Every year, the bottom feeders of the NBA attempt to resurrect their franchise by trying their luck at the draft. Usually, a class is headlined by one or two potential saviors for struggling teams, but every once in a while, there is a class with such an abundance of talent that every pick seems to become a quality NBA player.
While we still have to wait a few years to see how good the class of 2026 really is, it has the potential to join these legendary drafts as one of the greatest ever.Â
5: The class of ‘09
In real time, this class was defined by a phenomenal rookie campaign from Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings’ 55-point explosion, but in retrospect, it will be remembered for much more than that. The greatness is there, but the culture and timelessness that comes with this group make it stand the test of time.
Steph Curry and James Harden are two of the most influential and revolutionary offensive weapons in basketball history, and Blake Griffin’s high-flying antics dominated highlight reels throughout the early 2010’s.
Demar Derozan has been one of the most reliable scoring forces in the NBA for a decade and a half now, and Jrue Holiday has given elite two-way production for just as long. That’s before mentioning late first round selections like Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague. Even the depths of the second round yielded good talent, with Danny Green and Patty Mills taken at 46 and 55 respectively.Â
4: The class of ‘18
It is difficult to evaluate a class that still has so much to play out, but the talent that this year produced is undeniable. Luka and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are perpetually in the MVP conversation and are two of the NBA’s premier players today.
Trae Young is the league’s best assist man with 9.8 assists per game for his career, and Jaren Jackson Jr. has already been crowned a defensive player of the year. Jalen Brunson emerged late as an All-NBA caliber player.
He even led his team to a championship and is one of the ten active rotational players from this draft’s second round. Mikal Bridges played a major role for that Knicks team as well, and Michael Porter Jr. was instrumental in Denver’s 2023 title run.
The longevity and depth of this class though, is what really sets it apart. Approximately seventy percent of players drafted to the NBA are no longer on a roster seven years later. Roughly fifty percent of the players taken in 2018 are still contributing on a night-to-night basis.Â
3: The class of ‘84
The firepower at the top of this draft is unparalleled, but so is the lack of depth. Only twenty players drafted in the first two rounds lasted more than 400 games, yet out of those twenty, four rank among the 50 greatest players ever.
Hakeem Olajuwon went first overall and went on to win two titles, an MVP, and two DPOYs and remains the all-time block leader. Michael Jordan went to the Bulls at three and won six rings, five MVPs, and a DPOY and owns the highest ppg average in league history.
The fifth pick was MVP and eleven-time all star Charles Barkley, and the sixteenth was John Stockton, the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals. Other notable players include Michael Cage, Alvin Robertson, and Kevin Willis, but the top of this class is what propels it to third on this list.
2: The class of ‘03
This class is also top heavy but its overall output outweighs that of 1984, giving this class the edge. LeBron James was the consensus number one overall selection for good reason, but Carmelo Anthony went toe to toe with the chosen one for much of their careers.
23 years later, both were among the top 10 leading scorers in NBA history until James Harden surpassed Anthony earlier this year. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were other greats from this draft class, both leaving their imprint on the legacy of the 2000s and early 2010s.
David West and Chris Kaman were some of the more known names outside of the top 5 selections, and players like Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich, and twenty players in total played for at least eight seasons. The class combined for 62 All-Star appearances on their way to being the second-greatest draft class we’ve ever seen.Â
1: The class of ‘96
MVPs, DPOYs, champions, scoring champs, this group had it all. Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash all won MVPs after being selected in the top fifteen. Perennial all stars like Stephon Marbury, Jermaine O’Neal, and Ray Allen were also introduced to the NBA in 1996.
Many other players earned all-star nods at a point in their careers as well, including Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, Peja Stojakovic, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Marcus Camby was selected second in this draft, and while he never played at all-star weekend, he was named all-defense four times and earned a DPOY.
Kerry Kittles and Derek Fisher were another two players who had memorable careers out of the loaded ‘96 class. The sheer volume of talent ranging from household names to championship contributors beloved by diehard fans is something we will likely never see again, unless this year’s class has something to say about it.
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