There is, perhaps, nothing more coveted in the NBA then winning the number 1 overall draft choice. Although winning the number 1 draft pick indicates a poor previous season performance, winning the number 1 draft pick can help a team to recover and begin building towards a championship run.
Below, we’re going to review all number 1 draft picks in the NBA by team. This list is in alphabetical order and stretches back to 1947. Enjoy!
| PLAYER | TEAM | AFFILIATION | YEAR | ||
| David Thompson | Atlanta Hawks | North Carolina State | 1975 | ||
| Dick Ricketts | St. Louis Hawks | Duquesne | 1955 | ||
| Mark Workman | Milwaukee Hawks | West Virginia | 1952 | ||
| Charlie Share | Boston Celtics | Bowling Green | 1950 | ||
| Kenyon Martin | New Jersey Nets | Cincinnati | 2000 | ||
| Derrick Coleman | New Jersey Nets | Syracuse | 1990 | ||
| Larry Johnson | Charlotte Hornets | Nevada-Las Vegas | 1991 | ||
| Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls | Memphis | 2008 | ||
| Elton Brand | Chicago Bulls | Duke | 1999 | ||
| Andrew Wiggins | Cleveland Cavaliers | Kansas | 2014 | ||
| Anthony Bennett | Cleveland Cavaliers | Nevada-Las Vegas | 2013 | ||
| Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers | Duke | 2011 | ||
| LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | Saint Vincent-Saint Mary | 2003 | ||
| Brad Daugherty | Cleveland Cavaliers | North Carolina | 1986 | ||
| Austin Carr | Cleveland Cavaliers | Notre Dame | 1971 | ||
| Mark Aguirre | Dallas Mavericks | DePaul | 1981 | ||
| Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons | Oklahoma State | 2021 | ||
| Bob Lanier | Detroit Pistons | St. Bonaventure | 1970 | ||
| Jimmy Walker | Detroit Pistons | Providence | 1967 | ||
| Joe Smith | Golden State Warriors | Maryland | 1995 | ||
| Joe Barry Carroll | Golden State Warriors | Purdue | 1980 | ||
| Fred Hetzel | San Francisco Warriors | Davidson | 1965 | ||
| Yao Ming | Houston Rockets | Shanghai Sharks (China) | 2002 | ||
| Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | Houston | 1984 | ||
| Ralph Sampson | Houston Rockets | Virginia | 1983 | ||
| John Lucas | Houston Rockets | Maryland | 1976 | ||
| Elvin Hayes | San Diego Rockets | Houston | 1968 | ||
| Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers | Oklahoma | 2009 | ||
| Michael Olowokandi | Los Angeles Clippers | Pacific | 1998 | ||
| Danny Manning | Los Angeles Clippers | Kansas | 1988 | ||
| James Worthy | Los Angeles Lakers | North Carolina | 1982 | ||
| Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | Michigan State | 1979 | ||
| Elgin Baylor | Minneapolis Lakers | Seattle | 1958 | ||
| Andrew Bogut | Milwaukee Bucks | Utah | 2005 | ||
| Glenn Robinson | Milwaukee Bucks | Purdue | 1994 | ||
| Kent Benson | Milwaukee Bucks | Indiana | 1977 | ||
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Milwaukee Bucks | California-Los Angeles | 1969 | ||
| Anthony Edwards | Minnesota Timberwolves | Georgia | 2020 | ||
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota Timberwolves | Kentucky | 2015 | ||
| Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans | Duke | 2019 | ||
| Anthony Davis | New Orleans Hornets | Kentucky | 2012 | ||
| Patrick Ewing | New York Knicks | Georgetown | 1985 | ||
| Cazzie Russell | New York Knicks | Michigan | 1966 | ||
| Jim Barnes | New York Knicks | Texas-El Paso | 1964 | ||
| Art Heyman | New York Knicks | Duke | 1963 | ||
| Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy | 2004 | ||
| Chris Webber | Orlando Magic | Michigan | 1993 | ||
| Shaquille O’Neal | Orlando Magic | Louisiana State | 1992 | ||
| Markelle Fultz | Philadelphia 76ers | Washington | 2017 | ||
| Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers | Louisiana State | 2016 | ||
| Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | Georgetown | 1996 | ||
| Doug Collins | Philadelphia 76ers | Illinois State | 1973 | ||
| Deandre Ayton | Phoenix Suns | Arizona | 2018 | ||
| Greg Oden | Portland Trail Blazers | Ohio State | 2007 | ||
| Mychal Thompson | Portland Trail Blazers | Minnesota | 1978 | ||
| Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers | California-Los Angeles | 1974 | ||
| Larue Martin | Portland Trail Blazers | Loyola-Chicago | 1972 | ||
| Pervis Ellison | Sacramento Kings | Louisville | 1989 | ||
| Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati Royals | Cincinnati | 1960 | ||
| Bob Boozer | Cincinnati Royals | Kansas State | 1959 | ||
| Rod Hundley | Cincinnati Royals | West Virginia | 1957 | ||
| Si Green | Rochester Royals | Duquesne | 1956 | ||
| Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | Wake Forest | 1997 | ||
| David Robinson | San Antonio Spurs | Navy | 1987 | ||
| Andrea Bargnani | Toronto Raptors | Universo Treviso Basket (Italy) | 2006 | ||
| John Wall | Washington Wizards | Kentucky | 2010 | ||
| Kwame Brown | Washington Wizards | Glynn Academy | 2001 | ||
| Bill McGill | Chicago Zephyrs | Utah | 1962 | ||
| Walt Bellamy | Chicago Packers | Indiana | 1961 | ||
| Clifton McNeeley | Pittsburgh Ironmen | Texas-El Paso | 1947 | ||
| Frank Selvy | Baltimore Bullets | Furman | 1954 | ||
| Ray Felix | Baltimore Bullets | Long Island-Brooklyn | 1953 | ||
| Gene Melchiorre | Baltimore Bullets | Bradley | 1951 | ||
| Howie Shannon | Providence Steamrollers | Kansas State | 1949 | ||
| Andy Tonkovich | Providence Steamrollers | Marshall | 1948 |