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We will likely be adding Zion Williamson to the list here shortly. We have compiled the ultimate list of number one overall draft picks in NBA History. Some were better than others, and some were complete busts. Throughout you see Hall of Famers, and possibly future Hall of Famers when the time comes. There were also some first overall picks who struggled with injuries, and could never get going in the league. Of late, you have to say teams have been better at drafting the best overall player. Going into the 2000s, you have a lot of recognizable names that succeeded and lived up to the hype. There was also an international run of number one picks early in the 2000s too. Being selected number one is a great honor, but only so many live up to the hype. You can read all about our Best #1 NBA Draft Picks of All Time.
2023: Victor Wembanyama
| Team | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitans 92 | 19.6 | NA | C/PF | 7'5" | 230 |
2022: Paolo Banchero
| Team | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 19 | Freshman | PF | 6'10" | 250 |
2021: Cade Cunningham
| Team | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State | 19.7 | Freshman | PG | 6'7" | 220 |
2020: Anthony Edwards
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 19 | Freshman | SG | 6'5 | 225 lbs |
2019: Zion Williamson
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 18 | Freshman | PF | 6'7 | 285 lbs |
2018: Deandre Ayton
Phoenix Suns
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 18 | Freshman | Center | 7'1 | 250 lbs |
2017: Markelle Fultz
Philadelphia 76ers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 19 | Freshman | Guard | 6'4 | 200 lbs |
2016: Ben Simmons
Philadelphia 76ers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | 19 | Freshman | Guard | 6'10 | 230 lbs |
2015: Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 19 | Freshman | Center | 7'0 | 248 lbs |
2014: Andrew Wiggins
Cleveland Cavaliers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 19 | Freshman | Guard | 6'8 | 194 lbs |
2013: Anthony Bennett
Cleveland Cavaliers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNLV | 20 | Freshman | Forward | 6'8 | 245 lbs |
2012: Anthony Davis
New Orleans Hornets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 19 | Freshman | Forward | 6'10 | 253 lbs |
2011: Kyrie Irving
Cleveland Cavaliers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 19 | Freshman | Guard | 6'3 | 193 lbs |
2010: John Wall
Washington Wizards
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 19 | Freshman | Guard | 6'4 | 210 lbs |
2009: Blake Griffin
LA Clippers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 20 | Sophomore | Forward | 6'10 | 250 lbs |
2008: Derrick Rose
Chicago Bulls
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 19 | Freshman | Guard | 6'3 | 200 lbs |
2007: Greg Oden
Portland Trail Blazers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 19 | Freshman | Center | 7'0 | 275 lbs |
2006: Andrea Bargnani
Toronto Raptors
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 20 | N/A | Forward | 7'0 | 245 lbs |
2005: Andrew Bogut
Milwaukee Bucks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 20 | Sophomore | Center | 7'0 | 250 lbs |
2004: Dwight Howard
Orlando Magic
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School | 18 | N/A | Center | 6'11 | 265 lbs |
2003: LeBron James
Cleveland Cavaliers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School | 18 | N/A | Forward | 6'8 | 250 lbs |
2002: Yao Ming
Houston Rockets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 21 | N/A | Center | 7'6 | 311 lbs |
2001: Kwame Brown
Washington Wizards
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School | 19 | N/A | Center | 6'11 | 290 lbs |
2000: Kenyon Martin
New Jersey Nets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'9 | 234 lbs |
1999: Elton Brand
Chicago Bulls
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 20 | Sophomore | Forward | 6'9 | 254 lbs |
1998: Michael Olowokandi
LA Clippers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific | 23 | Senior | Forward | 7'0 | 270 lbs |
1997: Tim Duncan
San Antonio Spurs
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | 21 | Senior | Forward | 6'11 | 250 lbs |
1996: Allen Iverson
Philadelphia 76ers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown | 20 | Sophomore | Guard | 6'0 | 165 lbs |
1995: Joe Smith
Golden State Warriors
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 20 | Sophomore | Forward | 6'10 | 225 lbs |
1994: Glenn Robinson
Milwaukee Bucks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue | 21 | Junior | Forward | 6'7 | 240 lbs |
1993: Chris Webber
Orlando Magic
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 20 | Sophomore | Forward | 6'10 | 250 lbs |
1992: Shaquille O’Neal
Orlando Magic
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | 20 | Junior | Center | 7'1 | 325 lbs |
1991: Larry Johnson
Charlotte Hornets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNLV | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'7 | 250 lbs |
1990: Derrick Coleman
New Jersey Nets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | 23 | Senior | Forward | 6'10 | 230 lbs |
1989: Pervis Ellison
Sacramento Kings
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'9 | 210 lbs |
1988: Danny Manning
LA Clippers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'10 | 230 lbs |
1987: David Robinson
San Antonio Spurs
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy | 22 | Senior | Center | 7'1 | 235 lbs |
1986: Brad Daugherty
Cleveland Cavaliers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 21 | Senior | Center | 7'0 | 245 lbs |
1985: Patrick Ewing
New York Knicks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown | 22 | Senior | Center | 7'0 | 255 lbs |
1984: Hakeem Olajuwon
Houston Rockets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 21 | Senior | Center | 7'0 | 255 lbs |
1983: Ralph Sampson
Houston Rockets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 23 | Senior | Center | 7'4 | 228 lbs |
1982: James Worthy
Los Angeles Lakers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 21 | Junior | Forward | 6'9 | 225 lbs |
1981: Mark Aguirre
Dallas Mavericks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DePaul | 22 | Junior | Guard | 6'6 | 232 lbs |
1980: Joe Barry Carroll
Golden State Warriors
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue | 22 | Senior | Center | 7'0 | 255 lbs |
1979: Magic Johnson
Los Angeles Lakers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 20 | Sophomore | Guard | 6'9 | 215 lbs |
1978: Mychal Thompson
Portland Trail Blazers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 23 | Senior | Forward | 6'10 | 220 lbs |
1977: Kent Benson
Milwaukee Bucks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'10 | 300 lbs |
1976: John Lucas
Houston Rockets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 22 | Senior | Guard | 6'3 | 175 lbs |
1975: David Thompson
Atlanta Hawks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC State | 21 | Senior | Guard | 6'4 | 195 lbs |
1974: Bill Walton
Portland Trail Blazers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 22 | Junior | Center | 6'11 | 210 lbs |
1973: Doug Collins
Philadelphia 76ers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State | 22 | Junior | Forward | 6'6 | 180 lbs |
1972: LaRue Martin
Portland Trail Blazers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyola | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'11 | 208 lbs |
1971: Austin Carr
Cleveland Cavaliers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 23 | Senior | Guard | 6'4 | 200 lbs |
1970: Bob Lanier
Detroit Pistons
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Bonaventure | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'10 | 250 lbs |
1969: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Milwaukee Bucks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 22 | Senior | Center | 7'2 | 225 lbs |
1968: Elvin Hayes
San Diego Rockets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'9 | 235 lbs |
1967: Jimmy Walker
Detroit Pistons
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | 23 | Senior | Guard | 6'3 | 195 lbs |
1966: Cazzie Russell
New York Knicks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 22 | Senior | Guard | 6'5 | 218 lbs |
1965: Fred Hetzel
San Francisco Warriors
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson | 23 | Senior | Forward | 6'8 | 220 lbs |
1964: Jim Barnes
New York Knicks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTEP | 23 | Senior | Forward | 6'8 | 210 lbs |
1963: Art Heyman
New York Knicks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 22 | Senior | Guard | 6'5 | 205 lbs |
1962: Bill McGill
Chicago Zephyrs
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 23 | Senior | Forward | 6'9 | 225 lbs |
1961: Walt Bellamy
Chicago Zephyrs
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'11 | 225 lbs |
1960: Oscar Robertson
Cincinnati Royals
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | 22 | Senior | Guard | 6'5 | 205 lbs |
1959: Bob Boozer
Cincinnati Royals
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'8 | 215 lbs |
1958: Elgin Baylor
Minneapolis Lakers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 23 | Senior | Guard | 6'5 | 225 lbs |
1957: Hot Rod Hundley
Cincinnati Royals
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 22 | Senior | Guard | 6'4 | 185 lbs |
1956: Si Green
Rochester Royals
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duquesne | 23 | Senior | Guard | 6'2 | 185 lbs |
1955: Dick Ricketts
St. Louis Hawks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duquesne | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'7 | 215 lbs |
1954: Frank Selvy
Baltimore Bullets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furman | 22 | Senior | Guard | 6'3 | 180 lbs |
1953: Ray Felix
Baltimore Bullets
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIU Brooklyn | 22 | Senior | Center | 6'11 | 220 lbs |
1952: Mark Workman
Milwaukee Hawks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 22 | Senior | Forward | 6'9 | 215 lbs |
1951: Gene Melchiorre
Baltimore Hawks
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley | 24 | Senior | Guard | 5'8 | 175 lbs |
1950: Chuck Share
Boston Celtics
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green | 23 | Senior | Forward | 6'11 | 235 lbs |
1949: Howie Shannon
Providence Steam Rollers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State | 26 | Senior | Guard | 6'2 | 175 lbs |
1948: Andy Tonkovich
Providence Steam Rollers
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 25 | Senior | Guard | 6'1 | 185 lbs |
1947: Clifton McNeeley
Pittsburgh Ironmen
| School | Age | Year | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Wesleyan | 28 | Senior | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Worst #1 Picks Of All-Time
It is easy to pin the players as being a bust, but landing spots and teams being able to wait and give them the chance to develop. In more recent years, we look at Anthony Bennett as the big draft bust. He went to Cleveland first overall, and averaged just 4.4 points per game in his career. Bennett also never saw much of the floor, averaging less than 20 minutes per game. We can also safely say that Markelle Fultz is looking more and more like a bust. The injury situation really muddied up our vision to see if he was worth the first overall pick. Philadelphia has already moved on, and nobody was biting on trade bait. Fultz was a big bust.
Washington taking Kwame Brown back in 2001 was a major bust, especially when you look at Pau Gasol going two picks behind him. Going way back, Clifton McNeely and Gene Melchiorre never scored a point in the pros. One was banned, and the other went on to coach high school basketball instead. Kent Benson was drafted in 1977, and had an altercation with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He averaged less than ten points per game.
Not Great, But Good
You have the greats in this list, which is saved for a different article. Let’s dive into the guys that got overshadowed a bit because they didn’t live up to the hype, but still churned out strong careers. Elton Brand and Kenyon Martin both went number one in back to back years. This was around the time names like Shaq and Yao Ming were drafted. Brand went onto win the Rookie of the Year that season, and had a long 16-year career. He was a two-time all-star, and averaged 15.9 points per game. Martin was an all-rookie, and averaged 12.3 points per game. Both didn’t have notable careers, but playing that long is considered a success.
The All-Injured
Greg Oden played 105 games in the NBA, and this went with Portland’s unlucky streak of draft picks at the time. He also came a pick before Kevin Durant. Oden never averaged over 25 minutes in a season, and missed out on three full seasons. He tried to make a come back with the Miami Heat, and fell short again with injuries. When you have the nickname “Out Of Service Pervis” you know things are not going good. Pervis Ellison missed half of his rookie season, and injuries continued most of his career. He played 11 seasons, but had six of them cut short due to injury. Derrick Rose has played enough to where he can’t quite be compared, but you have to say Rose blowing out his knee a few times is a rough go.
