In the NBA, the first pick in the draft is more than just a big name , it’s a shot to change their whole path ahead. Over the years, this top spot has made some big stars, flops, and all sorts of players in between. From big names like LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal to the latest stars, the story of the NBA Draft’s first choice shows us how the game has changed and where its top players come from, like schools here or leagues far away.
Sites like NBA.com and NCAA.com say the top pick has come from many places, and in the last few years, from all over the world. Number 1 picks have been:
19640s-1950s
- 1947 Clifton McNeely (Texas Wesleyan)
- 1948 Andy Tonkovich (Marshall)
- 1949 Howie Shannon (Kansas State)
- 1950 Chuck Share (Bowling Green)
- 1951 Gene Melchiorre (Bradley)
- 1952 Mark Workman (West Virginia)
- 1953 Ray Felix (Long Island)
- 1954 Frank Selvy (Furman)
- 1955 Dick Ricketts (Duquesne)
- 1956 Si Green (Duquesne)
- 1957 Rod Hundley (West Virginia)
- 1958 Elgin Baylor (Seattle)
- 1959 Bob Boozer (Kansas State)
1960s
- 1960 – Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati)
- 1961 Walt Bellamy (Indiana)
- 1962 Bill McGill (Utah)
- 1963 Art Heyman (Duke)
- 1964 Jim Barnes (Texas Western)
- 1965 Fred Hetzel (Davidson)
- 1966 Cazzie Russell (Michigan)
- 1967 Jimmy Walker (Providence)
- 1968 Elvin Hayes (Houston)
- 1969 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (UCLA, then Lew Alcindor)
1970s
- 1970 Bob Lanier (St. Bonaventure)
- 1971 Austin Carr (Notre Dame)
- 1972 LaRue Martin (Loyola Chicago)
- 1973 Doug Collins (Illinois State)
- 1974 Bill Walton (UCLA)
- 1975 David Thompson (NC State)
- 1976 John Lucas (Maryland)
- 1977 Kent Benson (Indiana)
- 1978 Mychal Thompson (Minnesota)
- 1979 Magic Johnson (Michigan State)
1980s
- 1980 Joe Barry Carroll (Purdue)
- 1981 Mark Aguirre (DePaul)
- 1982 James Worthy (UNC)
- 1983 Ralph Sampson (Virginia)
- 1984 Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston)
- 1985 Patrick Ewing (Georgetown)
- 1986 Brad Daugherty (North Carolina)
- 1987 David Robinson (Navy)
- 1988 Danny Manning (Kansas)
- 1989 Pervis Ellison (Louisville)
1990s
- 1990 Derrick Coleman (Syracuse)
- 1991 Larry Johnson (UNLV)
- 1992 Shaquille O’Neal (LSU)
- 1993 Chris Webber (Michigan)
- 1994 Glenn Robinson (Purdue)
- 1995 Joe Smith (Maryland)
- 1996 Allen Iverson (Georgetown)
- 1997 Tim Duncan (Wake Forest)
- 1998 Michael Olowokandi (Pacific)
- 1999 Elton Brand (Duke)
2000s
- 2000 Kenyon Martin (Cincinnati)
- 2001 Kwame Brown (Glynn Academy – HS)
- 2002 Yao Ming (China)
- 2003 LeBron James (St. Vincent-St. Mary HS)
- 2004 Dwight Howard (Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy)
- 2005 Andrew Bogut (Utah)
- 2006 Andrea Bargnani (Italy)
- 2007 Greg Oden (Ohio State)
- 2008 Derrick Rose (Memphis)
- 2009 Blake Griffin (Oklahoma)
2010s
- 2010 John Wall (Kentucky)
- 2011 Kyrie Irving (Duke)
- 2012 Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
- 2013 Anthony Bennett (UNLV)
- 2014 Andrew Wiggins (Kansas)
- 2015 Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky)
- 2016 Ben Simmons (LSU)
- 2017 Markelle Fultz (Washington)
- 2018 Deandre Ayton (Arizona)
- 2019 Zion Williamson (Duke)
2020s
- 2020 Anthony Edwards (Georgia)
- 2021 Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State)
- 2022 Paolo Banchero (Duke)
- 2023 Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans 92 – France)
- 2024 Zaccharie Risacher (JL Bourg – France)
As NBA teams get ready for a new group of players, the first draft spot stands as a top sign of hope. Made in famous schools, military schools, or even leagues in France, these players hold the dreams of both teams and fans.
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