NBA Draft: 30 Worst No. 1 overall picks in league history (Updated 2023)

30 worst No. 1 overall picks in league history: 19. Pervis Ellison

Stats:

• 9.5 points
• 6.7 rebounds

Pervis Ellison had two nicknames over the course of his basketball career that highlight how he came to be on this list. The Georgia native played college basketball at the University of Louisville, where he earned the nickname “Never Nervous Pervis” for his cool play under pressure. As a freshman he won the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award in leading the Cardinals to the national championship, only the second freshman to date to earn that honor.

Ellison continued to thrive at Louisville as the starting center for four straight seasons, racking up points and rebounds and earning three-straight All-Metro Conference nods. That college success buoyed him in the draft and led to the Sacramento Kings taking him first overall in the 1989 NBA Draft.

Unfortunately for Ellison, his second nickname reared its head early in his professional career: “Out of Service Pervis.” Allegedly coined by teammate Danny Ainge, it was a reflection of a series of injuries that limited Ellison from playing a full schedule of games. Those injuries, some of them relatively minor and others serious, plagued him throughout his entire career. In 11 seasons he averaged just 43 games per year, only once playing more than 69 games (and never more than 76).

These constant injuries hampered his development and his value to teams, and Ellison moved around frequently either in trades or as a free agent. His best season came in 1991-92, when he won Most Improved Player, posting 20 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. In total, Ellison logged 474 games before finally calling it quits in 2000.

Should have picked: Vlade Divac (26th); Clifford Robinson (36th); Shawn Kemp (17th)