#1 Overall NBA Draft Picks List of All Time

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.