The Number 1 Draft Pick is awarded to the team that wins the NBA Draft Lottery, and has provided some memorable selections since its inception, both good and bad.
11 Number 1 Draft picks have been NBA MVP Award Winners, these include:
Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6 time winner), Bill Walton, Magic Johnson (3 time winner), David robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’neal, Tim Duncan (2 time winner), Lebron James (4 time winner) and Derrick Rose (the youngest winner ever).
There have also been some notable Number 1 “busts” including, the most noteable, Sam Bowie…
Sam Bowie, 1984 – Portland – Picked ahead of Michael Jordan in 1984. Destroyed by injury, the talented Bowie played just 139 games, but could have been anything. Unfortunately he ended up being the guy with the most brittle legs in NBA history, who just happened to be picked in front of the greatest player in history.
and just for a laugh, our personal favourite, Kwame Brown…
Kwame Brown, 2001, Washington – The fact that Kwame managed to squeeze in 12 years of NBA basketball is a miracle. The 2001 draft class was terrible, so it’s probably apt that one of the biggest busts rolled out of it.
Scouted by Michael Jordan, Kwame came straight out of high school as a seven-footer. During three seasons at Washington, he was broken down and brought to tears by Jordan on and off the court for his lack of skill and intensity, perhaps attributing to his lack of confidence.
After three years at the Wizards, he traveled to LA, to be further beaten down by Kobe, then finished his time in the NBA floating through Memphis and Charlotte.
NBA Number 1 Draft Picks Year By Year
Below is a list of Number 1 NBA Draft Picks including where they were drafted from and Rookie statistics.
| Draft | Player | Selected By | Drafted From | PTS | RPG | APG |
| 2024 | Zaccharie Risacher | Atlanta Hawks | France | – | – | – |
| 2023 | Victor Wembanyma | San Antonio Spurs | Metropolitans 92 (France) | 21.4 | 10.6 | 3.9 |
| 2022 | Paolo Banchero | Orlando Magic | Duke | 20.0 | 6.0 | 3.7 |
| 2021 | Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons | OKlahoma State | 17.4 | 5.5 | 5.6 |
| 2020 | Anthony Edwards | Minnesota Timberwolves | Georgia | 19.3 | 4.7 | 2.9 |
| 2019 | Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans | Duke | 22.5 | 6.3 | 2.1 |
| 2018 | Deandre Ayton | Phoenix Suns | Arizona | 16.3 | 10.3 | 1.8 |
| 2017 | Markelle Fultz | Philadelphia 76ers | Washington | 7.1 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| 2016 | Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers | LSU | 15.8 | 8.1 | 8.2 |
| 2015 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota Timberwolves | Kentucky | 18.3 | 10.4 | 2.0 |
| 2014 | Andrew Wiggins | Cleveland Cavaliers | Kansas | 16.9 | 4.6 | 2.1 |
| 2013 | Anthony Bennett | Cleveland Cavaliers | UNLV | 4.2 | 3.0 | 0.3 |
| 2012 | Anthony Davis | New Orleans Hornets | Kentucky | 13.5 | 8.2 | 1.0 |
| 2011 | Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers | Duke | 18.5 | 3.7 | 5.4 |
| 2010 | John Wall | Washington Wizards | Kentucky | 16.4 | 4.6 | 8.3 |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers | Oklahoma | 22.5 | 12.1 | 3.8 |
| 2008 | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls | Memphis | 16.8 | 3.9 | 6.3 |
| 2007 | Greg Oden | Portland Trail Blazers | Ohio State | 8.9 | 7.0 | 0.5 |
| 2006 | Andrea Bargnani | Toronto Raptors | Benetton Treviso (Italy) | 11.6 | 3.9 | 0.8 |
| 2005 | Andrew Bogut | Milwaukee Bucks | Utah | 9.4 | 7.0 | 2.3 |
| 2004 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | SACA (Atlanta) | 12.0 | 10.0 | 0.9 |
| 2003 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | St. Vincent-St. Mary HS | 20.9 | 5.5 | 5.9 |
| 2002 | Yao Ming | Houston Rockets | Shanghai Sharks (China) | 13.5 | 8.2 | 1.7 |
| 2001 | Kwame Brown | Washington Wizards | Glynn Academy HS | 4.5 | 3.5 | 0.8 |
| 2000 | Kenyon Martin | New Jersey Nets | Cincinnati | 12.0 | 7.4 | 1.9 |
| 1999 | Elton Brand | Chicago Bulls | Duke | 20.1 | 10.0 | 1.9 |
| 1998 | Michael Olowokandi | Los Angeles Clippers | Pacific | 8.9 | 7.9 | 0.6 |
| 1997 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | Wake Forest | 21.1 | 11.9 | 2.7 |
| 1996 | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | Georgetown | 23.5 | 4.1 | 7.5 |
| 1995 | Joe Smith | Golden State Warriors | Maryland | 15.3 | 8.7 | 1.0 |
| 1994 | Glenn Robinson | Milwaukee Bucks | Purdue | 21.9 | 6.4 | 2.5 |
| 1993 | Chris Webber | Orlando Magic | Michigan | 17.5 | 9.1 | 3.6 |
| 1992 | Shaquille O’Neal | Orlando Magic | LSU | 23.4 | 13.9 | 1.9 |
| 1991 | Larry Johnson | Charlotte Hornets | UNLV | 19.2 | 11 | 3.6 |
| 1990 | Derrick Coleman | New Jersey Nets | Syracuse | 18.4 | 10.3 | 2.2 |
| 1989 | Pervis Ellison | Sacramento Kings | Louisville | 8.0 | 5.8 | 1.9 |
| 1988 | Danny Manning | Los Angeles Clippers | Kansas | 16.7 | 6.6 | 3.1 |
| 1987 | David Robinson | San Antonio Spurs | Navy | 24.3 | 12.0 | 2.0 |
| 1986 | Brad Daugherty | Cleveland Cavaliers | North Carolina | 15.7 | 8.1 | 3.8 |
| 1985 | Patrick Ewing | New York Knicks | Georgetown | 20.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 |
| 1984 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | Houston | 20.6 | 11.9 | 1.4 |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson | Houston Rockets | Virginia | 21.0 | 11.1 | 2.0 |
| 1982 | James Worthy | Los Angeles Lakers | North Carolina | 13.4 | 5.2 | 1.7 |
| 1981 | Mark Aguirre | Dallas Mavericks | DePaul | 18.7 | 4.9 | 3.2 |
| 1980 | Joe Barry Carroll | Golden State Warriors | Purdue | 18.9 | 9.3 | 1.4 |
| 1979 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | Michigan State | 18.0 | 7.7 | 7.3 |
| 1978 | Mychal Thompson | Portland Trail Blazers | Minnesota | 14.7 | 8.3 | 2.4 |
| 1977 | Kent Benson | Milwaukee Bucks | Indiana | 7.7 | 4.3 | 1.4 |
| 1976 | John Lucas | Houston Rockets | Maryland | 11.1 | 2.7 | 5.6 |
| 1975 | David Thompson | Atlanta Hawks | NC State | 26.0 | 6.3 | 3.7 |
| 1974 | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers | UCLA | 12.8 | 12.6 | 4.8 |
| 1973 | Doug Collins | Philadelphia 76ers | Illinois State | 8.0 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| 1972 | LaRue Martin | Portland Trail Blazers | Loyola (Illinois) | 4.4 | 4.6 | 0.5 |
| 1971 | Austin Carr | Cleveland Cavaliers | Notre Dame | 21.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| 1970 | Bob Lanier | Detroit Pistons | St. Bonaventure | 15.6 | 8.1 | 1.8 |
| 1969 | Lew Alcindor | Milwaukee Bucks | UCLA | 28.8 | 14.5 | 4.1 |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes | San Diego Rockets | Houston | 28.4 | 17.1 | 1.4 |
| 1967 | Jimmy Walker | Detroit Pistons | Providence | 8.8 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| 1966 | Cazzie Russell | New York Knicks | Michigan | 11.3 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| 1965 | Fred Hetzel | San Francisco Warriors | Davidson | 6.8 | 5.2 | 0.5 |
| 1964 | Jim Barnes | New York Knicks | Texas Western | 15.5 | 9.7 | 1.2 |
| 1963 | Art Heyman | New York Knicks | Duke | 15.4 | 4 | 3.4 |
| 1962 | Bill McGill | Chicago Zephyrs | Utah | 7.4 | 2.7 | 0.6 |
| 1961 | Walt Bellamy | Chicago Packers | Indiana | 31.6 | 19 | 2.7 |
| 1960 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati Royals | Cincinnati | 30.5 | 10.1 | 9.7 |
| 1959 | Bob Boozer | Cincinnati Royals | Kansas State | 8.4 | 6.2 | 1.4 |
| 1958 | Elgin Baylor | Minneapolis Lakers | Seattle | 24.9 | 15.0 | 4.1 |
| 1957 | Rod Hundley | Cincinnati Royals | West Virginia | 7.0 | 2.9 | 1.9 |
| 1956 | Sihugo Green | Rochester Royals | Duquesne | 11.5 | 5.2 | 3.6 |
| 1955 | Dick Ricketts | Milwaukee Hawks | Duquesne | 8.9 | 7.2 | 3.0 |
| 1954 | Frank Selvy | Baltimore Bullets | Furman | 19 | 5.5 | 3.5 |
| 1953 | Ray Felix | Baltimore Bullets | Long Island | 17.6 | 13.3 | 1.1 |
| 1952 | Mark Workman | Milwaukee Hawks | West Virginia | 5.1 | 3.0 | 0.6 |
| 1951 | Gene Melchiorre | Baltimore Bullets | Bradley | — | — | — |
| 1950 | Charlie Share | Boston Celtics | Bowling Green | 3.9 | 5.3 | 1.0 |
| 1949 | Howie Shannon | Providence Steamrollers | Kansas State | 13.4 | — | 2.3 |
| 1948 | Andy Tonkovich | Providence Steamrollers | Marshall | 2.6 | — | 0.6 |
| 1947 | Clifton McNeely | Pittsburgh Ironmen | Texas Wesleyan | — | — | — |
This list of number one NBA Draft Picks will update at the end of each NBA season.
Visit our NBA tips for tonight’s best bets.
