What’s more exciting than the NBA Finals? The Draft! The Start of it all. Let’s take a look through the nearly 75 years of the NBA to find the best draft picks ever.
Marc Gasol
In 2007, the LA Lakers picked up Marc Gasol with the 48th overall pick in the second round and traded him for his older brother, Pau Gasol. This trade to the Grizzlies was initially considered highway robbery, as the older Gasol was considered the more reliable player. Marc proved himself, though, turning Memphis into a powerhouse playoff team. Ironically, his first title came over a decade later during his season with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Steve Nash
In 1996, the 15th overall pick in the first round was Steve Nash. Phoenix took a gamble on the Santa Clara student, who was a relatively unknown entity at the time. Vexingly, he never took the Suns to the Finals, but his stretch in the NBA was marked by two league MVP awards and an impressive six seasons with the Mavericks.
Tony Parker
The Spurs had the final pick in the first round in 2001, and they used it to draft Tony Parker. He spent 17 of his 18 seasons in the NBA with San Antonio and became a Hall of Famer with a truly enviable career. He made six All-Star appearances, won four titles, and 2nd Team All-NBA honors. Why was he the final pick of the first round, then? Parker himself notes that his workout with the Spurs was abysmal and he got dominated by former NBA player Lance Blanks right in front of Coach Popovich.
Kawhi Leonard
You might be noticing a trend: the Spurs were really good at the draft with Coach Popovich. They got Kawhi Leonard 15th overall in 2011, and from then until 2018 when he split acrimoniously with San Antonio, he won two All-Star accolades, two Defensive Player of the Year honors, and even two 1st Team All-NBA acknowledgements. Suffice it to say, the guy was good.
Karl Malone
Karl Malone was picked 13th overall by the Jazz in 1985 and certainly lived up to expectations. Many express confusion that he wasn’t first picked, but it’s worth noting that at the time teams were concerned about his “attitude.” Malone himself even rented an apartment in Dallas because he assumed the Mavericks would draft him with their eighth-pick slot, but they passed. Of course, the Jazz were ecstatic post-Malone draft and the Mailman played for an astonishing 18 seasons with the team.
Manu Ginobili
San Antonio scooped up Manu Ginobili 57th overall in the second round in 1999. For those who lost count, that’s the second-to-last pick of the second round, and many argue that he’s the best second-round pick ever barring Nikola Jokic. Ginobili nearly not getting drafted seems absurd when you consider his career, during which he helped the Spurs battle to four championships in his 16 seasons with San Antonio.
Dennis Rodman
The Pistons picked up Dennis Rodman 27th overall in the second round, but don’t hold that seemingly low placement against them. Rodman’s class in 1986 was flush with strong prospects, including Arvydas Sabonis, Mark Price, Nate McMillan, and Johnny Newman. Rodman, of course, is one of the best players to ever hold a basketball and gelled perfectly with the Pistons’ “Bad Boy” lineup in the late 80s.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo was picked 15th overall by Milwaukee in 2013 in what might be the biggest value a team has ever squeezed from such a pick. He’s got everything from a Finals MVP to eight All-Star games under his belt, and he did all that before he even turned 30. Antetokounmpo is no joke, and his development into one of the best players to ever play for the Bucks speaks for itself.
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Kobe Bryant
The Lakers got Kobe from Charlotte after the Knights picked him 13th overall and traded him for Vlade Divac in 1996. His historic career as a shooting guard for the Lakers probably still haunts the Knights’ front office when they think about how much of a miscalculation that trade was.
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Nikola Jokic
It’s not a good idea to look too hard into the deeper draft picks as a mark of quality, per se, but it’s hard to say that Nikola Jokic being picked 41st in the second round in 2014 makes any sense. The man went on to win three MVP awards and Denver drafted him while a Taco Bell commercial was airing. He gets the last laugh, though, as he’s a future Hall of Famer with a career that speaks for itself.
LeBron James
No one could ever do it like King James. Some say he’s the best to ever take to the court. For my money, the best is still Jordan, but let’s not minimize James—he’s clearly the best of his generation and he could make a run at the GOAT title if he keeps breaking every record in sight. He was, naturally, the first overall pick in the 2003 draft class, and he’s still playing incredibly well 20 years later.
Maurice Cheeks
Cheeks was picked 36th overall in the 1978 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers didn’t expect much from the deep-round pick, but Cheeks played 14 great seasons in the NBA and appeared in four All-Star games and helped Philadelphia win a championship.
Shaquille O’Neal
What else is there to say about O’Neal? He was big, he was fast, and no one could get the ball past him. The Magic took him in the first pick of the 1992 draft and he learned from Magic Johnson (more on him later) how to up his game. He won Rookie of the Year in 1993 and the rest, as they say, is history.
Larry Bird
Sure, Larry Bird was taken sixth overall in 1978 by the Celtics. But come one, sixth? It’s Larry Bird we’re talking about here. He’s one of the best players to ever take to the court and he had a downright legendary career in Boston.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem was taken as the very first pick of the 1969 draft after famously turning down a $1 million offer from the Globetrotters. He helped the Bucks win their first championship in 1971 and later joined the Lakers, pushing them to five more championships.
Julius Erving
Being picked in the first round is a high honor, to be sure, but Julius Erving being picked 12th just sounds round. The Bucks took him late in the first round but ended up trading him to the Sixers where he really made his mark. He’s credited with helping reshape the way basketball is played today, so hearing he was anything other than a first pick is strange.
Magic Johnson
The Lakers drafted Johnson first in the 1979 draft for painfully obvious reasons. The guy wasn’t just good, he was a once-in-a-generation talent. He helped lead the Lakers to five NBA Championships and is remembered as one of the finest leaders to ever play in the NBA.
Patrick Ewing
Sports writers thought Ewing would be picked first in the 1985 draft, and they were right. A controversial roulette system saw the Knicks pick Ewing up first, and he went on to have a stellar career in the Big Apple. He went to eleven All-Star games and seven All-NBA teams across his 17 seasons in the league.
Derrick Rose
Okay, before you say “knees,” hear me out. Rose was the first pick of the 2008 draft by the Bulls and he struggled to get going due to, well, you know, those knee problems. But when the guy was on, he was one of the best to ever take to the court. The 2010-11 season saw him get MVP honors, for crying out loud.
Bill Laimbeer
Here’s a head-scratcher: how did Bill Laimbeer get picked 65th in 1979? The Cavs were pretty unaware of what they had on their hands and Laimbeer ended up in Detroit where he became a mainstay with the Pistons. His four All-Star teams and two championships sure don’t scream “third-round pick.”
Rudy Gobert
The 2013 draft was absurd, let’s just say that. Rudy Gobert was taken 27th overall in what has proven to be a stacked draft class. Gobert is a fast-moving big man who can play a game like Shaq with speed like LeBron. His three Defensive Player of the Year awards and numerous playoff appearances speak to his talent.
Latrell Sprewell
When Golden State took Sprewell 24th overall in 1992, he seemed like a pretty solid role-player on the team’s roster. Then, once he got on the court, he impressed everyone with some extremely solid ball. He made three All-Star teams, one 1st Team All-NBA, and had some MVP noise one season.
Jalen Brunson
Dallas went out on a limb to draft Jalen Brunson 33rd overall in 2018. He’s been pretty good in the last few seasons and seems to get dramatically better every year. He can make plays in big moments, his shooting is great, and he’s great at making openings for his teammates. If he keeps this up, he could become one of the best players in the NBA.
Draymond Green
Green had a seriously impressive record with Michigan State. He was picked 35th overall by Golden State in 2012, though, despite his college performance. Teams, for whatever reason, had some reservations about his size and his accuracy, but those all turned out to be moot points in the face of his absolutely absurd defensive ability and durability.
Clyde Drexler
Portland got a huge bargain in 1983 when they drafted Clyde Drexler 14th overall. That might sound high, but he was already legendary for his NCAA career with Hakeem Olajuwan in Houston. Still, teams had some questions about his shooting accuracy. Interestingly enough, Drexler may have been the reason Portland passed on Jordan, as they figured in 1984 they didn’t need a second 2-guard in the vein of Drexler. Hindsight is 20/20, anyway.
Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler was selected 30th overall in the 2011 draft by the Bulls. He’s landed with the Heat these days, but he’s an absolute beast no matter who he plays with. He won Most Improved Player in Chicago and has been an Eastern Conference Finals MVP in addition to six All-Star appearances.
Bob Dandridge
Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge was picked by Milwaukee 45th overall in the 1969 draft and went on to spend eight seasons with the Bucks. He won a championship in his second season in Milwaukee and made three All-Star appearances.
Alex English
The Nuggets were onto something when they took English 23rd overall in the 1976 draft. The Hall of Famer played for the University of South Carolina before joining the professional league. He made his way to eight All-Star teams in his career and was a well-known star player in the 80s.
George Gervin
Can you believe that every team in the NBA missed the Iceman twice before someone scooped him up 40th overall? That should be some kind of crime, but the Hall of Famer averaged over 25 points per game during his career, mostly with the San Antonio Spurs. He was a nine-time All-Star, too.
Michael Jordan
The greatest NBA player of all time was drafted third overall in the 1984 draft by the Chicago Bulls. Jordan had the single best career of anyone to ever play in the league, averaging over 30 points per game and winning six championships in the most dominant run in the history of the NBA. And, sure, third pick is high, but it wasn’t first pick and Jordan easily deserved that slot.
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