6 NBA teams that have never been awarded first picks in NBA Draft

This year, the NBA Draft Lottery saw the San Antonio Spurs awarded with the first pick in the upcoming draft. With a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama poised to go first overall, it's no secret that every other team in the league feels as though they missed out.

Despite that, there are several teams who have continued to have bad luck when it comes to securing the No. 1 pick in the draft. Without further ado, let's take a look at the six teams who have never had the first pick in the NBA draft.

Six teams that have never been awarded the first pick in the NBA draft

Utah Jazz v LA Lakers

Utah Jazz: Luck has not been on the Utah Jazz' side when it comes to getting the first pick in the NBA draft. The team's best pick came in 1980 when they drafted Darrell Griffith as the No. 2 pick. It used a No. 3 pick in 2011 on Enes Kanter (now Enes Freedom).

To date, the team has managed to land in the top 10 eight times, but have continued to come up short of the first overall pick.

OKC Thunder v Golden State Warriors

OKC Thunder: The OKC Thunder have never had the first pick in the NBA draft, however, they've managed to secure some great players in spite of that. Most notably, the team drafted Kevin Durant with the No. 2 pick in 2007 while still under the Seattle SuperSonics logo.

In addition, the team drafted James Harden with the No. 3 pick in 2009 and Russell Westbrook with the No. 4 pick in 2008.

Miami Heat v New York Knicks - Game 1

Miami Heat: Another team that has continued to come up short in its attempt at a No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Despite the success of the team over the years, the Heat's best pick in the draft came in 2008, when they drafted Michael Beasley with the second pick.

Prior to that, the team's highest pick came in 1989, when it drafted Glen Rice with the No. 4 pick. Of course, the team's most notable selection came in 2003, when it drafted a young guard by the name of Dwyane Wade with the fifth pick.

Memphis Grizzlies v LA Lakers - Game 3

Memphis Grizzlies: The Memphis Grizzlies have the unique distinction of drafting at No. 2 on five separate occasions. Despite that, they've never been able to land the top pick in the NBA draft. On top of that, the Grizzlies had the No. 2 pick in three straight years from 1998 through 2000.

In 1998, the team drafted Mike Bibby with the No. 2 pick, before then drafting and trading Steve Francis the following year. Their most notable pick in recent years at No. 2 came in 2019, when the team drafted the high-flying Ja Morant out of Murray state.

(Suggested Reading: Full NBA draft lottery results)

Indiana Pacers v Chicago Bulls

Indiana Pacers: In the past 23 years, the Indiana Pacers have landed inside of the top 10 just twice. In 2010, the team drafted Paul George with the No. 10 pick, while in 2022 the Pacers used their No. 6 pick on Bennedict Mathurin.

The last time the team drafted inside the top 5 was in 1988, when they used the No. 2 pick on Rik Smits, marking the third time the team had landed at No. 2.

Denver Nuggets v Phoenix Suns - Game 6

Denver Nuggets: Last but certainly not least we have the Denver Nuggets, who have repeatedly come up short of securing the top pick in the draft. Their highest draft picks came in 1990, 1998 and 2003 where they landed at No. 3.

With the team's success in recent years, they found themselves outside of the lottery for the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.

(Suggested Reading: Victor Wembanyama reacts to Spurs getting No. 1 pick)