Top 10 No. 1 NBA Draft picks who won the championship with the same team that drafted them
The NBA Draft lottery gives bottom-barrel teams the opportunity to secure the No. 1 pick in a bid to improve their squad with the top prospects ahead of the new season. The Detroit Pistons were ever so lucky to clinch the top pick in the 2021 lottery following their last-place finish in the 2020-21 NBA Eastern Conference.
While many of the top picks have performed well above expectations, a few have fallen short of glory. The No. 1 picks are expected to develop and change the fortunes of the franchise they join, with a championship being the eventual goal. However, only ten top picks in the league's history have delivered NBA titles to the teams that drafted them.
Cade Cunningham, who was selected by the Pistons in the 2021 NBA Draft, has a promising future ahead of him. Although his team are not in championship contention for the 2021-22 season, who knows what might happen?
Meanwhile, the last No. 1 pick to win an NBA championship for the team that drafted him is Kyrie Irving. He was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA draft, with Irving winning with the help of the King himself, another top pick.
On that note, here are the No. 1 picks in NBA history that have won championships for the teams that drafted them.
#10 Cazzie Russell - New York Knicks
The New York Knicks selected Cazzie Russell as the first overall pick in the 1966 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, he made the All-Rookie team, losing the Rookie of the Year award to second overall pick Dave Bing.
Russell played for the Knicks for five seasons, helping them win a championship in 1970 over the LA Lakers. In the process, he became the first-ever No. 1 pick to win an NBA championship for the team that signed him. That turned out to be the only championship win of his career.
#9 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Milwaukee Bucks
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won six NBA championships in his illustrious career, the first of which came in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks, who drafted him in 1969 as the no. 1 pick. Jabbar won the Rookie of the Year award that year.
Thanks to his famous skyhook shot, he is the NBA's all-time leader in points scored, games played and field goals made. He also won two titles as an assistant coach with the Lakers in 2009 & 2010.
#8 Bill Walton - Portland Trail Blazers
Bill Walton is responsible for giving the Portland Trail Blazers their only NBA title in franchise history. Their only other trip to the finals came in 1990 and 1992, where they lost to the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, respectively.
Walton was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Blazers. He led them to their first and only championship triumph three years later. His incredible showing in the finals also earned him the finals MVP award.
#7 Magic Johnson - LA Lakers
Although the LA Lakers reached the Western Conference semi-finals in the 1979 NBA playoffs, they still had the No. 1 pick heading into the 1979 draft. They acquired the slot from the Utah Jazz in 1976, and selected Magic Johnson with it.
The Lakers immediately reaped the benefits of their selection, as Johnson helped them clinch the NBA title in his rookie season. More impressively, he won the NBA Finals MVP award after a sublime Game 6 outing.
Johnson filled in for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center, registering 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. His stellar effort earned him the NBA Finals MVP award. To date, he remains the only rookie to have achieved this feat.