| No. 1 NBA Draft Picks | |||
| Year | Player | Team | School/Team |
| 2011 | Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers | Duke |
| 2010 | John Wall | Washington Wizards | Kentucky |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers | Oklahoma |
| 2008 | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls | Memphis |
| 2007 | Greg Oden | Portland Trail Blazers | Ohio State |
| 2006 | Andrea Bargnani | Toronto Raptors | Benetton Treviso(Italy) |
| 2005 | Andrew Bogut | Milwaukee Bucks | Utah |
| 2004 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | SACA(Atlanta, GA) |
| 2003 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | St. Vincent-St. Mary HS(Akron, OH) |
| 2002 | Yao Ming | Houston Rockets | Shanghai Sharks(China) |
| 2001 | Kwame Brown | Washington Wizards | Glynn Academy HS(Brunswick, GA) |
| 2000 | Kenyon Martin | New Jersey Nets | Cincinnati |
| 1999 | Elton Brand | Chicago Bulls | Duke |
| 1998 | Michael Olowokandi | Los Angeles Clippers | Pacific |
| 1997 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | Wake Forest |
| 1996 | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | Georgetown |
| 1995 | Joe Smith | Golden State Warriors | Maryland |
| 1994 | Glenn Robinson | Milwaukee Bucks | Purdue |
| 1993 | Chris Webber | Orlando Magic | Michigan |
| 1992 | Shaquille O'Neal | Orlando Magic | LSU |
| 1991 | Larry Johnson | Charlotte Hornets | UNLV |
| 1990 | Derrick Coleman | New Jersey Nets | Syracuse |
| 1989 | Pervis Ellison | Sacramento Kings | Louisville |
| 1988 | Danny Manning | Los Angeles Clippers | Kansas |
| 1987 | David Robinson | San Antonio Spurs | Navy |
| 1986 | Brad Daugherty | Cleveland Cavaliers | North Carolina |
| 1985 | Patrick Ewing | New York Knicks | Georgetown |
| 1984 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | Houston |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson | Houston Rockets | Virginia |
| 1982 | James Worthy | Los Angeles Lakers | North Carolina |
| 1981 | Mark Aguirre | Dallas Mavericks | DePaul |
| 1980 | Joe Barry Carroll | Golden State Warriors | Purdue |
| 1979 | Earvin Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | Michigan State |
| 1978 | Mychal Thompson | Portland Trail Blazers | Minnesota |
| 1977 | Kent Benson | Milwaukee Bucks | Indiana |
| 1976 | John Lucas | Houston Rockets | Maryland |
| 1975 | David Thompson | Atlanta Hawks | N.C. State |
| 1974 | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers | UCLA |
| 1973 | Doug Collins | Philadelphia 76ers | Illinois State |
| 1972 | LaRue Martin | Portland Trail Blazers | Loyola(Chicago) |
| 1971 | Austin Carr | Cleveland Cavaliers | Notre Dame |
| 1970 | Bob Lanier | Detroit Pistons | St. Bonaventure |
| 1969 | Lew Alcindor | Milwaukee Bucks | UCLA |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes | San Diego Rockets | Houston |
| 1967 | Jimmy Walker | Detroit Pistons | Providence |
| 1966 | Cazzie Russell | New York Knicks | Michigan |
| 1965 | Fred Hetzel | San Francisco Warriors | Davidson |
| 1964 | Jim Barnes | New York Knicks | Texas Western |
| 1963 | Art Heyman | New York Knicks | Duke |
| 1962 | Bill McGill | Chicago Zephyrs | Utah |
| 1961 | Walt Bellamy | Chicago Packers | Indiana |
| 1960 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati Royals | Cincinnati |
| 1959 | Bob Boozer | Cincinnati Royals | Kansas State |
| 1958 | Elgin Baylor | Minneapolis Lakers | Seattle |
| 1957 | Rod Hundley | Cincinnati Royals | West Virginia |
| 1956 | Sihugo Green | Rochester Royals | Duquesne |
| 1955 | Dick Ricketts | Milwaukee Hawks | Duquesne |
| 1954 | Frank Selvy | Baltimore Bullets | Furman |
| 1953 | Ray Felix | Baltimore Bullets | Long Island |
| 1952 | Mark Workman | Milwaukee Hawks | West Virginia |
| 1951 | Gene Melchoirre | Baltimore Bullets | Bradley |
| 1950 | Charlie Share | Boston Celtics | Bowling Green |
| 1949 | Howie Shannon | Providence Streamrollers | Kansas State |
| 1948 | Andy Tonkovich | Providence Streamrollers | Marshall |
| 1947 | Clifton McNeely | Pittsburgh Ironmen | Texas Wesleyan |
