#1 Overall Picks in the NBA Draft (Part 3) Quiz

Answer:

In 1949, the now-defunct Providence Steamrollers picked first, selecting Kansas State University's guard/forward Howie Shannon, making him the only player in NBA history to be drafted #1 overall after already playing for the team that drafted him. How'd THAT happen? In 1948, Shannon had been ruled ineligible to play college basketball for Kansas State due to a reinterpretation of eligibility rules (he had played at North Texas in 1942-43 prior to Kansas State), so he signed a professional contract with Providence for the 1948-49 season. Despite Shannon already playing for Providence, the league rules stated that any player joining the BAA/NBA had to be drafted, even if they had already signed with that team and played professionally for them. So, Providence was required to select him in the 1949 draft to secure his rights.

Wilt Chamberlain famously scored 100 points in one game in the NBA on March 2, 1962 (Final score: Philadelphia Warriors 169 - New York Knicks 147). He was a phenomenon in college too, playing for Kansas and averaging 29.9 points per game and 18.3 rebounds per game. You'd think he would be a shoo-in for #1 pick in the 1959 draft, but he was not. It was only because of the simple reason that back then he was selected as a territorial pick by the Philadelphia Warriors, which meant that NBA teams could forfeit their first-round draft pick to select any player from a college within a 50-mile radius of their home arena. It was a rule in the interest of boosting local fan support of star college players. Otherwise, he would surely have been the #1 pick.

Who else scored 100 points in a game but did become a #1 draft pick? Frank Selvy, a guard/forward from Furman University, led the NCAA in scoring for two consecutive seasons (1953 and 1954) and set a record by scoring 100 points in a single game against Newberry College in 1954. His exceptional college performance led him to be picked #1 in the 1954 NBA draft, when the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards) snatched him up.

And who did get picked #1 in 1959 instead of Wilt Chamberlain? It was Chamberlain's cross-state rival, Kansas State's consensus first-team All-American Bob Boozer, a forward who was selected by the Cincinnati Royals. He won a gold medal with the 1960 U.S. Olympic team, and an NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971.

1965 was the final year in which territorial picks existed in the NBA, and those picks went to Bill Bradley, Gail Goodrich and Dick Buntin. So, the #1 pick of the draft was Fred Hetzel, a forward/center from Davidson College, selected by the San Francisco Warriors. Hetzel is another notable basketball player for scoring 100 points in a single game-he did in high school. Interestingly, the Warriors also had the #2 pick that year, and with it they chose Rick Barry. So, although in a way you can look at like they had two #1 picks, technically, of course we can't say Rick Barry was a #1 pick. Neither was North Carolina's two-time All-American Billy Cunningham a #1 draft pick in that draft, what with all those other stars loading up the prime choices. In a way, all of the #1 picks from 1949-1965 might not have been #1 picks if there were no territorial picks, because the territorial picks were all chosen before the draft. So, for instance, that's why superstars like Rick Barry, Dave DeBusschere, Jerry Lucas, Paul Arizin, Oscar Robertson, Bill Bradley, etc. were not # 1 picks in the draft. They were scooped up before the draft in the territorial claims.

Bill Walton's college career was so spectacular (the dominant center in UCLA's record 88-game winning streak) that there was no doubt he would be the first player selected on May 28, 1974 at the 1974 NBA draft. He was a three-time National College Player of the Year (1972, 1973, 1974), the MVP of the 1973 NCAA Championship game, and one of the most decorated college players in history. The Portland Trail Blazers won the all-important coin toss for that first pick against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the rest is history. (He won 2 NBA championships, and an MVP Award).

Like Bill Walton, Ralph Sampson was a three-time Naismith College Player of the Year and a two-time Wooden Award winner. The 7-foot-4 center (2.23m) from the University of Virginia, Ralph Sampson was the #1 draft pick in 1983 when the Houston Rockets won a coin toss over the Indiana Pacers. He would go on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award and earn four All-Star selections. That same 1983 draft saw future Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler get picked 14th in the first round by Portland.

The 1988 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 1988, at the Felt Forum in Madison Square Garden, New York City, and was the first draft in which the number of rounds was reduced from 7 rounds to 3. Coming off leading the Kansas Jayhawks to the NCAA Championship and earning National Player of the Year honors (Wooden Award, Naismith Award), Danny Manning was selected as the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers. His pro career was notable for his dogged pursuit of continuing despite sustaining multiple injuries and surgeries.

No sooner was Chris Webber was selected as the first overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, he was traded minutes later to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the third overall pick (Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway) and three future first-round draft picks. Webber debuted with the Warriors, averaging 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

The Washington Wizards made Kwame Brown was the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft; Brown made history as the first high school player ever chosen with the first pick. Bypassing college, the 6ft 11in (2.11m) Brown struggled as a rookie in the pros, averaging just 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds a game. Over his career of 12 seasons, playing for 7 teams, he averaged only 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game, causing some to label him one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history, in a draft class that included Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Joe Johnson).

Despite Kwame Brown's difficulties as a high school student drafted by the NBA, that didn't stop the Cleveland Cavaliers from drafting St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio) student LeBron James in the first round two years later, 2003. This time however, the exact opposite occurred and LeBron James became perhaps the best pro basketball player of all time. He was Rookie of the Year, won 4 NBA titles, was a 4-time MVP of the League, a 20-time All-Star, and wound up becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer. No wonder superstars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade didn't have a chance at being a #1 draft pick-they were in the same draft class as LeBron James. What a draft class that was!

At 6ft 8in(2.03m) Oklahoma State' s Cade Cunningham had the skills of a point guard, averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game, earning him consensus National Player of the Year honors. The Detroit selected him first overall in the 2021 NBA draft. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists his first year, earning All-Rookie First Team honors. By the 2024-25 season, he averaged 26 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds, and earned All-Star and All-NBA selections.