p>What followed was an out-of-nowhere MVP campaign from Rose, leading the Bulls to 62 wins and the top seed in an Eastern Conference that contained those aforementioned Celtics and LeBron James’ Miami Heat. Rose’s 25 points per game and fearless drives to the rim were enough to win him the MVP in one of the more contested races in recent memory.</p> <p>The following season, disaster struck as Rose’s leg crumpled in the first round of the playoffs and he missed the entire following season with a torn ACL. His career was never the same after that, as his athleticism never came close to its previous levels. Rose has reinvented himself as a crafty combo guard with an outside shot, but can’t sustain the minutes load or make plays for others the way he once did.</p> <p>No player who has won an MVP award has ever missed the Hall of Fame, but Rose will likely be the first. While he still has gas left in the tank to accrue a few more career statistics, his ledger in the most important categories is likely set: one MVP, three All-Star appearances, one All-NBA nod. The balance of basketball’s highest honor and an injury-riddled career lands Rose here.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 22 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426679" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426679 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F462473486.jpeg" alt="Kyrie Irving" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/462473486.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/462473486-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kyrie Irving, Photo by Rocky Widner/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 22. Kyrie Irving</h2> <p>Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski once declared that he would never recruit a player who said he was coming for just one year. That was a fine statement back in 2005 when he made it, but even “Coach K” and the Duke Blue Devils had to change with the times and begin dipping into the one-and-done talent pool. Thus, Kyrie Irving became the first player in Duke’s prestigious history to only stop by Durham, NC for one season.</p> <p>The Cleveland Cavaliers were still reeling from the departure of LeBron James when they took Irving first overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, a spot they would choose from three of the next five seasons. Irving dazzled fans, media and fellow players from the jump, becoming the talk of All-Star Weekend even though he didn’t play in the main event, instead, balling out in the Rising Stars Challenge. He would go on to win Rookie of the Year in a landslide over Ricky Rubio.</p> <p>Irving’s early career as the offensive engine for the Cavaliers changed abruptly in 2014 when LeBron James returned home, and Irving became the Robin to LeBron’s Batman. While being second fiddle chafed enough that Irving eventually demanded a trade, but for the first few seasons, it worked beautifully. Irving and James made the NBA Finals three consecutive years, including in 2016 when in Game 7, Irving hit the game-winning shot over unanimous MVP Stephen Curry to bring home the championship.</p> <p>The story for Irving is still being written, as after two seasons in Boston he joined the Brooklyn Nets and is back in contention for a title. Interestingly that means again being the wingman, with Kevin Durant the team’s centerpiece and another former MVP in James Harden running the point. Irving’s ability to get to the rim and score from any angle is unrivaled, and he has the tightest handle in the league outside of Curry. If he can prove himself excellent in his role on another title team, it would show his worth as more than just a guy who rode LeBron James’ coattails.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 21 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426680" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426680 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1278621444.jpeg" alt="David Thompson" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1278621444.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1278621444-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">David Thompson. Photo by Mark Junge/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 21. David Thompson</h2> <p>In 1977, a sci-fi film called “Star Wars” swept the nation, with its ground-breaking special effects and emotionally evocative symphony score. The protagonist of the film was a young boy named “Luke Skywalker.” While people of all ages watched one Skywalker on the big screen, basketball fans watched another Skywalker float through the air on an NBA court.</p> <p>David Thompson was a generational athlete, and he showed it by scoring on all comers in college at NC State, leading the Wolfpack to a 57-1 record his first two seasons. Not only did Thompson and NC State win the championship in 1974, they did so by playing (and winning) in two of the best college basketball games of all time, a 103-100 overtime win over Maryland and a double-overtime victory over the UCLA Bruins.</p> <p>In 1975, Thompson was selected with the first overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks, but he was also drafted and recruited by the rival American Basketball Association (ABA) just a year before the NBA-ABA merger. He signed with the Denver Nuggets and immediately began dunking basketballs and scoring points. He averaged 26, 25.9 and 27.2 points per game his first three seasons, earning All-Star nods in each and twice more during his career.</p> <p>Thompson was an offensive powerhouse in both the ABA and the NBA, and came within a whisker of the scoring title in 1977-78, passing George Gervin on the final night of the season by dropping 73, only for Gervin to score 63 and take the title that same night. For his career, he averaged 23.4 points per game in the playoffs over 40 games, and his career mark of 22.7 points per game ranks 30th all-time. Skywalker was a sight to behold, even if he did it with a basketball and not a lightsaber.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 20 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426681" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426681 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1070,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1985547.jpeg" alt="Chris Webber" width="1600" height="1070" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1985547.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1985547-768x514.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Chris Webber. Photo by: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 20. Chris Webber</h2> <p>Chris Webber made his way to the NBA by way of the University of Michigan, where he was a part of a talent-packed freshmen class known as the “Fab Five” who set a new standard for how basketball players could act and talk. Fans across the country imitated their look and style. Webber was far from just pizzazz, either, as he led the Wolverines to the title game both his freshman and sophomore years before declaring for the NBA Draft.</p> <p>The Golden State Warriors traded into the first overall pick and took Webber, who was an immediate force and won Rookie of the Year. Chemistry issues flared up and led to Webber being traded to the Washington Bullets after just one season, and he played four years in the nation’s capital. In 1998 he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he would make his biggest impact as a player.</p> <p>Webber averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for five straight seasons with the Kings, making four All-Star games and five All-NBA squads. Although he played in a league (and Western Conference) flush with elite power forwards, Webber still made a name for himself and finished as high as fourth in the MVP voting in 2000-01.</p> <p>Far from merely an empty calories player, Webber’s combination of passing and ball-handling for a big were exceptional, and they helped to drive the Kings’ success. The Kings became a perennial postseason team during Webber’s tenure, including the 2002 playoffs where the Kings nearly knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers.</p> <p>Webber finished his career in a gentle decline, injuries and aging finally catching up to him. In total, he played in 831 games and accumulated 84.7 win shares. He played in 80 career postseason games, twice making the Conference Finals. His candidacy for the Hall of Fame is a close thing; his inclusion on this list is not.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 19 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426683" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426683 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1146,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F2698872.jpeg" alt="Yao Ming" width="1600" height="1146" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/2698872.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/2698872-768x550.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Yao Ming. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 19. Yao Ming</h2> <p>Yao Ming, the greatest Chinese basketball player to ever play in the NBA and one of the tallest at 7’6″, was onetime just a lanky draft prospect hoping to begin playing in the world’s best league. The former Shanghai Shark was taken first overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, and the rest is history.</p> <p>It took Yao Ming a few games to get acclimated to the speed and power of the NBA game, but once he did, he was a talented force to be reckoned with. His height gave him an instant advantage, and he was skilled enough not to be taken advantage of.</p> <p>Ming’s worldwide popularity helped propel him to a starting spot in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, a feat he would repeat eight times. Five times he would be named to an All-NBA team, a recognition of his two-way impact.</p> <p>Injuries plagued Ming as early as his fourth season in the league, almost entirely from his lower body. After playing 124 of a possible 126 games his first three years, he played 57, 48 and 55 the next three seasons, respectively. A major foot injury took him down basically for good in 2009, and Ming would retire from basketball soon after. His dominance in the NBA, combined with his love for and success in his native China, ensured he would be remembered for a long time.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 18 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed embed-video"><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZZJR3_PPe_E?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 18. Walt Bellamy</h2> <p>In 1960, a group of 12 college players won the gold medal in basketball at the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. That group contained a number of future NBA stars, including Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas. Walt Bellamy not only belonged in the group, he proved he belonged with a Hall of Fame career.</p> <p>Entering the NBA Draft out of Indiana, Bellamy was taken first overall in 1961 by the Chicago Packers, a team that would change its name to the Chicago &#8220;Zephyrs&#8221; before being relocated to Baltimore, MD and gaining the &#8220;Bullets&#8221; moniker. Bellamy did not waste any time making his mark, averaging a whopping 31.6 points and 19 rebounds as a rookie.</p> <p>While that would be the high watermark of his box score stats, Bellamy did not let off the gas, averaging over 27 points per game each of the next two seasons even as the franchise around him was in flux. Playing in a league where the likes of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain blocked out the center position on the All-NBA squads, Bellamy still earned a spot on an All-Star team four different times and earned MVP votes in three different seasons.</p> <p>Bellamy&#8217;s career longevity was impressive, especially in a smaller league with fewer roster spots available. He played in 1,043 games across 14 seasons in the league, and his 38,940 career minutes rank 44th all-time. He played in 46 career postseason games, but never on a team good enough to make it to the NBA Finals. His 130 career win shares rank 40th all-time, and 10th among first overall picks.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;No. 17 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426684" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426684 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1270,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51701849.jpeg" alt="Bob Lanier" width="1600" height="1270" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51701849.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51701849-768x610.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Bob Lanier – JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 17. Bob Lanier</h2> <p>Many NBA what-ifs center around whether a player could have been great but was instead bad, perhaps due to a career-altering injury. Bob Lanier, the first overall pick in 1970, had such an injury in the NCAA Tournament during his senior season at St. Bonaventure. He had knee surgery in the offseason, a scenario that would likely mean a missed season in today’s NBA.</p> <p>Instead, Lanier’s new team, the Detroit Pistons, encouraged him to play on it. What followed was a Hall of Fame career, yet one that was also marred by injuries; Lanier would have eight surgeries on his knees during his playing career. He played through the pain, which he described as daily, to put up monster numbers as a tough interior player and defensive enforcer.</p> <p>Still significantly hampered by that knee injury, Lanier put up 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds as a rookie across 82 games. His second year he exploded, dropping 25.7 points and 14.2 rebounds, earning his first All-Star nod. He would earn a total of seven across the next eight seasons, all for the Pistons.</p> <p>Unfortunately for Lanier, not only were his knees debilitating at an alarming rate, but he was putting up these numbers and ruining his legs for mediocre-at-best teams. In 10 seasons with the Pistons, he made the postseason only four times. When he got there he was his normal prolific self, dropping 25.6 points and 13.8 rebounds, but he never had the help he needed. That included seven different coaches, among them Dick Vitale of ESPN announcing fame.</p> <p>Lanier was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he finally could play for good teams even as his knees prevented him from consistent impact. He made the postseason all five seasons he was with the Bucks, including a run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1984.<br> What if Lanier had been allowed to rehabilitate his knee and started his NBA career a year later? What if he had been on a team like the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in his career, able to demonstrate his impact for a winning team during his prime? Bob Lanier had a Hall of Fame career despite those factors; what if he had the chance to do something greater?</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 16 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426685" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426685 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F147415732.jpeg" alt="Anthony Davis" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/147415732.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/147415732-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Anthony Davis. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 16. Anthony Davis</h2> <p>The 2011-12 University of Kentucky men’s basketball teams was one of the great modern teams in NCAA history. Stacked with elite freshman talent and anchored in the middle by the best defensive player in the nation, the Wildcats went 38-2 and won the NCAA Tournament Championship. Six members of that team were drafted in the following NBA Draft, headlined by Anthony Davis going first overall to the New Orleans Hornets.</p> <p>Soon to become the Pelicans, the Hornets immediately showcased their young big man. Despite standing 6’10” tall he possessed many of the skills of a guard, and it showed in his ability to score on offense while protecting the rim on defense. As he developed as a player, Davis became the quintessential big man, able to defend at the rim and out on the floor, able to score inside and hit 3-pointers.</p> <p>Minor injuries have plagued him throughout his career, but he has pushed through to make the Western Conference All-Star team eight straight seasons. Davis has never played more than 75 games in a season, and in seven of nine has played less than 70. Yet he has also led the league in blocks per game three times, been on four All-NBA teams and been an All-Defense selection four times as well.</p> <p>David forced his way out of New Orleans and joined LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019-20, winning the NBA title in his first season with the Lakers. For his career, Davis’ per-game averages are 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Those rank 23rd, 52nd and 15th in league history, respectively. If he can find a way to overcome his injury concerns and maximize his current window of contention alongside James, Davis has a chance to truly cement his place in NBA history.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 15 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426686" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426686 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1270,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1301565618.jpeg" alt="James Worthy" width="1600" height="1270" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1301565618.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1301565618-768x610.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">James Worthy. Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 15. James Worthy</h2> <p>Evaluating the careers of NBA players can never happen without the context of those careers. Some players who would be miscast as the top option on a team instead get the benefit of playing alongside another all-time great, slotting them into a secondary role perfect for their skillset. Hall-of-Fame-type players such as Kevin McHale, Tony Parker or Klay Thompson had their cases boosted because they played most or all of their careers alongside an all-timer.</p> <p>James Worthy got to play alongside two. After starring at the University of North Carolina and winning the 1982 NCAA Tournament alongside Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan, Worthy declared for the NBA Draft a year early and went first overall. Rather than go to a losing team that won the first pick on their own (lack of) merits, he went to a stacked Los Angeles Lakers team fresh off winning the NBA title that had acquired the pick in a swindle of a trade years earlier.</p> <p>Worthy could have faded into the background on a team featuring Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but to his credit he jumped in and played his part, sliding up to small forward and averaging double figures as a rookie. By 1985-86 he had grown into the team’s second-leading scorer and played a key role on three title teams. In 1987-88 he was named Finals MVP.</p> <p>Seven times Worthy was named an All-Star, and twice he made an All-NBA team. As Abdul-Jabbar aged into his 40s it was Worthy picking up the slack, and he helped the Lakers stay relevant into the 1990s, including a run to the NBA Finals in 1991 that ended in a loss to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. We will never know what Worthy’s career would have looked like without his all-time teammates, but he excelled in the role he was given and achieved a level of success few players in history can claim.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 14 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_214563" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-214563 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2430,w_3600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F08%2F501930544-portland-trail-blazers-v-new-york-knicks.jpg" alt="Bill Walton" width="3600" height="2430" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/08/501930544-portland-trail-blazers-v-new-york-knicks.jpg 3600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/08/501930544-portland-trail-blazers-v-new-york-knicks-768x518.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3600px) 100vw, 3600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3600px;">Bill Walton (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 14. Bill Walton</h2> <p>A part of one of the greatest college basketball dynasties of all time under John Wooden at UCLA, center Bill Walton entered the NBA with two NCAA titles already under his belt. From that point, Walton’s dominance as a scorer, passer and rim protector were setting the table for one of the greatest careers in NBA history.</p> <p>Unfortunately for Walton and basketball fans, injuries struck again and again to deny him that chance. Walton was in the league from 1974-75 to 1987-88, a total of 14 seasons and a maximum possibility of 1,148 games. Due to back, knee and especially foot injuries he played in just 468 games in his career, or 40.7 percent of the available games. He missed four entire seasons due to injury, and played 14 or fewer games in another two.</p> <p>When he did play, however, Walton was every bit the transcendent talent he looked to be upon entering the league. Taken first overall in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, Walton raised that team nearly overnight into a contender. By the 1976-77 season the Blazers made a run to the NBA Finals and won the title, with Walton taking home the Finals MVP award. The following season he won the MVP despite appearing in just 58 games.</p> <p>The middle of Walton’s career is marked by missed seasons as he joined his hometown San Diego Clippers team but was unable to reach the court enough to make a lasting impact. The Clippers traded him to the Boston Celtics in 1985 after he played in just 102 games across five seasons. In Boston he filled in as the team’s Sixth Man behind Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale, winning Sixth Man of the Year in 1985-86, the same year Walton won his second title with the Celtics.</p> <p>By the end of his career Walton had accrued one of the more interesting collections of awards and honors. He was just a two-time All-Star, but also had two All-NBA nods, two All-Defense team selections, a Sixth Man of the Year award, a Finals MVP and a league MVP. Walton’s affable nature and quirky sense of humor are still a fixture in basketball thanks to his announcing career, and it’s good to know an injury-plagued career didn’t keep his spirits down.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 13 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426687" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426687 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1108,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F87933363.jpeg" alt="Dwight Howard" width="1600" height="1108" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/87933363.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/87933363-768x532.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Dwight Howard. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 13. Dwight Howard</h2> <p>In the 1990s, the Houston Rockets won back-to-back championships by surrounding center Hakeem Olajuwon with shooters at all four positions. That’s an oversimplification of all that those teams had to offer, but that basic structure is what Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy copied in constructing a team around Dwight Howard.</p> <p>Howard was never as good as Olajuwon at his peak; that’s part of why Olajuwon is ranked much higher on this list. But he was for multiple years the best defensive player on the planet, twice leading the league in blocks per game and five times in rebounding. While Howard’s lack of offensive creation ability held the team to a lower ceiling than Olajuwon’s Rockets, the Magic did get as far as the NBA Finals with that blueprint.</p> <p>Howard eventually won his title as a rotation center on the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers featuring two other players on this list. That small redemption came after years bouncing around the league as something of a pariah, an enigmatic character never fully devoted to his craft of improving at basketball. That stigma was not entirely wrong.</p> <p>That mid-career wandering also does a disservice to Howard’s truly impressive prime when he made eight straight All-NBA teams. Howard won Defensive Player of the Year three times, made five All-Defensive teams, and finished in the top-5 in MVP voting four different times. He has played in 113 career postseason games, including making the Conference Finals four different times with three different teams.</p> <p>Dwight Howard is no Hakeem Olajuwon, but he is a future Hall of Famer who leveraged incredible natural athleticism to completely rule the rim in every game he played in for years. Could he have hit even higher heights if he had a better work ethic and a willingness to do whatever his teams needed to win? Probably so. Yet what he did accomplish was impressive all on its own.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 12 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed embed-video"><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/L6K_btNNrjw?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 12. Elvin Hayes</h2> <p>In the first few decades of the NBA, it was a common occurrence for four-year college players to come into the NBA and immediately make an outsized impact. Even within that context, it was impressive what Elvin Hayes did in his first two seasons in the NBA as he busted into the league and announced himself as a force to be reckoned with.</p> <p>Hayes was one of college basketball&#8217;s most prolific players, leading the Houston Cougars to the Final Four twice in his three seasons. Hayes set and holds the record for most rebounds in NCAA tournament history. He was a part of three high profile games against Lew Alcindor and the UCLA Bruins, a player he would battle for NBA accolades as well throughout his career. The 6&#8217;9&#8243; forward was drafted first overall in the 1968 NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets and just kept on dominating despite the change in scenery.</p> <p>As a rookie, Hayes averaged 28.4 points per game, the last rookie to lead the NBA in scoring average. He also averaged 17.1 rebounds, and followed that up with 16.9 boards the following year, becoming the first player in 12 seasons not named Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain to lead the league in rebounding. Those were the names Hayes was chasing as he looked to make his mark on the league.</p> <p>From his rookie year, Hayes continued a streak of All-Star appearances that lasted for 12 straight seasons. He played for two franchises but five different team names over the course of his career, as the San Diego Rockets became the Houston Rockets and the Baltimore Bullets became the Capital City Bullets before landing on the Washington Bullets.</p> <p>It was there in Washington that Hayes saw the best years of his career, as he formed a devastating inside combination with Wes Unseld that resulted in three runs to the NBA Finals, including the title in 1978. Hayes was not only scoring and rebounding, but his positional defense against a number of elite big man opponents helped propel the Bullets to the top tier of contention. He would play in 96 playoff games in his career, all but nine of them coming in eight straight seasons with the Bullets.</p> <p>Hayes added five All-NBA selections to his 12 All-Star appearances, as well as two All-Defensive nods and six top-10 MVP finishes, landing as high as third twice. He is 12th all-time in points scored, sixth in total rebounds and sixth in minutes played. Only seven players in NBA history have totaled more defensive win shares than Hayes. He was an easy Hall of Fame selection and one of the best power forwards in league history.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;No. 11 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_332704" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-332704 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1119,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51682987.jpeg" alt="Allen Iverson" width="1600" height="1119" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51682987.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51682987-768x537.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Allen Iverson. TOM MIHALEK/AFP/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 11. Allen Iverson</h2> <p>Allen Iverson was a cultural icon, a trend-setter adored by fans and idolized by many. His unique way of carrying himself, how he spoke and how he acted, set a different standard for NBA stars and impacted millions across the country. He also happened to be really good at basketball.</p> <p>After two seasons at Georgetown Iverson declared for the 1996 NBA Draft and was the first overall pick from a number of high-profile prospects including Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen and eventually, Kobe Bryant. Iverson made sure no one doubted the Philadelphia 76ers’ decision, averaging 23.5 points per game and 7.5 assists en route to winning Rookie of the Year.</p> <p>Iverson’s ability to score would only increase from there, and the 6’0″ guard went on to lead the league in scoring four separate times. He also led the Sixers into contention, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001 where Iverson averaged 35.6 points per game against the Los Angeles Lakers.</p> <p>For 11 straight seasons, Iverson was named an All-Star, and it would have been 12 straight if there had been an All-Star Game in 1999. Seven times he made the All-NBA team, with the pinnacle of his achievement coming with a 2000-01 Most Valuable Player award. His 26.7 points-per-game average ranks seventh all-time, and his 2.2 steals per game ranks ninth.</p> <p>There were flaws to Iverson’s game, and those probably contributed to his team’s never making it over the hump. His career also dropped off suddenly, a common occurrence for small guards. None of that takes away from his smooth scoring ability, his iron man minutes totals and his fearlessness in the face of any opponent. Iverson’s career accolades speak for themselves.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 10 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426688" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426688 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1116,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1191297688.jpeg" alt="Patrick Ewing" width="1600" height="1116" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1191297688.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1191297688-768x536.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Patrick Ewing, Photo by KIMBERLY BARTH/AFP via Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 10. Patrick Ewing</h2> <p>Back-to-back Georgetown Hoyas on our ranking of first overall picks, as former Hoyas center Patrick Ewing begins the top 10. Ewing played four seasons under John Thompson at Georgetown, accruing as many accolades as is reasonably possible for a college player. He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year four times, was a three-time All-American, won National Player of the Year and in 1985 he led the Hoyas to the NCAA championship, winning Final Four Most Outstanding Player in the process.</p> <p>All of that was the context to Patrick Ewing going first overall in the 1985 NBA Draft to the New York Knicks, who won the pick during the infamous “frozen envelope” draft lottery. The seven-footer was an instant star, averaging 20 points and nine rebounds as a rookie and winning Rookie of the Year over Karl Malone and Joe Dumars.</p> <p>While Ewing would continue to grow as an offensive force, it was his defense that developed and propelled him to superstardom. As the backline anchor of the New York Knicks’ defense, he propelled them to thirteen straight seasons as a positive defensive team, which corresponded with thirteen playoff appearances. Twice Ewing and the Knicks made it to the NBA Finals, losing each time.</p> <p>Ewing is one of the greatest rim protectors and shot blockers of all time, although his defensive peak came alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Dikembe Mutombo so he never captured the blocks title. Even so, he ranks eighth in NBA history in career blocks and 11th in blocks per game.</p> <p>Ewing would make 11 All-Star Games and was a seven-time All-NBA selection. Six times he was a top-5 MVP finisher, and he made three All-Defensive teams despite the competition at his position. His 81.4 career Defensive Win Shares ranks ninth all-time, and in overall win shares, his 126.4 mark is in the top-50 all-time. Despite never winning a title, Ewing’s extended dominance inside grants him a place in the Hall of Fame and just inside the top-10 on this list.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 9 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_427343" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-427343 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2402,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F04%2F465295178.jpeg" alt="Elgin Baylor" width="3200" height="2402" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/04/465295178.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/04/465295178-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Elgin Baylor (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 9. Elgin Baylor</h2> <p>One of the greatest players in NBA history never to win a title, Elgin Baylor was one of the very first to elevate basketball off of the court and into the air. His ability to hang in the air and glide to the rim was special and revolutionary for the 1950s and ’60s NBA, and defenders were largely unable to stop him.</p> <p>Baylor’s career got off to a late start, as academic issues prevented him from playing in college for a few seasons. In 1958 the Minneapolis Lakers drafted Elgin Baylor first overall, and at the age of 24, joined a team that had already won five titles in its ten-year history. Baylor would play 14 seasons for the Lakers, and they would not win a title until after he retired.</p> <p>It is hard to lay the blame at Baylor’s feet. He was one of the league’s best scorers, and the best in the non-Wilt Chamberlain division for much of his career. In the 1961-62 season, he averaged 38.3 points and 18.6 rebounds per game. The Lakers certainly weren’t floundering with Baylor and 2-guard Jerry West at the helm, making the playoffs all fourteen years of his career and making the NBA Finals eight times in thirteen before he retired midseason in 1971-72.</p> <p>The blame should go to Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics, who won eleven titles in thirteen seasons that neatly covers Baylor’s career. By the time Russell had retired, knee injuries and aging (remember, Baylor didn’t enter the league until he was 24) had turned the longtime Laker into a shell of his former self. Despite the lack of a title, Baylor retired as an 11-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection and with a career 27.4 points-per-game average, third-most all time.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 8 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_427342" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-427342 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F04%2F1140676660.jpeg" alt="Oscar Robertson" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/04/1140676660.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/04/1140676660-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Oscar Robertson (Photo by Maxx Wolfson/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 8. Oscar Robertson</h2> <p>With Oscar Robertson, this list turns a corner. We move from elite players who may or may not have won a title to a top-8 who all won at least one championship. After Robertson, every player has won at least two. The “Big O” looked like he would miss out on a title after a decade toiling with the Cincinnati Royals, but late in his career teamed up with Lew Alcindor (who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to win the 1970-71 NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks.</p> <p>Long before that title, Robertson was a do-it-all point guard from Indianapolis who starred for three seasons at the University of Cincinnati. He averaged 33.8 points per game, the third-highest mark in college history, and twice reached the Final Four. When he made himself eligible for the 1960 NBA Draft, the Cincinnati Royals were able to use a territorial pick to take him first overall.</p> <p>Two things define Robertson’s career. The first is his player advocacy as president of the NBA Players Association, where he helped to reform free agency and player contracts. The second is being the king of the triple-double, becoming the first player (and only for a long time) to average a one for an entire season. In 1961-62, he put up 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game.</p> <p>Great from the jump, Robertson won Rookie of the Year in 1961 and made his first All-Star and All-NBA appearance, averaging 30.5 points per game and leading the league in assists. He would lead the league in that category seven times across his first nine seasons. He also notched a scoring title in 1967-68 and averaged 29.3 points per game in 10 seasons for the Royals. In 1963-64 he was named league MVP.</p> <p>Robertson took a smaller role with the Bucks playing alongside Alcindor, but he still filled up the stat sheet. At this point, he had honed his floor general skills to their pinnacle, and he is on the shortlist of greatest passers in NBA history. After years on a subpar Royals team, he was finally on a contender, and he and Alcindor made an unstoppable one-two punch. They won the title in 1971 and made it back to the Finals two years later, losing in seven games to the Boston Celtics.</p> <p>Only three players have more career offensive win shares than Robertson, and he ranks 11th all-time in total win shares. His 181 triple-doubles still ranks first in league history, although at the time of writing, Russell Westbrook is breathing down Robertson’s neck. The Big O ranks in the top 10 all-time in points and assists per game. He was one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and it is fitting he won a title before his career was done.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 7 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_350036" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-350036 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1070,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1983140.jpeg" alt="David Robinson" width="1600" height="1070" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1983140.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1983140-768x514.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">David Robinson (Photo by: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 7. David Robinson</h2> <p>A few times on this list we have remarked on how late a number of players began their careers, and the modern leader in this category is David Robinson. The 7’1″ center was a star at the US Naval Academy, earning himself the nickname “The Admiral” in the process. When he declared for the 1987 NBA Draft the San Antonio Spurs took him first overall despite his pending military service.</p> <p>The Spurs waited two seasons for Robinson to finish out his military obligations. He entered the league at 24 and wasted no time, averaging 24.3 points and 12 rebounds as a rookie. Over the next four seasons, he would take turns leading the league in a different category, finishing with the rebounding title (1991), blocks title (’92) and points title (’94).<br> The latter was an elite season for Robinson, who dropped 29.8 points and 10.7 rebounds (and a strong 4.8 assists from a center) as he led the Spurs to a 55-27 record. The following year he put up similar numbers as the Spurs finished with 62 wins and made it to the Western Conference Finals, and Robinson earned league MVP for his troubles. With Robinson at the pivot, the Spurs were perennially in the mix in the Western Conference, never quite breaking through.</p> <p>Robinson missed the majority of the 1996-97 season with multiple injuries, setting the Spurs up for a one-time plummet down the standings. It worked, and the following season a healthy Robinson and a rookie Tim Duncan formed the greatest big-man pairing in the league, and perhaps of all-time. They played together for six seasons, winning two titles together.</p> <p>All total, Robinson played 14 seasons, all for the Spurs, and racked up 178.7 win shares. He was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection, and eight-time All-Defensive team pick. In 1991-92 he won Defensive Player of the year. The Admiral filled up the box score, anchored elite defenses and won two titles; quite the post-service career for the military man.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 6 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_396323" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-396323 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_974,w_1199/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51568966.jpeg" alt="Shaquille O'Neal" width="1199" height="974" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51568966.jpeg 1199w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51568966-768x624.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1199px;">Shaquille O’Neal. TONY RANZE/AFP via Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 6. Shaquille O’Neal</h2> <p>Few players in league history have been as popular as Shaquille O’Neal, whose goofy demeanor and off-court antics (including acting and rapping) coincided with his dominance on the court to make him a household name and carry him to a versatile post-playing career.</p> <p>O’Neal was a freight train in college and only grew into that role in the NBA. Selected first overall in the 1992 NBA Draft out of LSU, he was a double-double machine for the Orlando Magic. He won Rookie of the Year after putting up 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game.<br> Things only went up from there, and by O’Neal’s third season, he had taken them to the NBA Finals. The following season they won a franchise record 60 games but fell in the Eastern Conference Finals to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. When O’Neal hit free agency the following summer, he left the Magic and joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996.<br> From there, O’Neal continued to improve as an unstoppable force inside. He put on weight, which made him slightly less agile but allowed him to truck through any defender the league had to offer. As Kobe Bryant grew into his role, the Lakers began winning titles, taking three-in-a-row around the turn of the millennium.</p> <p>Beef with Bryant drove O’Neal out of yet another city, as he was traded to the Miami Heat where he won a title alongside Dwyane Wade. He bounced around the league from there, slowly descending into the twilight of his career but still able to make an impact even in a diminished role.</p> <p>O’Neal ended his career completely covered in awards and honors. He won the MVP in 2000, was a three-time Finals MVP, and two-time scoring champion. He made the All-Star team 15 times, and it would have been 16-straight if there was a game in 1999. He made 14 All-NBA teams, three All-Defensive teams and won four titles in all. He appeared in the postseason seventeen times with all six franchises he played for, totaling a whopping 216 games, The Big Aristotle, Diesel, Superman, Shaq – by any name he was one of the most dominant players of his generation.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426690" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426690 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1295598386.jpeg" alt="Hakeem Olajuwon" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1295598386.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1295598386-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Hakeem Olajuwon. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 5. Hakeem Olajuwon</h2> <p>Choosing between Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal for fifth on this list was splitting hairs between an all-time offensive talent at center and an all-time defensive talent at the same position. In the end, Hakeem Olajuwon wins out on the backs of nine All-Defensive selections and two Defensive Player of the Year awards to go along with 12 All-NBA nods and one MVP award.</p> <p>Olajuwon began his career with the Houston Rockets, who took him first overall in the 1984 NBA Draft. He earned that spot starring for the Houston Cougars in college, teaming with Clyde Drexler to form ” Phi Slama Jama”, the first slam-dunking “fraternity.” He twice reached the NCAA championship game, losing both times.</p> <p>Olajuwon played the first 17 seasons of his career with the Rockets, stepping in as a two-way force and lifting the Rockets to the NBA Finals by his second season. Roster and franchise turnover held Houston and Olajuwon back for a number of years until head coach Rudy Tomjanovich and Olajuwon found the winning formula in the mid-1990s and won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995.</p> <p>Olajuwon was a special player on offense, a back-to-the-basket maestro who loved to crack out his patented “Dream Shake” on helpless defenders. Never a strong passer, Olajuwon was so dominant in the post that teams had to double him, making the reads easy. When he was paired with capable teammates that meant open shots for everyone around him.</p> <p>Defensively was where Olajuwon shined, however. He had otherworldly athleticism that made him a pogo stick early on in his career, blocking everything in sight. As his game matured he became wiser in altering shots, sewing together an elite defense and not simply an elite highlight package.</p> <p>Olajuwon belongs on the Mount Rushmore of all-time defenders due to his versatility and impact, and he brought All-NBA offense to make a devastating combination. In his MVP season, he dropped 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and 58 wins for the Rockets; none of those were career highs. He was prolific, he was impactful, and he played for a long time. He ranks 14th in career points, 15th in rebounds and first in career blocks. “The Dream” may not have as many nicknames as Shaq, but he left an equally impactful on-court legacy.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_392161" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-392161 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2122,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1133358.jpeg" alt="Magic Johnson" width="3200" height="2122" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1133358.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1133358-768x509.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Magic Johnson. Photo by: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 4. Magic Johnson</h2> <p>The Showtime Lakers were the show of the 1980s, featuring a high-flying offense centered around their tall, personable point guard: Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The Lakers won five titles in the span of nine seasons, regaining their legacy as a title-winning franchise and establishing Johnson as a household name.</p> <p>Growing up in Michigan, Johnson was liked by everyone that knew him. That continued at Michigan State, which he led to an NCAA title in 1979 by taking down Larry Bird and Indiana State. Johnson was then drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the ’79 NBA Draft, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and owner Jerry Buss. That partnership would be a prolific one, not only to win titles but also to help the NBA overcome its viewership problems.</p> <p>Johnson was a dynamic player in the open court, a point guard despite standing 6’9″ tall. Four times Johnson led the league in assists, and all but his final season averaged between 18 and 24 points. He was a three-time Finals MVP among those five titles and won three league MVPs as well. He was a 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection and his career 11.2 assists per game average ranks first all-time.</p> <p>Johnson and Bird partnered together to launch college basketball into the national spotlight as a sport, and then entered the league and saved the NBA by multiplying its popularity exponentially and winning eight of the ten titles in the 1980s. Magic Johnson’s personality, charm and fast-paced offensive style made him the perfect face of basketball as it launched into an era of knowable superstars. The era of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Steph Curry began with Earvin “Magic” Johnson.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426691" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426691 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1430,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51689553.jpeg" alt="Tim Duncan" width="1600" height="1430" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51689553.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51689553-768x686.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Tim Duncan. PAUL BUCK/AFP via Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 3. Tim Duncan</h2> <p>In leading a team as a superstar player, offense matters. Tim Duncan provided that consistently during his career, a master of the glass in scoring all around the rim. After being drafted first overall by the San Antonio Spurs after four seasons at Wake Forest, Duncan averaged 21.1 points per game as a rookie and won Rookie of the Year in 1998. Duncan would make 15 All-Star Games across his career, as well as 15 All-NBA teams. He was MVP in both 2002 and 2003.</p> <p>In leading a team as a superstar player, defense matters. Duncan brought that at an even higher level, leveraging an insanely high basketball I.Q. to smother opponents at the rim and even by switching onto the perimeter. He would block and alter shots at the point of release rather than at their apex, exactly the sort of not-flashy move we would expect from one of basketball history’s most “boring” players. Duncan made 15 All-Defensive Teams in his 19-year career, although surprisingly never won Defensive Player of the Year.</p> <p>In leading a team as a superstar player, leadership matters. Duncan was a quiet leader who unified his team, checking his ego at the door and modeling an “all-in” approach to his teammates. If former MVP Tim Duncan was willing to do that drill, or take that shellacking from head coach Gregg Popovich, or sacrifice his minutes for the good of the team, who were they to pout and complain?</p> <p>Add in the offense, the defense and the leadership, on top of the longevity and consistency, and you get the recipe for a once-in-a-generation superstar player who won five titles across a 15-year span. For his first three titles, Duncan was named Finals MVP, but then he took a back seat to let others shine. He played in an unfathomable 251 career playoff games, third-most all-time. Tim Duncan was “The Big Fundamental”, but he was also the Big Success.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_390137" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-390137 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F85485594.jpeg" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/85485594.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/85485594-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Photo by: Ron Kuntz Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</h2> <p>Evaluating the careers of NBA players is something we are endeavoring to do here in making this list of some of the greatest to play the game. One of the main difficulties in comparing players is the relationship between “peak” and “longevity.” How does a player such as Bill Walton, who won an MVP and two titles but accrued just 39.3 win shares, compare with a player such as Walt Bellamy who never came close to either of those but racked up 130 win shares?</p> <p>For the final two players on this list, we can throw that argument completely out of the window. These players brought the perfect encapsulation of peak and longevity, combining elite play and championship validation with high-minute totals year after year after year. We first get to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who starred at UCLA before the Milwaukee Bucks selected him first overall in 1969.</p> <p>Then going by Lew Alcindor, the 7’2″ center was one of the league’s best players the moment he stepped onto an NBA court. We won Rookie of the Year in 1970 on the back of 28.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, finishing fourth in the league in win shares and third in MVP voting. From there the race was on, as Alcindor led the league in scoring each of the next two seasons, winning a title and two MVP awards.</p> <p>Changing his name to Abdul-Jabbar, the center continued to dominate the league. His career is too wonderful and elongated to go step-by-step, but he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975 and continued his dominant, winning ways. He won five titles with the Lakers, giving him six for his career. He won another four MVP awards, likewise totaling six. 19 All-Star appearances, 15 All-NBA nods, 11 All-Defensive selections. He led the league in blocks four times, points twice, and rebounds once. He played at a high level past his 42nd birthday.</p> <p>Maintaining that level of play for such a long career means Abdul-Jabbar’s career totals are staggering. He ranks first by a mile in total points scored despite entering the league at the age of 22. He also ranks fourth in career rebounds, third in blocks and first in minutes played. His 273.4 win shares are substantially in first place all-time. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with his Skyhook and his goggles and his unfathomable amount of baskets scored, is one of the best players ever to play the sport of basketball.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426693" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-426693 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1060,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1256936791.jpeg" alt="LeBron James" width="1600" height="1060" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1256936791.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1256936791-768x509.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">LeBron James. Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 1. LeBron James</h2> <p>The two things in common with both Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James are their incredible longevity. We did a ranking of the top 30 seasons from players 35 or older on this site, and Abdul-Jabbar showed up four times. LeBron James’ age-35 seasons ranked third on the list, and if he can win another title in 2020-21 he will place in the top-5 yet again. It is that longevity that is impossibly keeping James alive to break some of Abdul-Jabbar’s most prolific records, including career win shares and points scored.</p> <p>James did get the benefit of an earlier start, entering the league at 18 instead of attending college for any number of years. Yet his availability and consistency are still beautiful to behold and difficult to believe. James’ 1,306 games played is already 21st all-time, and he has 13 seasons in the top-5 in points per game despite only leading the league in that statistic one time. Peak plus longevity.</p> <p>More than simply the first overall pick, LeBron James was heralded as a once-in-a-generation talent coming out of high school. That sort of language about a draft prospect can be tossed around too flippantly, but with James it was spot-on. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him first overall and he shot out of the gate even as a teenager. He won Rookie of the Year as part of an all-time class, then proceeded to lead the league in minutes his second season and crack 30 points per game by his third.<br> By his fourth, he had carried an unprepared Cleveland Cavaliers team to the NBA Finals. Years of elevating the Cavaliers led him to take his talents to the Miami Heat, where he would make the NBA Finals four straight years, winning two titles. By this point, he had two titles and four MVPs, and he returned home to Cleveland and made four more NBA Finals in four seasons, including the franchise’s first title in 2016.</p> <p>LeBron James now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, where he added a fourth title in 2020. He is an MVP candidate even in his 18th season, likely headed for his fifteenth top-5 MVP finish even if an injury absence will keep him out of the top spot. In total, James is a 17-time All-Star, will be a 17-time All-NBA selection after this season, and has made six All-Defensive teams. He has won four titles, all with the accompanying Finals MVP award. He is in the top 10 and rising in career points, assists, free throws, win shares and even rate stats such as Box Plus/Minus (2nd) and PER (2nd).</p> <p>It looks like LeBron James will continue to play at a high level into his late 30s despite starting his career at the age of 18. The way he has taken care of his body is unique and commendable, and combined with his linebacker frame is extending his prime to an impossible degree.</p> <p>Is LeBron James the greatest player of all time? That’s a question for another list. But he is the greatest player ever selected first overall.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="30 best careers from players who skipped college" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/03/nba-best-careers-high-school/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/24/nba-draft-best-picks/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/03/nba-best-careers-high-school/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> 30 best careers from players who skipped college </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">