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Curated playlist

First overall NBA draft picks

  • LeBron JamesLeBron James led Cleveland back from a 3-1 Finals deficit, a first in NBA history. It ended a 52-year title wait.
  • Andrea BargnaniAndrea Bargnani became the first European ever picked first overall in the NBA draft.
  • Elvin HayesElvin Hayes scored 39 points and ended UCLA's 47-game winning streak in 1968. He held Lew Alcindor to 15 points.
  • Tim DuncanTim Duncan was a swimmer until a hurricane destroyed his island's only Olympic-sized pool.
  • Hakeem OlajuwonHakeem Olajuwon did not touch a basketball until he was 15. The Nigerian goalkeeper later won an NBA title.
  • Magic JohnsonMagic Johnson told the world he had HIV from the free throw line in 1991. He was 32 and a five-time NBA champion.
  • Shaquille O'NealShaquille O'Neal twice broke steel backboard supports with his dunks. The NBA then redesigned its equipment.
  • Andrew WigginsAndrew Wiggins shattered a glass backboard at age 14. He later went first in the 2014 NBA draft.
  • Kyrie IrvingKyrie Irving was born in Australia to two American parents. His father had followed basketball there.
  • Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar broke Wilt Chamberlain's career scoring record with a skyhook over a 7-foot-4 defender.
  • Yao MingYao Ming scored the first basket of China's home Olympics in 2008, a three-pointer.
  • Andrew BogutAndrew Bogut was cut from a junior state team at fifteen. He became the first Australian picked first in the NBA draft.
  • Ben SimmonsBen Simmons went first overall in the 2016 NBA draft without ever playing in the NCAA tournament.

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