About the Record
Being the first overall pick is one of the most notable distinctions a player
can receive entering the NBA. While most teams are fortunate to have one former
No. 1 pick on their roster, there have been several unusual situations in NBA
history in which three, four or even five former first overall selections were
teammates at the same time.
This record does not count how many No. 1 picks a franchise originally drafted.
Instead, it counts players who were former first overall NBA Draft selections
and were members of the same team's roster during the same season or period.
A player could therefore have been drafted by one franchise and later count
toward this record while playing for another.
The record is particularly interesting because many of these rosters brought
together former top picks at very different stages of their careers. Some were
still franchise stars, while others were veterans who had joined a new team
years after being selected first overall.
NBA Record: Five Former #1 Picks
1960 Minneapolis Lakers — 5
The 1960 Minneapolis Lakers hold the record with five former No. 1 overall
draft picks on the same team: Elgin Baylor, Hot Rod Hundley, Ray Felix,
Chuck Share and Frank Selvy.
Baylor had been the first overall selection in 1958, Hundley in 1957,
Felix in 1953, Share in 1950 and Selvy in 1954. The result was an
extraordinary concentration of former top draft selections on one roster.
Four Former #1 Picks
1986–89 Los Angeles Lakers — 4
The Los Angeles Lakers featured four former No. 1 overall picks during the
late 1980s: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mychal Thompson and
James Worthy.
Johnson was the first overall pick in 1979, Abdul-Jabbar was selected first
in 1969, Thompson went first in 1978 and Worthy was the first selection in
1982. Unlike many other entries on this list, these players were part of one
of the NBA's dominant championship-era rosters.
Teams With Three Former #1 Picks
| Total |
Team / Season |
Former #1 Overall Picks |
| 3 |
1971 Milwaukee Bucks |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969), Oscar Robertson (1960), Bob Boozer (1959)
|
| 3 |
1984–86 Houston Rockets |
Hakeem Olajuwon (1984), Ralph Sampson (1983), John Lucas (1976)
|
| 3 |
1963–64 New York Knicks |
Bob Boozer (1959), Art Heyman (1963), Bill McGill (1962)
|
| 3 |
1964–65 New York Knicks |
Art Heyman (1963), Bill McGill (1962), Jim Barnes (1964)
|
| 3 |
1962–63 Chicago Zephyrs |
Walt Bellamy (1961), Bill McGill (1962), Si Green (1956)
|
| 3 |
1963–64 Baltimore Bullets |
Walt Bellamy (1961), Bill McGill (1962), Si Green (1956)
|
| 3 |
2017–19 Minnesota Timberwolves |
Derrick Rose (2008), Andrew Wiggins (2014), Karl-Anthony Towns (2015)
|
| 3 |
1998 Philadelphia 76ers |
Allen Iverson (1996), Derrick Coleman (1990), Joe Smith (1995)
|
| 3 |
2004 Philadelphia 76ers |
Allen Iverson (1996), Joe Smith (1995), Glenn Robinson (1994)
|
| 3 |
2020 Los Angeles Lakers |
LeBron James (2003), Anthony Davis (2012), Dwight Howard (2004)
|
| 3 |
2017 Cleveland Cavaliers |
LeBron James (2003), Kyrie Irving (2011), Andrew Bogut (2005)
|
| 3 |
2027 Washington Wizards |
Anthony Davis (2012), Deandre Ayton (2018), AJ Dybantsa (2026)
|
Notable Examples
1960 Minneapolis Lakers:
No other roster listed here reached five former first overall picks.
The Lakers' group stretched across draft classes from Chuck Share in 1950
to Elgin Baylor in 1958.
1986–89 Los Angeles Lakers:
The Lakers' four-man group stands apart because Magic Johnson, Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, Mychal Thompson and James Worthy were together during one
of the most successful periods in franchise history.
1971 Milwaukee Bucks:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson were already two of basketball's
biggest stars, while Bob Boozer gave Milwaukee a third former first overall
selection.
1984–86 Houston Rockets:
Houston's collection of Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson and John Lucas
included back-to-back first overall selections in Sampson and Olajuwon.
The pairing became the centerpiece of Houston's famous "Twin Towers"
frontcourt.
2017–19 Minnesota Timberwolves:
Derrick Rose, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns represented three
different generations of top picks, with Rose selected first in 2008,
Wiggins in 2014 and Towns in 2015.
2020 Los Angeles Lakers:
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard were all former first overall
picks and played together on the Lakers' 2020 championship team.
Interesting Facts
-
The Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers franchise appears at the top two levels
of the record, with five former No. 1 picks in 1960 and four during the
late 1980s.
-
The New York Knicks appear twice with three former first overall picks,
in 1963–64 and again in 1964–65.
-
The Philadelphia 76ers also reached three former No. 1 picks on two
different occasions, in 1998 and 2004.
-
Several players appear in more than one entry because they changed teams
during their careers.
-
Having numerous former No. 1 picks does not necessarily mean a roster
was composed entirely of players in their primes. Many players on this
list joined the team late in their careers.
-
A first overall pick is counted based on his original NBA Draft position,
not on the team that originally selected him.
Complete Record
| Rank |
#1 Picks |
Team / Period |
| 1 |
5 |
1960 Minneapolis Lakers |
| 2 |
4 |
1986–89 Los Angeles Lakers |
| 3 |
3 |
1971 Milwaukee Bucks |
| 3 |
3 |
1984–86 Houston Rockets |
| 3 |
3 |
1963–64 New York Knicks |
| 3 |
3 |
1964–65 New York Knicks |
| 3 |
3 |
1962–63 Chicago Zephyrs |
| 3 |
3 |
1963–64 Baltimore Bullets |
| 3 |
3 |
2017–19 Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 3 |
3 |
1998 Philadelphia 76ers |
| 3 |
3 |
2004 Philadelphia 76ers |
| 3 |
3 |
2020 Los Angeles Lakers |
| 3 |
3 |
2017 Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 3 |
3 |
2027 Washington Wizards |
Related NBA Draft History
