5 worst No. 1 NBA Draft picks of all time
Know all about the worst No 1 NBA draft picks who never really lived up to the expectations as the best of their draft class.
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Worst No 1 NBA Draft Picks of all-time
The NBA is the ultimate stage where a plethora of basketball talents compete for the final crown of supremacy. Every year the NBA Drafts place the most promising youngsters aspiring to dazzle the NBA courts in the league.
The number 1 pick, the one that is reserved for the creme de la crème among the draft prospects, has produced some of the legends of the sport. But that hasn’t been the case almost half the time. Here are the 5 Worst No. 1 NBA Draft Picks of all time.
Worst No 1 NBA Draft Picks
Also Read: Biggest No. 1 NBA draft pick misses for Charlotte Hornets
5. Kwame Brown
A notorious figure throughout his NBA career, the fact that Kwame Brown was actually selected as the No 1 pick in 2001 by the Washington Wizards, is often ridiculed. Throughout his 12 seasons in the NBA, Brown widely underperformed and was a total disaster.
He parted ways with the Washington Wizards in 2005 and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. There his form only deteriorated and he would then go on to have an unremarkable career, traded between teams. The fact that the Wizards missed out on Pau Gasol and opted for Kwame Brown instead, is often resented by fans. He averaged 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds during his NBA career.
4. Greg Oden
The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Greg Oden as the No 1 pick overall in the 2007 draft class. Owing to his exceptional college basketball repertoire, it was quite evident that Oden was destined for great things. But his fateful injuries would turn the course of events, and the player never really reached his full potential.
Unfortunately for his franchise, the 2007 draft class had a certain Kevin Durant, a fact that would haunt the Blazers every time KD dazzled the courts. Greg Oden averaged 8.0 points and 6.3 rebounds during his NBA career.
3. Michael Olowokandi
It was perhaps his on-court athletic prowess and large physique that made Michael Olowokandi stand out in the 1999 draft class. The 7-foot big man was drafted as the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers over names like Vince Carter and Paul Pierce.
Although his initial years with the Clippers were somewhat decent, Olowokandi never truly lived up to the hype. Injuries impacted the player at large and his career averages were nothing spectacular either. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game during his NBA career.
2. LaRue Martin
LaRue Martin is by far one of the worst No. 1 NBA draft picks of all time. His short and uneventful career had been nothing but forgettable. Selected as the first overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1972 NBA draft, Martin would go on to have a poor rookie season.
He was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics but would shortly retire in 1976. During his short career, LaRue Martin averaged 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. And to think he was drafted ahead of Hall-of-Famer Bob McAdoo.
1. Anthony Bennett
Bennett was drafted as the No 1 NBA draft pick of 2013 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Often regarded as one of the worst No. 1 NBA Draft Picks of all time, Anthony Bennett had a below-mediocre performance in his debut season.
But the power forward failed to live up to even half the expectations as a No 1 pick in the seasons that followed. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game during his NBA career. Anthony Bennett is considered the worst No. 1 NBA Draft Picks of all time by many.
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Ritvik Malhotra
(1085 Articles Published)