NBA Draft: 10 greatest No. 1 picks in league history

#4 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - No. 1 pick in the 1969 NBA Draft

Kareem was unstoppable.

The Milwaukee Bucks selected Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) with the first pick of the 1969 NBA Draft.

20: days without basketball20: seasons of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 💥—A record 19x All-Star—A record 6x MVP—6x NBA champion—2x Finals MVP—All-time leading scorerLegend. pic.twitter.com/8SjPQHGFh0

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 31, 2020

Kareem became arguably the greatest player in the game's history and the all-time leader in points in NBA history.

He won a record six NBA MVPs and six NBA championships, with two NBA Finals MVP awards with the Bucks and the LA Lakers.

In just his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks and with Oscar Robertson in his corner, Kareem led the Bucks to their first and so far only NBA title. Kareem's second year was Milwaukee's third in the NBA, and he delivered the biggest prize.

Kareem led the Bucks to two NBA Finals appearances in his six years at Milwaukee.

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#3 Hakeem Olajuwon - No. 1 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft

Olajuwon (34) is the greatest Rocket ever.

The Houston Rockets have four NBA Finals appearances and two NBA championships in their history. Their two titles and three of their four NBA Finals appearances came with Hakeem Olajuwon as their driving force.

They chose Hakeem (then named Akeem) with the first pick of the 1984 NBA Draft ahead of Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan, and the Rockets will never receive any criticism because they selected The Dream ahead of Jordan.

Hakeem played 17 seasons with the Rockets, winning a regular-season MVP, two championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, and a DPOY. The Rockets missed the NBA Playoffs just three times in the 17 years that followed their selection in the 1984 NBA Draft.

The Dream became the greatest player in the franchise's history and one of the greatest centers ever.

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#2 Magic Johnson - No. 1 pick in the 1979 NBA Draft

Magic won three MVPs.

The LA Lakers selected Earvin Magic Johnson with the first pick of the 1979 NBA Draft, and he changed everything.

Of course, the team already had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the roster when Magic arrived, but he led them to the NBA championship in his rookie season while winning NBA Finals MVP recognition in the same year.

In his 12 years with the Lakers, Magic won five NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVPs, three regular-season MVPs, and reached nine NBA Finals. Magic became arguably the greatest Lakers player in history and certainly one of the greatest leaders in NBA history.

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#1 Tim Duncan - No. 1 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft

Duncan earned 15 All-NBA and 15 All-Defensive selections in his career.

Tim Duncan played his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs after the team picked him with the first selection in the 1997 NBA Draft.

5 titles. 2 MVPs. The Spurs officially retire Tim Duncan’s No. 21. #ThankYouTD pic.twitter.com/i8vIcVRYsU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 19, 2016

The Spurs already had David Robinson on their roster, and with Duncan's arrival and his greatness, championships were truly possible. In just his second season, Duncan led the Twin-Tower Spurs to the first NBA title in franchise history and won NBA Finals MVP recognition.

Duncan led the Spurs to the NBA Playoffs in each of his 19 NBA seasons and won five championships at San Antonio, with three NBA Finals MVP awards.

Simple. The Spurs made the greatest No. 1 pick in NBA Draft history. They selected a player that completely changed the franchise's history, and that player featured for them throughout his Hall-of-Fame career.

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