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

30 worst No. 1 overall picks in league history: 17. Kwame Brown

Stats:

• 6.6 points
• 5.5 rebounds

During the height of the prep-to-pro generation of the NBA, a handful of players were taken first overall straight out of high school. Those players ranged from LeBron James, who ranked first on the “30 best No. 1 picks” list, to Kwame Brown, who shows up here as the 17th-worst.

Brown was a late riser in his draft class, putting it all together on the court to match his tall, lanky frame and shunning a former commitment to the University of Florida to capitalize on his draft buzz. That paid off when he was taken first overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.

After taking Brown, Michael Jordan un-retired and suddenly the Wizards’ goal was winning games right away rather than developing their new investment. The combination of a high-pressure environment as Jordan’s teammate, along with the jarring adjustment many high-schoolers had to be a professional, hampered Brown’s development and crushed him emotionally.

To his credit, Brown did not completely fold, as he continued to work hard and found a place in the league once he was out of the spotlight. He reinvented himself as a low-usage defensive center and bounced around the league filling in as needed. From his shaky start, Brown parlayed his size and effort into a 12-year career.

Should have picked: Pau Gasol (3rd); Tony Parker (28th); Joe Johnson (10th); Richard Jefferson (13th); Tyson Chandler (2nd)