The Best NBA Draft Classes Ever
- Photo: nba.com1
1984 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe, Sam Perkins, Kevin Willis, Michael Cage, Jerome Kersey, Alvin Robertson, Vern Fleming, Sam Bowie
1984 and 2003 are twin NBA drafts, in that they weren't the deepest of drafts, but they each produced one of the greatest players of all time, along with three other era-defining players who are among the best to ever do it. Only seven players from the 1984 class made it to an All-Star Game, and two of them—No. 9 pick Otis Thorpe and No. 11 pick Kevin Willis—went to just one each. But the star power at the top of this class is second to none. Jordan, Stockton, Barkley and Olajuwon combined for 47 All-Star Games, 45 All-NBA teams, 23 All-Defensive teams, 10 scoring titles, nine assist titles, five steal titles, three rebound titles, three block titles, eight straight NBA championships and seven MVPs. Stockton is the NBA career leader in both assists and steals, Olajuwon is the all-time blocks king and MJ is No. 3 in steals and No. 4 in points, and just generally considered the GOAT. Every draft class has fingerprints throughout the pages of the NBA's history, but 1984 practically authored the record books.
- Photo: Miami Heat / Instagram2
2003 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, David West, Kyle Korver, Kirk Hinrich, Boris Diaw, Mo Williams, Leandro Barbosa, Chris Kaman, Josh Howard, Kendrick Perkins, James Jones, Zaza Pachulia, Willie Green, Darko Miličić
Free Darko! As far as the best starting five you could create from any draft class, 2003 is in rarified air. LeBron, Wade, Melo, Bosh, and Korver (for shooting) would beat almost any other draft class's best five. Depth is the area you can ding this draft class, and the fact that the No. 2 pick from this class (Darko Miličić) turned out to be one of the biggest busts in draft history. However, four of the best players of a 15 year span, including three who teamed up to win back-to-back titles, were from the '03 draft. A guy like David West also had a great career as a #2 scoring option for the CP3 Hornets and PG-13 Pacers, before snagging a late career title as a role guy on the warriors. Mo Williams was actually an All Star at one point believe it or not. Korver = elite elite shooter. Hinrich is one of the best NBA combo guards to ever play. Barbosa, James Jones, and Diaw were all key role guys on championship teams as well.
- Photo: nba.com3
1996 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Peja Stojakovic, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jermaine O'Neal, Derek Fisher, Erick Dampier, Antoine Walker, Kerry Kittles, Othella Harrington
The all-time three-point leader when he retired, three different league MVPs and 10 picks with a combined total of 64 All-Star Games all came from the 1996 NBA draft. Ray Allen, the 10-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion made 2,973 triples in his 18-year career. He got bypassed by Stephen Curry but he held the record for moment. Allen Iverson was the 2001 MVP in the first of his two consecutive seasons leading the NBA in both points and steals. "The Answer" was an 11-time All-Star who averaged 26.7 points per game in his career. The No. 1 pick in the draft gave Philadelphia everything and even took them to the NBA Finals. The No. 13 pick was also an MVP, although Kobe Bryant never played a game for the franchise that drafted him (Charlotte Hornets). The 18-time All-Star, two-time scoring champ, and 2008 MVP led the Los Angeles Lakers to five titles in his career. Then there was the two-time MVP of the bunch, the 15th overall pick Steve Nash. Though he never even played in the NBA Finals, Nash won the 2005 and 2006 MVP awards and finished runner-up to Dirk Nowitzki in 2007. The leader of Phoenix's "seven seconds or less" offense led the league in assists five times, finishing his career with over 10K dimes.
- Photo: Detroit Pistons / Instagram4
2009 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Patty Mills, Ricky Rubio, Danny Green, Patrick Beverley, James Johnson, DeMarre Carroll
2009 is easily one of the best guard drafts of all time. Steph, Jrue, Teague, Collison, Lawson, Jennings, Mills, Rubio, Tyreke, Pat Bev. Only two of whom were taken before No.6 overall pick and massive bust Jonny Flynn, infamously taken one pick ahead of Stephen Curry. Speaking of busts, Hasheem Thabeet went second overall, following Blake Griffin, the 6x NBA All-Star and centerpiece of the Lob City Clippers. Curry is obviously the diamond of the group, having won four NBA championships as the best player on the dynasty Warriors. A guy like DeMar DeRozan had a stellar career though, while Danny Green won three NBA championships as a sharpshooter on three separate teams.
- Photo: Boston Celtics / Instagram5
2011 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, Nikola Vučević, Tobias Harris, Isaiah Thomas, Jonas Valančiūnas, Bojan Bogdanović, Reggie Jackson, Enes Kanter, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, Kenneth Faried, Tristan Thompson, Nikola Mirotić, Alec Burks, Chandler Parsons
You could make a starting five out of only players whose names start with the letter ‘K’ from this draft class that could whoop most draft classes best starting fives in their primes. The 2011 draft is littered with champions. Klay Thompson was the 1B of the four-time champion Warriors. Kawhi won two chips in San Antonio and Toronto. Kyrie and Tristan got their title playing alongside LeBron on the Cavs, with Kyrie hitting the biggest shot in Cleveland sports history. Jimmy Butler almost single-handedly won the 2020 NBA Bubble Finals with the Heat, and he was a missed three away from going to the 2022 NBA Finals. Kemba earned four All Star selections. This was also a great draft for foreign players too, between Kanter, Vučević, Valančiūnas, Bogdanović, and Mirotić.
- Photo: Orlando Magic / Twitter6
1987 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Kevin Johnson, Mark Jackson, Derrick McKey, Armen Gilliam, Muggsy Bogues, Kenny Smith, Ken Norman, Olden Polynice, Reggie Lewis
The 1987 NBA draft produced a grip of talented players, and the coaches and general managers at the top of the draft did a great job of evaluating that potential. Twelve of the top 13 picks played over a decade in the league, which was rarer in the 80s/90s than it is today. 1987 ended up being the only draft in the 1980s in which the team with the No. 1 pick actually selected the best player. The San Antonio Spurs took "The Admiral" David Robinson, who was named to an All-NBA team in 10 of his 14 seasons and won the 1995 MVP award. One of the best shot-blockers of all time, Robinson helped steer the Spurs to two NBA titles. No. 11 pick Reggie Miller played all of his games for the franchise that drafted him and retired with the second most three pointers made before Steph Curry and James Harden passed him. The supporting cast for Michael Jordan's first three championships also came from this draft class. Chicago drafted Horace Grant at No. 10 and acquired Scottie Pippen from Seattle hours after he was selected fifth overall. Within six years, they each had three rings. Outside the top 12, two other great picks from this draft were No. 18 Mark Jackson and No. 22 Reggie Lewis. Jackson is one of just five players with at least 10,000 career assists. Lewis averaged better than 20 points per game in back-to-back seasons before tragically dying on a practice court at the age of 27.
- Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation License7
1985 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Terry Porter, Detlef Schrempf, A.C. Green Chris Mullin, Charles Oakley, Joe Dumars, Hot Rod Williams, Tyrone Corbin, Xavier McDaniel, Wayman Tisdale, Gerald Wilkins, Spud Webb, Mario Elie, Sam Mitchell, Arvydas Sabonis, Manute Bol
The 1985 draft class gave us three of the best big men of the 90s between Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing. While none of them ever won a title thanks to Michael Jordan, Malone retired as 2nd in career points and 8th in rebounds. #1 pick Patrick Ewing had one heck of a career too. He put up at least 20 points per game in each of his first 13 seasons in the league. From 1990 to 1997, he averaged at least 22 points and 10 rebounds per game for eight consecutive years. In the depth department, Terry Porter, Detlef Schrempf, Chris Mullin and Charles Oakley were all stalwarts in the NBA but never won titles. A.C. Green got three rings, but he was, at best, the fourth-most important player on those rosters. Then there was Arvydas Sabonis who came over to the NBA fourteen years into his NBA career and is considered one of the bet passing big men of all time.
- Photo: dallas mavericks / instagram8
1998 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Antawn Jamison, Mike Bibby, Cuttino Mobley, Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Jason Williams, Bonzi Wells, Ricky Davis
The No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft (Michael Olowokandi) ended up being one of the biggest busts in NBA history, but this class all around was much better than one man. There are 48 players who have scored at least 20,000 points in the NBA, and this draft produced four of them. Dirk Nowitzki (31,560 points) is No. 6 on the all-time scoring list. The 13-time All-Star won a championship, and is a no-brainer Hall of Famer, where he should be joined by Paul Pierce (26,397 points) and Vince Carter (24,868 points). Then there's Antawn Jamison (20,042 points) who isn't quite in the HOF conversation, but averaged 18.5 points per game in a 16-year career. Rashard Lewis was a two-time All Star and made an NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic in 2009. Bibby, Mobley, and Williams are era-defining guards who brought a flair to the league that elevated the game into the mainstream.
- Photo: Denver Nuggets / Instagram9
2014 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Nikola Jokić, Joel Emiid, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, Jerami Grant, Clint Capela, Marcus Smart, Jusuf Nurkić, T.J. Warren, Joe Harris, Bogdan Bogdanović, Gary Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jabari Parker
The race for the 2022 NBA MVP ran through the 2014 NBA draft class. Nikola Jokic beat out Joel Embiid, for his second straight NBA MVP award, which gives this class a lot of cache. Especially considering Jokic was drafted 41st overall. After the big two, there's a talent drop off but these guys are no slouches. 2022 NBA Champion Andrew Wiggins hails from this class, as does Marcus Smart who Wiggins' Warriors bested in the NBA Finals. Julius Randle was a 2021 All Star, while guys like Nurkic, Capela, and Grant have all had big moments in the NBA playoffs. The starting five of this class would definitely make some noise in an all time draft class tournament.
- Photo: Atlanta Hawks / Instagram10
2018 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Luka Doncic, Trae Young, DeAndre Ayton, Jaren Jackson Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., Mikal Bridges, Collin Sexton, Miles Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Michael Porter Jr., Donte DiVincenzo, Kevin Huerter, Lonnie Walker IV, Grayson Allen, Anfernee Simons, Rob Williams, Mitchell Robinson, De'Anthony Melton
The 2018 NBA draft featured thoroughbreds everywhere. Luka and Trae get the headlines, as they should as #1 guys. Both players led their teams to a conference finals within four years of arriving in the NBA. Meanwhile, Ayton and Mikal Bridges were starters on the Phoenix Suns team that made the 2021 NBA Finals. This class is stacked with solid bigs - Robinson, Time Lord, JJJ, Wendell Carter - and with impact wings - Bridges, MPJ, DiVincenzo, Huerter, Allen, Melton, and Lonnie Walker who seems to be coming on strong for the Lakers. Then guard depth is crazy too between Shai, Simons, and Sexton. Amazing draft.
- Photo: Milwaukee Bucks / Facebook11
1969 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Dandridge, Jo Jo White, Bingo Smith, Lucius Allen, Fred Carter, Norm Van Lier, Steve Mix, Neal Walk, Herm Gilliam, Butch Beard, Rick Roberson, Dick Garrett, Steve Kuberski, Willie Norwood, Lee Winfield
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the best NBA players of all time. That's enough to give the 1969 NBA draft some cache, right? While 1968 (Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld) and 1967 (Earl Monroe, Walt Frazier) boasted more impact players in their drafts, none of these guys reached the level of the Captain himself, who leads the NBA in all time points scored. There isn't much more oomph in this draft outside of Jo Jo White and Bob Dandridge, but 1969 put out 12 players who played 8 seasons or more.
- Photo: Chicago Bulls / Twitter12
2008 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Brook Lopez, Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, Goran Dragić, Serge Ibaka, Danilo Gallinari, Nicolas Batum, George Hill, DeAndre Jordan, Roy Hibbert
Two MVPs in one draft is no short order. Although hindsight has really really opened up the debate on whether either Award was truly deserved. Rose won in 2011 because the media (who votes on MVP) was basically mad at LeBron for “The Decision” and refused to give him his third MVP in a row, despite LeBron clearly being the best player. Then, Russell Westbrook basically stat padded his way to an MVP by becoming only the 2nd player to average a triple double for an entire season. Beyond them, Love, Ibaka and Lopez claimed NBA championships as 3rd and 4th guys later in their careers. Gordon and Anderson were elite level snipers from deep at their apexes. Jordan was a walking double double. Dragic was an elite PG. Batum, Hill, and Hibbert all had great runs as role players.
- Photo: New Orleans Hornets / Instagram13
2012 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Draymond Green, Bradley Beal, Khris Middleton, Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross, Will Barton, Jae Crowder, Austin Rivers
Damian Lillard winning Rookie of the Year over Anthony Davis in 2012-13 was one of the biggest ‘wait, what?’ NBA moments of all time, but it taught NBA fans everywhere about our collective unconscious bias towards ball-dominant guards over elite big men who get less touches but have an equal or greater impact, which has honestly served awards voting for the better since then. The 2012 draft class is littered with NBA greats. Four-time NBA Champion Draymond Green became one of the best 4th options ever for the Warriors dynasty. Middleton and Davis both got Championships as the 2nd best players on their teams. Beal and Dame are legendary lifers in their NBA cities and All Stars multiple times over. Barnes won a title and Drummond was a two-time All Star as well.
- Photo: Mitchell & Ness / Twitter14
1960 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Lenny Wilkens, Tom Sanders, Al Attles, Darrall Imhoff, Lee Shaffer, Jackie Moreland, Dave Budd, Willie Jones, Ben Warley
The fact that this draft went Oscar Robertson 1, Jerry West 2. It's one of the best 1-2s in NBA draft history. Only six players from this draft lasted more than five seasons in the NBA. The big three were all time NBA legends - Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Lenny Wilkens. The other three were no slouches though. Al Attles was a role player on the 1964 Warriors team that made the NBA Finals. Imhoff was an All Star. Sanders won 8 championships a role guy on the dynasty Celtics of the 60s. Then there's a guy like Lee Shaffer who only played three seasons but earned an All Star.
- Photo: Boston celtics / Instagram15
2017 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Lonzo Ball, De'Aaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen, Dillon Brooks, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Kuzma, John Collins, Jarrett Allen, OG Anunoby, Derrick White, Josh Hart, Luke Kennard
Tatum became an elite level player in really short order, which does favors for the 2017 NBA draft class overall. He led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals as Boston's #1 guy and has proven he's a big game winner. Donovan Mitchell is probably the 2nd best guy in this draft, but has yet to make a playoff push and is known only for regular season success. Bam made an NBA Finals as the 2nd best player on the Miami Heat. Then there's guys like Fox, Markkanen, Collins, and Lonzo who will never be #1 guys but are still great players and could find more achievements later on in their careers.
- Photo: milwaukee bucks / instagram16
2013 NBA draft
BEST PLAYERS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, C.J. McCollum, Victor Oladipo, Rudy Gobert, Michael Carter-Williams, Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Steven Adams
The 2013 draft is infamous for the comical selection of Anthony Bennett as the number one overall pick. Bennett spiraled out of the league in short order, while the score of the draft came in pick 15 when the Bucks found a diamond in the rough with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time NBA MVP, NBA Champion, and NBA Finals MVP really elevates the overall profile of this class, which wouldn't be much without him. Gobert and McCollum were nice players throughout their careers. KCP won a title as a key role player on the Lakers. Adams and Hardaway Jr. were guys any team would want for their strong play and great character.
- Photo: Robert Kingsbury - The Sporting News Archives / Public domain17
1970 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Pete Maravich, Bob Lanier, Dave Cowens, Calvin Murphy, Tiny Archibald, Dan Issel, Rudy Tomjanovich, Sam Lacey, Jim McMillian, Randy Smith, John Johnson, Charlie Scott, Gar Heard, Geoff Petrie, George Johnson, Dennis Awtrey
In most years, there's at least one bust in the top five picks. The year before this draft, Terry Driscoll and Larry Cannon went fourth and fifth and combined for 4.8 career win shares. The year after this draft wasn't much better as No. 4 pick Ken Durrett and No. 5 pick George Trapp amounted to scant more effect. In 1970, though, all five teams at the top of the draft were pleased with their first picks, as Bob Lanier, Rudy Tomjanovich, Pete Maravich, Dave Cowens and Sam Lacey each played at least 10 seasons and scored over 10,000 points. Perhaps the best player from the 1970 class was Dan Issel who was taken 122nd overall but opted for the ABA where he dominated for six years before it was absorbed by the NBA. Issel was one of seven Hall of Famers from this draft.
- Photo: Houston Rockets / Instagram18
2010 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Eric Bledsoe, Derrick Favors, Evan Turner, Hassan Whiteside, Greg Monroe, Avery Bradley, Al-Farouq Aminu, Lance Stephenson, Patrick Patterson, Larry Sanders, Greivis Vásquez
The 2010 draft set a record with five players drafted from the same school in the first round. John Wall (first), DeMarcus Cousins (fifth), Patrick Patterson (fourteenth), Eric Bledsoe (eighteenth), and Daniel Orton (twenty-ninth), all from the University of Kentucky. Their careers would create an interesting example of variance on a scatterplot to say the least. PG-13 is probably the best player overall from this draft, while Hayward, Wall, and Cousins all challenged for it at times. This draft had a lot of good role guys as well, with Larry Sanders being the biggest ‘what if?’
- Photo: Kevin Fitzgerald - The Sporting News Collection / Public domain19
1974 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Bill Walton, George Gervin, Jamaal Wilkes, John Drew, Mickey Johnson, Maurice Lucas, Truck Robinson, Scott Wedman, Billy Knight, Brian Winters, Phil Smith, Campy Russell, Bobby Jones, Tom Henderson, Tom McMillen, Foots Walker, Harvey Catchings
A dozen players from the 1975 NBA draft played in at least one All-Star Game, but one player really rises above the rest, and that is George "Iceman" Gervin. The prototype for Kevin Durant, Gervin was an elite NBA scorer and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game while being the scoring champion four times. Bill Walton is the other obvious big name, who took the Portland Trail Blazers to the promised land in 1977 and won Finals MVP. Then, he got another title in 1986 as a sixth man on the Celtics. Jamaal Wilkes was nice, too, but not as memorable like many of the talented names in this draft.
- Photo: Ball is life / Facebook20
2020 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Patrick Williams, Tyrese Haliburton, Saddiq Bey, Cole Anthony, Tyrese Maxey, Desmond Bane
It's hard to really accurately judge an NBA draft class until about 10 years out, but the 2020 group isn't the worst one in history that's for sure. They did have probably the weirdest draft ever though, as it took place in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic and was affected by the nation's stay-at-home order at the time. The draft featured Anthony Edwards, a game-changer going #1 overall and he looks every bit the part of a future HOFer. LaMelo Ball is a stud, flashing elite brilliance at times. Maxey and Haliburton have emerged as impact NBA guards, while wings like Bane and Williams are archetypal 3-&-D wings. Not a bad showing from 2020 so far.
- Photo: Memphis Grizzlies / Instagram21
2019 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, RJ Barrett, De'Andre Hunter, Rui Hachimura, Cam Reddish, Cameron Johnson, Jordan Poole, Keldon Johnson, P.J. Washington, Kevin Porter Jr., Coby White
Between Zion and Ja, who grew up playing together in South Carolina, both players have led their teams to the #1 spot in the Western Conference at times thus far in their young NBA careers. While these two carry most of the weight of the 2019 NBA draft class, this year was deep with solid wing guys like Barrett, Hunter, Reddish, Johnson, Johnson, Washington, and Hachimura. Tyler Herro is every young person's favorite player, while Darius Garland is an All Star, rounding out this class of strong guards which also includes Jordan Poole and Coby White.
- Photo: 1950 Bowling Green State University student yearbook / Public domain22
1950 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Paul Arizin, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Larry Foust, George Yardley, Chuck Share, Earl Lloyd, George King, Dick Schnittker, Chuck Cooper, Bob Lavoy
The early days of the NBA draft weren't exactly the most fruitful. In one hilarious example from 1950, the No. 6 overall pick Irwin Dambrot chose to pursue a career as a dentist rather than play for the New York Knicks! Back in those days, the talent varied wildly from year to year and the league would go decades with out a game changing player. For example, Wilt Chamberlain was drafted in 1959, followed by Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1969. But 1950 was one of the better all around years for drafting and produced four future Hall of Famers - Arizin, Cousy, Sharman, and Yardley. Cousy and Sharman became one of the best backcourt duos of all time and laid the groundwork for the juggernaut Celtics who won 11 of 13 NBA titles from 1957 to 1969. Then there was Foust, an 8-time All Star, who came up just short of a career double double (13.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG).
- Photo: New Orleans Pelicans / Instagram23
2016 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Brandon Ingram, Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, Buddy Hield, Jamal Murray, Pascal Siakam, Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Dejounte Murray, Taurean Prince, Jakob Poeltl, Ivica Zubac, Malik Beasley
If you had to guess who is the leading scorer from this draft class, you probably wouldn't have thought Buddy Hield, who leads his class in points scored by a comfortable margin. He's an elite scorer and doesn't really get hurt. The top of this draft class features a lot of Aces. BI is a beast playing next to Zion Williamson. Simmons has shown flashes of brilliance. Jaylen was integral in leading the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals. Jamal Murray has proven himself an ample Robin to Nikola Jokic's Batman. It's also a good draft for bigs between Siakam, Sabonis, and Zubac.
- Photo: Boston Celtics / Instagram24
1962 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: John Havlicek, Chet Walker, Dave DeBusschere, Jerry Lucas, Zelmo Beaty, Kevin Loughery, Donnie Nelson, LeRoy Ellis, Terry Dischinger, Len Chappell, Chico Vaughn, Bud Olsen, Wayne Hightower
1962 was a deeper class than most of the 1960s decade. The 1962 NBA draft produced seven players who scored more than 10,000 career points, including John Havlicek, Chet Walker and Jerry Lucas. Zelmo Beaty had a Hall of Fame career between the NBA and ABA. Dave DeBusschere led the Knicks to two titles, and Donnie Nelson was key role player during the Celtics dynasty.
- Photo: minnesota timberwolves / instagram25
2015 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeAngelo Russell, Kristaps Porziņģis, Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., Montrezl Harrell, Myles Turner, Norman Powell, Josh Richardson, Bobby Portis, Richaun Holmes, Larry Nance Jr., Willie Cauley-Stein, Pat Connaughton
Devin Booker led his Phoenix Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals as his team's best player. He came up short, falling to fellow 2015-draftee and Bucks role player Pat Connaughton in the process, but it was the first instance of his draft class showing signs of life. Meanwhile, the T-Wolves boast the privilege of having the top two picks from this draft, while still middling year-in, year-out. 2015 gave the NBA a ton of great big men though between Harrell, Zinger, Turner, Portis, Holmes, and Nance Jr.
- Photo: ebay26
1959 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Wilt Chamberlain, Bailey Howell, Bob Ferry, Dick Barnett, Bob Boozer, Johnny Green, Rudy LaRusso, Tom Hawkins
Wilt Chamberlain is an all-time great. 13x All Star, 2x NBA champion, 4x NBA MVP, Finals MVP. One of the best to ever do it. Bailey Howell was a six-time All-Star made the Hall of Fame. Bob Boozer joined him in the Hall of Game, as an NBA champion and All Star. Dick Barnett is known for having the ugliest jump shot form in history but he retired as an NBA champion and All Star too.
- Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation License / GNUF27
1999 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Manu Ginobili, Shawn Marion, Elton Brand, Richard Hamilton, Jason Terry, Andre Miller, Lamar Odom, Andrei Kirilenko, Baron Davis, Corey Maggette, Metta World Peace, Steve Francis, Wally Szczerbiak, James Posey
Outside of Manu, there isn't a first-ballot Hall of Famer among the bunch, but the 1999 draft boasts a cohort of strong career role players who were key pieces on NBA title teams. With one exception (Jonathan Bender who became one of the least successful players to make the leap from high school), every top-10 pick in 1999 panned out well. No. 2 pick Steve Francis might've flamed out after six great seasons to start his career, but he was hardly a bust. The 1999 draft also featured one of the greatest second-round picks in NBA history: Ginobili. The second-to-last selection ended up playing a key role on four Spurs championship teams. Ginobili was only a two-time All-Star, though. In fact, Shawn Marion was the only player from this class who was named an All-Star more than three times, and even he wasn't a perennial staple with just four selections. Marion was a key piece of the Dallas Mavericks 2011 title team, as was fellow 1999-ite Jason Terry. Then, Lamar Odom won back-to-back titles as the sixth man on the Lakers, alongside Metta World Peace. Posey won two championships as a sixth man on the Heat and Celtics. But he wasn't as important to his teams as Rip Hamilton was for the 2004 champion/Lakers-beater Detroit Pistons. We haven't even gotten to AK-47, Baron Davis, Corey Maggette, or Elton Brand who were all defining players of their era.
- Photo: Boston celtics / Instagram28
1976 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Robert Parish, Alex English, Adrian Dantley, Dennis Johnson, John Lucas, Johnny Davis, Lonnie Shelton, Quinn Buckner, Bob Wilkerson, Mitch Kupchak, Sonny Parker, Mike Dunleavy
The 1976 NBA draft doesn't boast a ton of depth, but a big three of Parish, English, and Dantley is immense. Parish won four NBA titles and was a 9x All Star. English, who is one of the best second round draft picks ever, was an 8-time All Star and scoring champion, who was probably the best Denver Nugget ever before Nikola Jokic. Then there's Dantley who was a six-time All Star and two-time scoring champion.
- Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation License29
2007 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Kevin Durant, Marc Gasol, Al Horford, Mike Conley, Greg Oden, Joakim Noah, Jeff Green, Nick Young, Marco Belinelli, Jared Dudley, Glen Davis, Arron Afflalo, Carl Landry
Anyone who was watching the game closely at the time knows how close the Oden-Durant debate was. Oden was literally a freak when he played - the second coming of Bill Russell some thought. Then he got hurt and it fell apart. Oh well. The 2007 draft featured some other studs. Durant is the headliner as a two-time NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP (2017, 2018). He achieved “basketball nirvana” but the way he went about it rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. Marc Gasol and Mike Conley were stalwarts of the grit-and-grind era Memphis Grizzlies, but it wasn't until Gasol moved up to Toronto that he got his ever-elusive first ring. Al Horford and Joakim Noah, teammates at Florida where they won back-to-back NCAA national championships, were two insanely talented bigs of their era that dominated for the Bulls and Hawks, respectively.
- Photo: NBA / Instagram30
2022 NBA Draft
BEST PLAYERS: Paolo Banchero, Chet Holgrem, Jabari Smith Jr., Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Bennedict Mathurin, Jalen Duren, Tari Eason, Walker Kessler, Jeremy Sochan
The best draft class of all time? Surely! Just kidding. It's way too early to tell, but 2022 was stocked with its fair cupboard of dudes. Paolo looks like a no-brainer future All-Star. Jabari and Murray are putting up rookie numbers, but look so natural out there, they will be hard to deny in years to come. Ivey and Duren look like absolute studs for the Pistons. Bennedict Mathurin is the surprise and threatening for Rookie of the Year consideration with how seamlessly he's integrated to NBA play.
