Making it to the NBA at all is a major accomplishment and a dream come true—no matter if drafted in the lottery, the first- or second-round or working your ass off and making a team as a free agent.
And while reaching the Association is cool and all, when a guy’s selected first overall—like LeBron James was in 2003—there comes a responsibility and immediate pressure, with that player forced to live up to everyone’s expectations.
Some, like LeBron, can handle it, others can’t. But over the years, there have been some amazing No. 1 picks in NBA history, so we take a look at the best.