5 greatest players chosen with the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft
The 2020 NBA Draft was celebrated less than a week ago, and we saw the best prospects in basketball achieving their NBA dreams. LaMelo Ball was selected by the Michael Jordan-owned Charlotte Hornets with the third pick of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Greatest #3 picks in NBA Draft history
Jordan himself was the third pick of the historic 1984 NBA Draft and went on to dominate the NBA.
Over the years, we have seen several busts selected in the Top 5 of the NBA Draft, but many teams got it right with their top picks.
In this article, we will list the five of the greatest No. 3 picks in NBA Draft history. Without further ado, let us start.
#5 Luka Doncic - 2018 NBA Draft
The Atlanta Hawks selected Luka Doncic with the third pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. The Hawks traded the Slovenian playmaker to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young.
Coming from a great pro career with Real Madrid, Doncic established himself as one of the NBA's best players after two seasons in the league. Through his first two years, Doncic averaged 24.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game.
He won the 'Rookie of the Year' award in his first season and is one of the favorites to win the 2020-21 NBA MVP award. Doncic has 25 Triple-Doubles in his short NBA career. He led the league in the 2019-20 season with 17 Triple-Doubles (the youngest player to lead that ranking in NBA history).
Doncic showed his potential in his first appearance in the NBA Playoffs. He averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game against the favored LA Clippers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
#4 Dominique Wilkins - 1982 NBA Draft
The Atlanta Hawks selected Dominique Wilkins with the third pick of the 1982 NBA Draft.
Wilkins played 12 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 26.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He made 46% of his shots with the Hawks and guided the team to eight postseason appearances.
He played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and Orlando Magic before retiring from the league. Wilkins scored 26,668 points in his NBA career and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2006.
Wilkins was an amazing dunker who earned nine All-Star selections and was named seven times in the All-NBA teams. He won a scoring title in the 1985-86 NBA season with an average of 30.3 points per game.