Ranking The 10 Best No. 1 NBA Draft Picks Ever
Much like the actual lottery, the jackpot prize pulled from the NBA draft lottery can vary considerably.
In some years—2025 hopefully among them—it delivers a true fortune-changer. In others, though, it might offer up merely a piece of the puzzle. And every once in a while, things just go bust.
But when the stars have aligned, the top pick in the draft has produced some of the greatest talents this game has ever seen. These players are so prodigiously talented, in fact, that finding enough separation between them to build a top-10 ranking is challenging. We'll take on that challenge here, though, by ranking the 10 best No. 1 picks in NBA history based on that player's total body of work (not necessarily just what they did for the franchise that selected them).
10. Elgin Baylor, 1958 (Minneapolis Lakers)
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The last spot in the rankings was among the most competitive. Baylor, a Hall of Famer, absolutely earned this distinction, but there were still debates to be had about the likes of Patrick Ewing, Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis.
In the end, though, Baylor's rapid ascension to elite status and ability to sustain such a dominant position were too great to ignore.
He debuted as a top-three MVP finisher and All-NBA first-teamer, averaging 24.9 points and 15 rebounds. He'd subsequently maintain that All-NBA first-team spot in nine of the next 10 seasons, eventually capping his legendary 14-year run with career averages of 27.4 points (fifth-highest in NBA history) and 13.5 rebounds (ninth-most).
9. Allen Iverson, 1996 (Philadelphia 76ers)
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Perhaps the greatest pound-for-pound player this league has ever seen, Iverson conquered the super-sized Association as a 6'0", 165-pounder. He had jaw-dropping handles, blink-and-you'd-miss-him burst and an undeniable fearlessness that allowed him to do the seemingly impossible (like leading an otherwise sad-sack Sixers roster to a Game 1 road win over the Kobe-Shaq Lakers in the 2001 Finals).
While his stat line generally showed a lack of efficiency, Philly often tasked him with doing everything for its offense, and he generally delivered. He won four scoring titles, plus an MVP, and his 6.2 career assists slotted him ahead of some high-end point guards like Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, Gilbert Arena, Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose.
There might have been some colorful aspects of Iverson's career, but the journey was incredible to witness. He is a Hall of Fame talent who was a true icon of his time.
8. David Robinson, 1987 (San Antonio Spurs)
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Military service delayed the start of Robinson's NBA career, but once he got going, he played as if he was making up for lost time. In his first ever season, he was Rookie of the Year, an All-Star, an All-NBA third-teamer and an All-Defensive second-teamer, plus the No. 6 finisher in MVP voting.
That set the stage for the steady greatness to come, a magical 14-year run punctuated by his assistance in spawning the San Antonio dynasty. He made 10 All-Star teams, 10 All-NBA teams (four times on the first team) and eight All-Defensive teams (four more first-team selections) and teamed with Tim Duncan to anchor the Spurs' title teams in 1998-99 and 2002-03.
His 3.0 blocks per game are the fourth-highest in league history, and he's one of 13 players ever to hold career averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 50-plus percent from the field.
7. Oscar Robertson, 1960 (Cincinnati Royals)
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If you're at all familiar with Robertson, then you surely know he was the first player to ever average a triple-double. What you may not realize, though, is that he achieved this historic feat as an NBA sophomore. And, in fact, he almost pulled it off as a rookie, too, averaging 30.5 points and 10.1 rebounds but "only" 9.7 assists.
He stuffed a stat sheet like few others had or have since. He averaged 30-plus points in six different seasons and double-digit rebounds in three of them (as a 6'5" guard, no less). He also paced the league in assists seven different times, not including the 1966-67 season, when he dropped the fifth-most dimes of his career (10.7).
He won an MVP and a championship, earned All-NBA honors 11 different times (nine as a first-teamer) and was an All-Star in each of his first 12 seasons.
6. Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984 (Houston Rockets)
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You could never boil Olajuwon's historic career down to a single campaign. He was way too good for way too long to even think about it.
If for some strange reason you had to, though, then the 1993-94 season would be the obvious choice for his gold standard. That's when he captured the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP all in the same season. That feat has never been matched in NBA history, and only two other players (Michael Jordan and Giannis Antetokounmpo) have collected all three awards at any point in their careers.
Olajuwon, by the way, preceded that season with his first DPOY and followed it by steering the Rockets to a second consecutive championship. His accolades feel too numerous to detail, so we'll wrap here: He cracked the top-15 all-time in total points (14th), rebounds (14th) and blocks (first—by a comical margin).
5. Shaquille O'Neal, 1992 (Orlando Magic)
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If O'Neal wasn't the most physically dominant player to ever grace the NBA hardwood, then he was on a very short list of overpowered elites. Get him the ball anywhere near the basket, and it was, in his words, "barbecue chicken."
The fact he had just one MVP award to his name feels like one of the league's biggest peculiarities. Over the first 13 seasons of his career, he averaged 26.7 points on 57.9 percent shooting, 12 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 blocks. He was basically penciled onto MVP ballots and All-NBA rosters as soon as the seasons tipped.
Perhaps this is the best way to sum up O'Neal's career: He won four rings, made 14 All-NBA teams (eight as a first-teamer) and had eight top-five finishes in MVP voting, and folks still wondered whether he underachieved. He was simply unstoppable.
4. Tim Duncan, 1997 (San Antonio Spurs)
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The power forward position has been home to some of the best players to ever wear an NBA jersey. It feels incredibly notable, then, for Duncan to be perhaps universally regarded as the best player to ever play it, despite facing steep challenges from the likes of Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.
Duncan was different, though, as a winner, as a consistently elite producer and as perhaps the most low-maintenance megastar of the modern era. If he wasn't selfless in both his approach and his play style, then the Spurs' dynasty never gets off the ground.
"If your superstar can take a little hit now and then, everybody else can shut the hell up and fall in line," former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said during Duncan's 2018 jersey retirement. "So, thank you for letting me coach you, Timmy. I'm really thankful because you allowed me to coach the team."
Duncan won five titles in his career, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of that was the manner in which he led—or sometimes supported—those runs. He was skilled enough to be the guy, but humble enough to share (or even cede) the spotlight with everyone from David Robinson and Manu Ginóbili to Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Duncan has the accolades to hold this spot (two MVPs, three Finals MVPs, 15 All-NBA selections), but they honestly don't feel like they capture the full impact of his greatness.
3. Magic Johnson, 1979 (Los Angeles Lakers)
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You know a list is absolutely loaded when Johnson, who gets brought up during GOAT debates, only holds down the No. 3 spot. But it's hard to push him any higher when his career was tragically cut short, and the two players in front of him might count longevity as their greatest strengths.
Against most anyone else, you wouldn't even notice that Johnson's volume wasn't quite what it could have been. Only five players (including our top two here) bettered his three MVP awards. His three Finals MVPs are tied for third-most. He made 12 All-Star teams and earned 10 All-NBA selections (nine as a first-teamer).
A true floor general who just so happened to be built like a power forward (6'9", 215 lbs), he was a virtuosic passer and a quantity-plus-quality scorer. A five-time champion and one of only two players to average at least 22 points and 11 assists in multiple seasons, he was a true magician and someone who helped define an entire NBA era.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969 (Milwaukee Bucks)
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Even among the game's elite, Abdul-Jabbar's resume stands out. What he did during his time was unprecedented. When he exited the Association as a 42-year-old in 1989, he was then the league's all-time leader in points, blocks, seasons, All-Star selections and MVP awards.
While many of his marks have since been surpassed, he's still the high man in MVPs (six) and featured prominently on so many historic leaderboards. A six-time champion and two-time Finals MVP, he holds top three all-time rankings in points (second), rebounds (third), blocks (third), field goals (first), games (third) and minutes (second). He's also the current all-time leader in win shares, although the top player on our list is right on his heels.
His trademark sky hook was one of the most effective weapons in the entire sports world, his fitness regimen was years ahead of his time and his agility and versatility helped revolutionize the center position. His peak, his longevity and his impact on the game of basketball are all credible arguments to make by the not insignificant number of folks who think he's the best to ever lace them up.
1. LeBron James, 2003 (Cleveland Cavaliers)
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For those too young to remember, the hype surrounding James before he even entered the NBA reached such a crescendo that he would maybe need to become the greatest of all-time to live up to it. And, well, he just might have done it.
Regardless if he's your personal GOAT or not, he's obviously firmly featured in that discussion. While there's been some debate about his signature skill over the years, the answer has become obvious: sustained excellence. He is 22 years into his career, and the worst season-long stat line he's ever produced are the 20.9 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds he averaged as a rookie, numbers that not only earned him Rookie of the Year honors but also placed him ninth in MVP voting.
Since that incredible debut, he has perpetually raised the bar. His career isn't closed yet (we hope), and he's already the record-holder for points (42,184), playoff points (8,289), minutes (59,041), playoff wins (184), All-NBA selections (20), All-NBA first-team honors (13) and All-Star selections.
The four-time MVP and four-time champion just averaged 25.2 points, 8.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds in his age-40 season. What he's doing defies logic—and cements him as the greatest No. 1 pick in NBA history.
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