Congratulations to Kyrie Irving, the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. Getting picked number one means big money, huge endorsements, and a ton of pressure. Sometimes the pressure of being the first overall pick in the NBA draft is just too much for some of these kids. Other number one draft picks relish the spotlight and have lived up to their expectations. Only time will tell which of these buckets Kyrie Irving, the 2011 NBA Draft’s first overall pick, will fall into; but for now, it’s time to celebrate a big achievement in his young career.
Let’s take a look at the 10 best number one overall picks in the NBA draft, going all the way back to 1947 – the first BAA draft*.
Oscar Robertson – First Overall Pick of the 1960 NBA Draft
The Cincinnati Royals took Oscar Robertson first overall back in 1960. He was a hometown favorite, as he played his college ball at the University of Cincinnati. Nobody dominated the game quite like Oscar. His 6’ 5” frame would hardly be considered ideal PG/SG material in those days, but he played the position with ease and flair. Oscar Robertson was voted to the NBA All Star Game 12 times, made the All-NBA team 11 times, and won the league MVP award in 1964. When he was later traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, he was the main reason for their only championship win in franchise history. After retirement, he was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, class of 1980. In 1998 the award for the best NCAA player in the country was renamed to the Oscar Robertson Award. Truly one of the finest number one overall NBA draft picks we have ever seen.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – First Overall Pick of the 1969 NBA Draft
In 1969, the Milwaukee Bucks took Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. He would make his legend, however, under the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When the dust settled on his 20 year career, Abdul-Jabbar led the NBA in career points scored. He also led the Los Angeles Lakers to 6 NBA championships while winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award 6 times. Although some of his career records have since been broken, at the time of his retirement in 1989, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the NBA in career points scored, games played, minutes played, field goals made, field goal attempts, blocked shots, defensive rebounds, and personal fouls.
Bill Walton – First Overall Pick of the 1974 NBA Draft
“With the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft, the Portland Trailblazers select Bill Walton.” Known today mainly for his broadcasting career, Walton was a formidable NCAA and NBA talent. His career with the UCLA Bruins remains one of the most illustrious in school history and his accolades in the NBA were pretty good too. Walton was a two-time NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP and Regular Season NBA MVP winner. Although his career was relatively short, Walton was one of the most dominant players of the 70’s, cementing him on our list of best number 1 overall picks in the NBA. Now if we could have just done something about the hair and the headband. Ah the 70’s
Magic Johnson – First Overall Pick of the 1979 NBA Draft
His name says it all – this guy was magical out on the court. Magic Johnson started off his career with a bang by winning an NBA title and the Finals MVP award in his rookie year. He followed up his outstanding rookie season by winning four more NBA championships, three regular season NBA Most Valuable Player awards, appearing in 12 NBA All-Star Games, and winning the NBA Finals MVP award a total of three times. He led the league in assists four times during his career and is still the all-time assists/game leader with an average of 11.2. He played his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, even when he came out of retirement (twice) after contracting HIV. His work on the court is rivaled only by his work off the court, as he is now an outspoken advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and other charitable work.
Hakeem Olajuwon – First Overall Pick of the 1984 NBA Draft
Olajuwon is considered by many to be the best NBA center to ever play the game. He was a two-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP regular season NBA MVP, 12 time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He is the only player in NBA history to win the Regular Season MVP, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. Olajuwon was one of the first foreign-born NBA players to really make a splash in the league. His off the court efforts to help his home nation of Nigeria have been well documented, and he is recognized as one of the most charitable players (current or former) that the league has ever seen.
David Robinson – First Overall Pick of the 1987 NBA Draft
David Robinson’s path to the NBA was a unique one. He was drafted out of the Naval Academy in 1987, but the rules of his scholarship demanded that he serve 5 years in the US Navy following his graduation. Robinson went into the Navy, who then excused him from his final three years of service. So despite getting drafted in 1987, he didn’t make his NBA debut until 1989, where he won the NBA Rookie of the Year award. He then went on to win two NBA championships, one league Most Valuable Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, and 10 All-Star nominations. David Robinson had an amazing NBA career, which often gets overshadowed by the charitable work he did off of the court. His scholarship foundations encouraged many young students to finish school and earn their degree. He has impacted young and old, whether they were basketball fans or not, and for that reason, David Robinson will go down as a league legend.
Shaquille O’Neal – First Overall Pick of the 1992 NBA Draft
Shaquille O’Neal got his start when the Orlando Magic drafted him with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season and reached the NBA Finals three years later. He didn’t win his first championship until he met up with Kobe and the Lakers, but they went on to win three consecutive titles. After his feud developed with Bryant, Shaq took his talents to South Beach where he actually won an NBA Title with Dwayne Wade – Imagine that. Shaq will go down as one of the premier first overall NBA draft picks thanks in large part to his 4 NBA titles, 3 Finals MVP Awards, 15 All-Star appearances and one league MVP trophy. Never before has the league seen a player who could affect the other teams’ strategy quite like Shaq.
Allen Iverson – First Overall Pick of the 1996 NBA Draft
Welcome to controversy. I know not a lot of you will agree with this choice on the list, but the numbers don’t lie. Iverson was one of the great scorers in this league, and did it with almost constant double and triple teams. He was drafted in 1996 first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers and spent much of his career with them before bouncing around to a few teams to end his career. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award immediately after entering the league. He won the league MVP in 2001 and led the league in scoring for four seasons. Throw in 11 All-Star appearances and you can see why he belongs on this list. Iverson might not have been the greatest guy off the court, but when he put on that jersey, he was virtually unstoppable. He, along with Jordan, was one of the first pure scorers that I truly enjoyed watching.
Tim Duncan – First Overall Pick of the 1997 NBA Draft
The award for the quietest number one overall NBA draft choice could probably go to TD. Make no mistake, however, this guy is one of the fiercest competitors the league has ever seen. He and David Robinson made up a formidable duo for nearly 6 years, winning two NBA titles together. Duncan went on to win 2 more after Robinson’s retirement. Duncan was named the Finals MVP for three out of his four NBA championships and has appeared in 13 All Star Games (and counting). He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1998 and was voted the League MVP twice. He is considered as one of the best frontcourt players to ever set foot on the floor and is renowned for bringing back the bank shot – something that is severely underutilized in today’s game. Duncan still has some years left in the league, which will only add to his outstanding career accomplishments.
LeBron James – First Overall Pick of the 2003 NBA Draft
Hate him or love him, LeBron is one of the best players this league has ever seen. While he hasn’t won a championship (yet), he already has 2 League Most Valuable Player Awards and 7 All-Star appearances. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2004, and led the NBA in scoring in 2008. Despite making enemies all over the world, you can’t deny this guy’s talent. It really is only a matter of time before LeBron wins an NBA title and I don’t think it will take too long. LeBron has the upper body strength of a power forward, but the quickness and athletic ability of a point guard. He can effortlessly play multiple positions on the court, making him a threat to score from literally anywhere.
Derrick Rose – First Overall Pick of the 2008 NBA Draft
Perhaps another controversial pick on this list, simply due to the fact that he has only played in 2 full NBA seasons, but he won the Rookie of the Year Award and has a regular season MVP trophy sitting on his mantle. He led his team to the best regular season record in 2010/11 and has speed and quickness that is virtually unrivaled by anyone in the league. Get this guy a little bit of help and I’ll bet he wins a title before LeBron. Just saying.
*The BAA would later become the NBA once they integrated teams from the NBL in the autumn of 1949.