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11.1k voters

The Best No. 1 Overall NBA Draft Picks of All Time, Ranked

Updated October 29, 2019 109.3k votes 11.1k voters 84.3k views55 items

List RulesOnly players drafted #1 overall in the NBA Draft

Having the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft could set your team up for success for more than a decade. However, not all no. 1 picks are created equal (as this list shows) and teams can regret passing up on superstars such as Michael Jordan or Kevin Durant. We've compiled a list of all the number one overall draft picks in NBA Draft history to see who is voted the best top overall first round pick of all time.

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1
4,515
1,197
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Center
Age: 73
Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks
1968 Milwaukee Bucks (UCLA)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball... more
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#397 of 904 Celebrity Death Pool 2021#1343 of 1,355 The Greatest Minds of All Time
2
3,230
848
Hakeem Olajuwon
Center
Age: 57
Birthplace: Lagos, Nigeria
Teams: Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors
1984 Houston Rockets (Houston)
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; Yoruba: [olaɟuwɔ̃]; born January 21, 1963), formerly spelled (& still... more
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#1 of 50 The Greatest African NBA Players of All Time#3 of 107 The Best Foreign NBA Players of All Time
3
3,969
1,058
Shaquille O'Neal
Center
Age: 48
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
Number: 33
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics
1992 Orlando Magic (LSU)
Shaquille Rashaun "Shaq" O'Neal ( shə-KEEL; SHAK; born March 6, 1972) is a retired... more
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#1020 of 2,443 The Most Influential People of All Time#27 of 178 The Best Hot Ones Guests Ever
4
4,265
1,142
Magic Johnson
Point guard
Age: 61
Birthplace: Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
Number: 32
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
1979 Los Angeles Lakers (Michigan State)
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American retired professional... more
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#30 of 105 The Most Influential Contemporary Americans#11 of 32 The Best NBA Shooting Guards of the 90s
5
6,029
1,660
LeBron James
Power forward
Age: 36
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, United States of America
Number: 23
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
2003 Cleveland Cavaliers (St. Vincent-St. Mary HS)
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball... more
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The Best LeBron 15 Colorways, Ranked#245 of 269 The Most Trustworthy Celebrities in the World
6
3,677
997
Tim Duncan
Power forward
Age: 44
Birthplace: Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands
Number: 21
Teams: San Antonio Spurs
1997 San Antonio Spurs (Wake Forest)
Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and... more
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#101 of 150 The Greatest Point Guards in NBA History#3 of 69 All NBA Rookie Of The Year Award Winners, Ranked
7
2,579
723
Oscar Robertson
Point guard
Age: 82
Birthplace: Charlotte, Tennessee, United States of America
Teams: Cincinnati Royals, Milwaukee Bucks
1960 Cincinnati Royals (Cincinnati)
Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "The Big O", is an American retired... more
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#12 of 175 The Greatest Shooting Guards in NBA History#3 of 25 The Best NBA Point Guards of the 1970s
8
2,264
702
David Robinson
Center
Age: 54
Birthplace: Key West, Florida, United States of America
1987 San Antonio Spurs (Navy)
David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball... more
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#2 of 30 The Best NBA Centers of the '90s#128 of 874 Big Grid relations
9
3,103
1,011
Allen Iverson
Point guard
Age: 45
Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States of America
Number: 1
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons
1996 Philadelphia 76ers (Georgetown)
Allen Ezail Iverson (; born June 7, 1975), nicknamed "the Answer", is an American former... more
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#11 of 27 The Best '90s Point Guards#2 of 22 The Greatest Georgetown Basketball Players of All Time
10
2,005
795
Patrick Ewing
Center
Age: 57
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Number: 33
Teams: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Seattle Supersonics
1985 New York Knicks (Georgetown)
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame... more
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#107 of 124 The Greatest College Basketball Coaches of All Time#58 of 68 The Best Current College Basketball Coaches
11
2,119
1,105
Anthony Davis
Power forward, Center
Age: 27
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Number: 3
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
2012 New Orleans Hornets (Kentucky)
Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player... more
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#1 of 141 The Greatest Kentucky Basketball Players of All Time#51 of 329 The Most Obnoxious Athletes
12
1,600
825
Elgin Baylor
Small forward
Age: 85
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
1958 Minneapolis Lakers (Seattle)
Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16, 1934) is an American former basketball player, coach, and... more
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#497 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time#7 of 107 The Greatest Lakers of All Time
13
1,365
855
James Worthy
Small forward
Age: 58
Birthplace: Gastonia, North Carolina, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
1982 Los Angeles Lakers (North Carolina)
James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American former professional basketball... more
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#2 of 51 The Greatest UNC Tar Heels Basketball Players of All Time#7 of 29 The Greatest Small Forwards of the 1980s

14
2,029
1,300
Kyrie Irving
Point guard
Age: 28
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Number: 2
Teams: Brooklyn Nets
2011 Cleveland Cavaliers (Duke)
Kyrie Andrew Irving (; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for... more
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The Best Kyrie 4 Colorways, Ranked#11 of 76 The Greatest Duke Basketball Players of All Time
15
1,765
1,004
Derrick Rose
Point guard
Age: 32
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Number: 1
Teams: New York Knicks
2008 Chicago Bulls (Memphis)
Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for... more
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#4 of 73 The Greatest Chicago Bulls of All Time#2 of 46 The Greatest Memphis Basketball Players of All Time
16
1,593
1,049
Yao Ming
Center
Age: 39
Birthplace: Shanghai, China
Teams: Houston Rockets
2002 Houston Rockets (China)
Yao Ming (born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and retired professional... more
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#25 of 161 The Best NBA Players With No Championship Rings#24 of 165 The Greatest NBA Centers of All Time
17
1,249
889
Chris Webber
Power forward, Center
Age: 46
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Teams: Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons
1993 Golden State Warriors (Michigan)
Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973) is an American former professional... more
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#2 of 46 The Greatest Michigan Basketball Players of All Time#11 of 21 The Best NBA Players Who Rap, Ranked
18
1,178
845
Bill Walton
Center
Age: 68
Birthplace: La Mesa, California, United States of America
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, San Diego Clippers, Los Angeles Clippers
1974 Portland Trail Blazers (UCLA)
William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American retired basketball player... more
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#59 of 256 The Top NBA Players Of All Time#16 of 232 The Best White Players in NBA History
19
1,379
955
Karl-Anthony Towns
Center
Birthplace: Edison, NJ
Number: 32
Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves
2015 Minnesota Timberwolves (Kentucky)
Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. (born November 15, 1995) is a Dominican-American professional... more
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#93 of 199 The All-Around Best Athletes of 2018#35 of 51 The Best Current NBA Free-Throw Shooters
20
1,025
556
Ben Simmons
Point guard/forward
Number: 12
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers
2016 Philadelphia 76ers (LSU)
Benjamin David Simmons (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for... more
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#8 of 78 The Best Philadelphia 76ers of All Time#72 of 102 The Most Likable Players In The NBA Today
21
376
137
Zion Williamson
Forward
Number: 1
Teams: New Orleans Pelicans
2019 New Orleans Pelicans (Duke)

Zion Lateef Williamson (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for... more
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#8 of 49 The Best Athletes Signed To Jordan Brand#1 of 43 The Best Players In March Madness 2019, Ranked
22
857
667
Elvin Hayes
Power forward, Center
Age: 74
Birthplace: Rayville, Louisiana
Teams: Washington Wizards, Baltimore Bullets, Houston Rockets, San Diego Rockets
1968 San Diego Rockets (Houston)
Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945) is an American retired professional basketball... more
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#8 of 22 The Best NBA Centers of the 1960s#11 of 25 The Best Power Forwards of the 80s
23
1,264
1,103
John Wall
Point guard
Age: 30
Birthplace: Raleigh, North Carolina
Number: 2
Teams: Washington Wizards
2010 Washington Wizards (Kentucky)
Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball... more
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#22 of 76 The Best Point Guards Currently in the NBA#93 of 294 The Top 100+ NBA Players Today

24
1,156
1,112
Dwight Howard
Power forward, Center
Age: 35
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
Number: 12
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
2004 Orlando Magic (Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy)
Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for... more
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#41 of 50 The Best NBA Centers Right Now#52 of 71 The Best Sleeper Picks For Your Fantasy Basketball Team In 2019-2020
25
1,143
1,175
Blake Griffin
Power forward
Age: 31
Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Number: 32
Teams: Detroit Pistons
2009 Los Angeles Clippers (Oklahoma)
Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for... more
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Karl-Anthony Towns