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NBA Draft: 30 greatest draft picks in league history

By Josh Cornelissen

Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals. (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Point Guard. Cincinnati Bearcats, 1960 (Territorial). Oscar Robertson. 10. player. 67.

Greatest NBA Draft picks in league history: Oscar Robertson, Sacramento Kings

Another territorial draft pick, Oscar Robertson attended the University of Cincinnati where he had one of the greatest careers in college basketball history.

Three times he led the nation in scoring, three times he was a consensus First-Team All-American and three times he was named the Player of the Year. He was one of five people chosen as part of the first class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

When he made himself available for the NBA Draft, the then-Cincinnati Royals leapt at the opportunity to draft him. He made an immediate impact, nearly averaging a triple-double and winning NBA Rookie of the Year.

He was named to the All-NBA First Team each of his first nine seasons in the league, and in all 10 of his seasons with the Royals made the NBA All-Star team. Over those 10 seasons, he averaged 29.3 points per game.

The Royals never broke through to win a title with Robertson (or since without him now as the Sacramento Kings), but it was not for lack of excellence on his part. In 1961-62, he famously became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, a record that would stand until Russell Westbrook did it in 2017. In 1964, he was named the league’s MVP.

Robertson was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks after his 10th season and there would bring home the ever-elusive title. He also became a major force for change for NBA players, seen as the Father of Free Agency for his work on behalf of player empowerment. One of the greatest point guards in the history of the game was certainly worth the pick back in 1960.