Top 10 No. 1 NBA Draft Picks of All-Time

The NBA Draft was first held in 1947 when the league's forerunner called the Basketball Association of America was around. Texas Wesleyan's Clifton McNeeley was the first ever selection by the Pittsburgh Ironmen, but opted to take a high school coaching position instead of playing.

Up until 1966, teams could use territorial picks to select, but would forfeit their own first round draft picks if they did so. It was then decided that the league would use a coin flip to determine the first overall pick between the two teams that finished with the worst record in each division. The NBA Lottery was then first used in 1985 that helped prevent teams from purposely "tanking" their season in order to draft high in the first round.

Some tweaks have taken place with the NBA Lottery over the years, and now the 14 non-playoff teams are eligible to win one of the first three picks with the chances being increased depending on who has the worser records.

Over the years, the NBA has produced many players that never live up to expectations. However, there have been a number of first overall picks that have had legendary careers at the NBA level. Let's look at my top 10 list of the best of the No. 1 overall picks in NBA Draft history starting with No. 10.....

10. 1985: Center Patrick Ewing, Georgetown by the New York Knicks

As the first ever pick in the Lottery era in 1985, Ewing had very high expectations as he helped the Knicks back to respectability in the NBA. New York continued to struggle record-wise in his first three years, but did make the playoffs in 1987-88. The Knicks won 53 games in 1988-89 as Ewing set a career-high by shooting .567 from the field. The next year, Ewing had his finest scoring season when he finished third in the NBA averaging 28.6 points per game. He would finish in the top 10 in scoring for eight straight seasons. As the Knicks became more competitive, more pressure was on them to secure a championship. New York did make it to the NBA Finals in 1993-94 before losing in a hard fought seven games to the Houston Rockets. They returned in the strike-shortened 1998-99 season as the first No. 8 seed in NBA Finals history before losing to the San Antonio Spurs. Ewing averaged 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocked shots per game. He currently ranks 7th all-time in blocked shots.

9. 1987: Center David Robinson, Navy by the San Antonio Spurs

"The Admiral" had to wait two years to debut in the league after being drafted by San Antonio due to him committing to military, but it was worth it for the Spurs. During his first season in 1989-90, Robinson won Rookie of the Year honors as well as helped the Spurs to a 25-game improvement from the previous season. At the time, it was the best improvement in league history. Robinson was named to the NBA All-Star team for his first seven years in the league as the Spurs were consistently a winning team. In 1994, he became one of four players in NBA history to post a quaruple-double(34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks against New York), and won the league's MVP the following year. In 1996-97, Robinson missed all but six games due to injury as the Spurs managed to only 20 games. After winning the Lottery to draft Tim Duncan, the Spurs finally won their first NBA title in 1998-99 as they beat the Knicks in the NBA Finals. Robinson retired after the 2002-03 season, but not before winning his second NBA Championship as the Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets in the Finals. He averaged 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.0 block shots per game in his career. He is 4th all-time in blocks per game and 6th in total block shots.

8. 1997: Forward Tim Duncan, Wake Forest by the San Antonio Spurs

Ten years after striking gold winning the Lottery, the Spurs did it again in 1997 making Duncan their obvious selection at the No. 1 spot. Duncan and Robinson formed the "Twin Towers" for the Spurs, and they won two NBA Titles in five seasons. Duncan won Rookie of the Year in 1997-98, and has already been a 12-time All-Star as well as one of the best at his position ever. He won the league's MVP for two years in a row in 2002 and 2003, and has made the NBA All-First Defensive Team eight times. In 2005, the Spurs won their third NBA Championship by beating the defending champion Detroit Pistons as Duncan took home his third Finals MVP trophy. Duncan helped lead the Spurs to another title in 2007 when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals. Duncan has been remarkably consistent in his career as a double figure threat in scoring and rebounding. He has averaged 21.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game in his career.

7. 1968: Forward/Center Elvin Hayes, Houston by the San Diego Rockets

After a standout career at Houston, Hayes was selected by the Rockets in which he made an immediate impact during his rookie campaign. He averaged 28.4 points and 17.1 rebounds per game during his rookie year which is 5th best all-time for first year players, and he remains the last rookie to accomplish leading the league in scoring. The Rockets eventually moved to Houston in 1971 which allowed him to return to where he became a star in college. However, he was traded the following year to the Baltimore Bullets franchise where he would spend the next nine years of his career. After leading the league with an 18.1 rebounding average which is the third best ever in a single season, he helped lead his team to the NBA Finals in 1975. Three years later, he won his only NBA Championship as he helped the Bullets beat the Seattle SuperSonics in the Finals. He returned home to Houston after being traded in 1981 and would spend the remaining part of his career there retiring in 1984. He averaged 21.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per game during his career. He ranks 6th all-time in total rebounds and 9th in total points scored.

6. 1958: Forward Elgin Baylor, Seattle University by the Minneapolis Lakers

Coming off a season in which the Lakers struggled on the court as well as financially, the franchise picked Baylor to help them right the ship. Baylor won the Rookie of the Year award in 1958-59 averaging 24.9 points and 15.0 rebounds a game as the Lakers improved by 14 games from the previous season. The Lakers made it to the NBA Finals losing to the Boston Celtics in a sweep during his rookie year. Two years later, the Lakers moved to Los Angeles as Baylor had begun the finest stretch of his career. Beginning in 1960-61, Baylor averaged at least 34.0 points per game for three straight seasons. After averaging 34.8 points and 19.8 rebounds a game in his first year in Los Angeles, he had his best season the following year with a 38.3 points and 18.6 rebounds per game average. Knee problems began to take its toll on Baylor as the 1960s went along forcing his retirement nine games into the 1971-72. Unfortunately, Baylor missed a chance at an NBA Championship as the Lakers won the title later that season. Baylor averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in his career. He ranks 4th all-time in scoring average and 10th in rebounds per game.

5. 1992: Center Shaquille O'Neal, LSU by the Orlando Magic

After two dominating years as center at LSU, Shaq helped the Magic improve by 20 games during his first year being named Rookie of the Year with averages of 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocked shots per game. He averaged 29.4 points per game in his second year and 29.3 points in 1994-95 as he helped lead the Magic to the NBA Finals which they lost in a sweep to the Houston Rockets. Two years later, O'Neal signed with the Los Angeles Lakers where he continued his strong play as well as put up with the "Hack-A-Shaq" reputation due to his problems making free throws. It wouldn't be until his MVP-winning 2000 season that he and the Lakers would win an NBA Championship after failing to meet expectations for a couple of seasons prior. Along with Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson, they won three consecutive NBA Championships in 2000-02 as Shaq won NBA Finals MVP in each of those series. They would return to the NBA Finals in 2004 before losing to the Detroit Pistons. The relationship between he and Bryant had gotten worse, and it was Shaq that was traded out of Los Angeles after the season. Two years later, Shaq won his 4th NBA Championship with the Miami Heat as they beat the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals. Injuries piled up and he has since played for the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has averaged 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game in his career. The 15-time NBA All-Star ranks second in field goal percentage and 7th in total points scored.

4. 1984: Center Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston by the Houston Rockets

After picking first in 1983 NBA Draft selecting center Ralph Sampson, the Houston Rockets stayed local by taking Olajuwon with their first pick in successive years. The Rockets had a 19-game improvement in his rookie year, and he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behing Michael Jordan. During his sophomore year in the league, Olajuwon helped Houston reach the NBA Finals after beating the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. However, the Rockets fell in six games to the Boston Celtics. Sampson was eventually traded and had knee injuries as Olajuwon became the focal point of the team. His game continued to flourish and the club eventually hired Rudy Tomjanovich to coach them to an NBA Championship. The 1993-94 season was his best after becoming the first player in league history to be named NBA Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Finals MVP in the same season leading the team to a championship by beating the Knicks. Houston won back-to-back titles after beating Orlando the following year in a season in which the Rockets acquired Olajuwon's former college teammate Clyde Drexler in a trade during the year. Olajuwon still put up very good stats until his production began to slip towards the end of the decade. He spent one last season in 2001-02 playing for the Toronto Raptors. Olajuwon is first all-time in blocked shots and 9th in steals as he is only player in NBA history to be in the top 10 in both. He averaged 21.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in his career.

3. 1960: Guard Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati by the Cincinnati Royals

The Cincinnati Royals(now the Sacramento Kings) went local drafting Robertson as their top choice in 1960, and his impact was immediate. He won Rookie of the Year and made the All-NBA First Team as he averaged nearly a triple-double for the season with 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game. His sophomore year was arguably the versatile all-around season in league history when he became the only player to average a triple-double in a season with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. Two years later, he narrowly missed another triple-double average for the season as he was a tenth of a point off in rebounding as he won his first MVP award. His personal success with the Royals didn't translate to winning titles as the team faded towards the end of the decade. Robertson was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1970, and he would form a near unstoppable duo with Lew Alcindor who later would change his name to Karemm Abdul-Jabbar. In that first season in Milwaukee, the Bucks rolled to an NBA Championship as Robertson finally won a title after not doing so at the college or pro levels. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game in his career. He ranks 5th all-time in total assists with 9,887 and 8th in scoring average.

2. 1969: Center Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, UCLA by the Milwaukee Bucks

In only their second year of existence, the Bucks took Alcindor after his dominate career at UCLA. Alcindor easily won Rookie of the Year after averaging 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game after helping the team improve by 29 games from the previous season. Alcindor won his first of six MVP awards in 1971 after he paired with Oscar Robertson as a result of a trade leading the Bucks to the NBA Championship. The day after winning an NBA Championship, Alcindor adopted his new name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar continued to his excellent play and he had won three MVP awards in his first five years in the league. Eventually wanting to be in a bigger spotlight, Abdul-Jabbar's request for a trade was granted when the Bucks sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. He would win back-to-back MVP awards in Los Angeles in 1976-77. He continued to play well as the end of the decade, but the Lakers failed to win a championship with him there. In 1979, all that changed when the Lakers selected Earvin "Magic" Johnson in the NBA Draft. From there, Abdul-Jabbar played in eight NBA Finals in the 1980s winning five of them, and he won his final MVP award in 1980 as well as NBA Finals MVP in 1985. During his impressive 20-year career, he was very well-known for the "sky hook" shot that was a pivotal reason as to how he became the NBA's all-time leading scorer. He averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in his career to go along with the most MVP awards with six. He ranks first all-time in total points, 3rd in blocks, and 4th in rebounds.

1. 1979: Guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Michigan State by the Los Angeles Lakers

Three years prior to the 1979 NBA Draft, the Lakers acquired the top pick from Utah Jazz with a trade after they subsequently finished with the worst record in the league and winning the coin toss against the Chicago Bulls allowing them to draft Johnson. The move proved beneficial to both the Lakers and league as Los Angeles made the NBA Finals eight times in the next decade. Johnson proved to be the missing piece as he averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in his rookie year. In route to winning the 1980 NBA Championship that year, his versatility showed when he filled in for the injured Abdul-Jabbar in Game 6 of the NBA Finals playing center in which he scored 42 points, and had 15 rebounds and seven assists in the game against Philadelphia. To date, he's the only rookie in league history to win NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers won another title in 1982 once again defeating the Sixers in the NBA Finals. Johnson faced off against on-court rival Larry Bird for the first time in the 1984 NBA Finals as Bird's Celtics won the title. However, the Lakers got the upperhand on Boston winning against them twice in 1985 and 1987 as Johnson won the NBA Finals MVP for the third time. He led the Lakers to his last NBA Championship in 1988 over a very tough Detroit Pistons team. Johnson would make two more NBA Finals appearances in 1989 and 1991 losing to Detroit and the Chicago Bulls before his life changed forever when he announced in a press conference that he was HIV positive in late 1991. He returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game and retired again after concerns from players before one final brief stint in 1996. He was able to play on the 1992 Dream Team that cruised to a gold medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics as quite possibly the greatest team ever assembled. The versatile Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game in his career while winning three MVP awards. He is first all-time in assists per game and 4th in total assists. The Lakers franchise has won more championships(9) in the four major American professional leagues since he was drafted in 1979, too.

Others I considered:

1961: Center Walt Bellamy, Indiana by the Chicago Packers: Bellamy's Hall of Fame career included averaging 20.1 points and 13.7 rebounds per game for multiple teams in his playing days.

1970: Center Bob Lanier, St. Bonaventure by the Detroit Pistons: The NBA Hall of Famer averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in his career.

1974: Center Bill Walton, UCLA by the Portland Trail Blazers: Walton was a league MVP in his career, but battled injuries that prevented him from making this list.

1982: Forward James Worthy, North Carolina by the Los Angeles Lakers: A key figure in the Lakers dominate ways in the 1980s, Worthy produced a Hall of Fame career during his time in the league.

1996: Guard Allen Iverson, Georgetown: Iverson was the first overall pick in a draft that many consider the best ever. Although his career has been surrounded in controversy, he led the league in scoring four times during his tenure.

2003: Forward LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School: Before it is all said and done, LeBron's name could shoot up very high on this list of No. 1 picks as he's already won two MVP awards and other accolades to his credit. His short time in the league is why he's not listed in the top 10....yet.

Sources:
Basketball-reference.com
NBA Draft Index
Evolution of the Draft and Lottery