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

30 worst No. 1 overall picks in league history: 26. Chuck Share

Stats:

• 8.3 points
• 8.4 rebounds

This list is made up entirely of players who were picked first in the NBA Draft. Among his peers, only Chuck Share can claim to be the first to go first, as he was selected first overall in the inaugural 1950 NBA Draft.

After playing four seasons for Bowling Green he was taken first by the Boston Celtics. Legendary coach and general manager Red Auerbach took Share over local favorite point guard Bob Cousy. When asked to defend his decision, he stated that the team need a big man. “I’m supposed to win, not go after local yokels.”

The Celtics would pick up Cousy later on when his franchise folded, which helped to mitigate the disappointment of taking Share over him. Share never played a game for the Celtics; whether he didn’t wish to move to Boston or didn’t like Auerbach, Share refused to sign with the Celtics and instead joined the National Professional Basketball League.

That league folded after one season, and after Share’s rights were traded to the Fort Wayne Pistons the center finally made his NBA debut and played nine years in the league, generally staying in the Midwest. His best years came with the St. Louis Hawks, playing center alongside Bob Pettit and a stacked roster that pushed the Boston Celtics into the NBA Finals for three straight seasons, winning the title in 1958.

While he did not play as many games or minutes as some of his peers on this list, he made a tremendous per-game impact in winning metrics, as he split center duties with Ed Macauley on some strong Hawks teams. He retired with 40.9 win shares across 596 games as a player.

Should have picked: Bob Cousy (4th); Paul Arizin (3rd); Bill Sharman (17th)