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The NBA Draft is an annual event in the NBA since 1947, in where the 30 teams battle it out to secure the best young talent possible when it comes around to their turn to pick.
It's no secret that the highest the pick does not always equate to the better career, in the past two drafts alone we've seen what can be the vast difference between making the correct pick or picking someone who will be a potential bust in the NBA with the prestigious number 1 pick. The Philadelphia 76ers have taken Ben Simmons, the reigning rookie of the year as number one in the 2016 NBA draft and then in the 2017 NBA draft used their number one pick on guard Markelle Fultz, who failed to even crack the starting lineup for the 76ers once in his debut season.
It's time to take a look at the five best times when an organisation has gotten it right and used their number 1 pick to land a future NBA legend.
5. Shaquille O'Neal
In 1992, The Minnesota Timberwolves were kicking themselves as they went in with the best draft odds to secure the number 1 pick but ended up dropping down to pick 3 where they chose Christian Laettner. Although Laettner managed one All-Star appearance in his 14-year career, he would never be mentioned anywhere close to the level of the Hall of Fame Center, Shaq.
The Orlando Magic with the second highest percentage chance managed to land the offensive force and used it wisely as they picked up one of the most dominant players the NBA has ever seen. Unfortunately though, for the Orlando Magic, Shaq would only spend four seasons there before seeking a move to the Los Angeles Lakers, where the 15-time All-Star completed a three-peat of NBA Championships winning 3 Finals MVP's and one regular season MVP in 2000.
4. Tim Duncan
With the pre-lottery position of pick 3, the San Antonio Spurs fell into a dream come true when they moved up two spaces in the 1997 NBA Draft to land Tim Duncan.
Tim Duncan is often overlooked in the list of greatest of all time largely due to, as his nickname of "The Big Fundamental" suggest, his style of play was very basic and to many fans boring as he was less focussed on being flashy and purely focussed on wanting to win as much as possible.
When Spurs picked Duncan, they could never have imagined the heights he would go on to reach for their franchise, becoming the face of the Spurs for almost 20 years, winning 5 Championships along the way, along with 3 Finals MVP's and 2 regular seasons MVPs. A 5-1 finals record sees Duncan be the closest to equaling immortality and reaching Michael Jordan's famous 6-0 record.
3. Magic Johnson
The 1979 NBA Draft saw the Los Angeles Lakers gain the number 1 pick through a trade with the Utah Jazz a few seasons prior.
Unfortunately for the Jazz, that pick turned out to be the future legend and potentially the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson. With this incredible pick, the Lakers put together one of the most formidable teams in NBA history nicknamed the "Showtime" Lakers.
Led by Magic, the Showtime Lakers, ran riot over the competition with flashy passers and a high tempo style of play. Magic himself securing 5 NBA Championships, 3 Finals MVPs and 3 regular season MVPs in his 13 season career with Lakers, securing his spot in the best #1 draft picks in the history of the NBA.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Lew Alcindor, later to be known as the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was selected from UCLA by the Milwaukee Bucks with the first pick in the 1969 NBA Draft.
Kareem went on to win rookie of the year the following season, and go on to lead the Bucks to their very first NBA title in just his second season in the NBA in 1971, while also winning his first NBA Finals MVP, and first NBA regular season MVP that same year.
After leading them to their first championship, Kareem parted ways with the Milwaukee, to join the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. With the Lakers, Kareem went on to win 5 more titles, 5 more MVP's and 1 more Finals MVP, breaking and still holding the record for most regular season MVPs by a singular player at 6.
1. LeBron James
The 2003 NBA Draft class is considered by many to be one of the most talent-stacked drafts in the history NBA. The Draft had 8 players who would reach the All-Star game at least once and at the very least 3 first ballot future Hall Of Famers.
One of these future Hall Of Famers is the already legendary LeBron James, it was a fairytale story when the most hyped up high school basketball player in history was taken by his hometown and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The proclaimed "chosen one" by Sports Illustrated, LeBron James had the whole world watching from the beginning of his career and he has somehow surpassed the expectations placed on him all those years ago.
Although failing to bring a championship to Cleveland in his first stint there (2003-2010), after winning multiple championships, Finals MVPs and regular season MVP's in Miami, LeBron chose to go back home where "King James" would overcome the greatest odds in history, beating a 73-9 Golden State from 3-1 down in the best finals comeback story ever.
