10 Best NBA Draft Picks

The 10 best NBA draft picks are subjective but can be used to describe players drafted late who became stars or players drafted early who fulfilled the promise the team who drafted them hoped. The best NBA draft picks went on to help lead their teams to championships and set records along the way.

1. Bill Russell - Boston traded All-Star players Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to St. Louis to earn the right to draft Bill Russell with the first pick in the 1956 draft. What they received in return was the leader of their franchise and a man who helped lead them to eleven NBA titles, one of the best NBA draft picks of all time.
2. Michael Jordan- Michael Jordan became the best player to ever play in the NBA but in the 1984 NBA Draft, he was the third player chosen. Forgive Houston for choosing Hakeem Olajuwon because he went on to become a star. However, the fact that Portland chose Sam Bowie over Jordan will always be one of the most infamous moments in NBA history.
3. Tony Parker - San Antonio drafted Tony Parker with the final pick in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft, one of the best NBA draft picks of all time. Point guard Tony Parker helped lead the Spurs to three NBA championships. He has played ten seasons for San Antonio, averaging 16.6 points a game over his career.
4. Magic Johnson - The Los Angeles Lakers were looking for someone special in the 1979 NBA Draft. They chose Johnson, the first underclassman to ever be drafted as the first overall pick in the draft and became one of the best NBA draft picks of all time. He led the Lakers to the championship in his rookie year and is the first rookie to win MVP award in the NBA finals.
5. Dwyane Wade - 2003 was a big year for the NBA draft with LeBron James, Carmello Anthony and Chris Bosh all drafted ahead of Wade. However, Wade is one of the best NBA draft picks thanks to what he did for Miami off the court. He convinced both James and Bosh to join him at Miami to create an NBA super team.
6. Michael Redd - Milwaukee chose Michael Redd with the 43rd pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, making him not only one of the best NBA draft picks but one of the most affordable. Redd went on to become the face of the Bucks for ten years, averaging 20.3 points a game during that time.
7. Shawn Marion - Phoenix had a few choices when choosing Shawn Marion with the ninth pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. Instead of grabbing a Ron Artest, the Suns chose to draft Marion and he became one of the best NBA draft picks Phoenix ever made, the backbone of their impressive offense for over eight years.
8. Amare Stoudemire - Amare Stoudemire came into the 2002 NBA Draft with numerous question marks thanks to off-field problems as a teenager. The Phoenix Suns took a chance on him and he became the only member of the 2002 draft to become a first-team all-NBA player.
9. Paul Pierce - In 1998, Paul Pierce dropped all the way to the tenth pick in the NBA Draft and Boston jumped all over it. Pearce repaid the Celtics decision by helping lead them to the NBA Championship in 2008 and becoming the best Boston player statistically since Larry Bird.
10. Reggie Miller - Reggie Miller is one of the best players to ever be drafted in the No. 11 spot in the NBA Draft. Indiana made Miller one of the best NBA draft picks in the history of the game and he repaid them by setting the NBA record for the most career three-pointers ever made.