Top 10 Colleges With the Most Round 1 NBA Draft Picks Ft. Kentucky, Duke and More
With the 2023 NBA draft taking place later Thursday night, there is going to be a handful of notable programs that we hear about as their alumni become first-round picks.
Which programs have produced the most first-round draft picks? Let's take a look at the 10 programs with the most first-round selections all-time.
Ohio State Buckeyes: 24 NBA first-round picks
Most notably, the Buckeyes had Greg Oden as their singular No. 1 pick in the program's history (2007), but leg injuries kept him from reaching his full NBA potential. Their most recent selection was in 2022 as Malaki Branham was the 20th pick for the San Antonio Spurs.
Syracuse Orange: 24
The Syracuse Orange have produced stars like Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Coleman and definitely have made their way on this list. They have not had a single first-round pick since the 2017 NBA draft as forward Tyler Lydon was selected with the 24th pick by Utah and traded to Denver.
Louisville Cardinals: 24
Louisville has had one player be the first selection in the draft, and that was in 1989 with center Pervis Ellison. Their most recent first-rounder was guard Donovan Mitchell with the 13th pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He was traded from Denver to Utah in the Tyler Lydon deal.
Arizona Wildcats: 26
De'Andre Ayton, Lauri Markkanen and Aaron Gordon are just some current NBA stars to come out of the Wildcats program. The Wildcats had two players in the first round last year as Dalen Terry was 18th to the Chicago Bulls while Bennedict Mathurin was the sixth pick by the Indiana Pacers.
Indiana Hoosiers: 26
Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is just one notable first-rounder out of Indiana. The Hoosiers have been a few years without a top 30 pick. Romeo Langford was their most recent pick in 2019 with the 14th pick by the Boston Celtics.
Michigan Wolverines: 28
The Fab Five's Juwan Howard and Chris Webber have been incredible talents to make it from Michigan to the NBA's top picks. Franz Wagner in the 2021 draft was their most recent selection in the first round as he was picked eighth by the Orlando Magic.
Kansas Jayhawks: 35
Danny Manning and Andrew Wiggins are the only two top picks from Kansas, but centers Wilt Chamberlain and NBA MVP Joel Embiid also called the program home. The Jayhawks had two picks in the first round last year with the Cleveland Cavaliers picking Ochai Agbaji, while the NBA champion Denver Nuggets drafted Christian Braun with the 21st selection.
UCLA Bruins: 40
UCLA is full of historic runs with coach John Wooden leading the program and becoming one of the biggest dynasties in American sports. The program's most recent pick just made the first round as the OKC Thunder picked Peyton Watson a year ago with the 30th pick.
Duke Blue Devils: 53
The Blue Devils have one of the top spots with the success of the program and the masterclass of recruiting one-and-done players. Duke was able to dominate last season as they had four players picked in the first round: Wendell Moore Jr. (26th to Dallas), A.J. Griffin (16th to Atlanta), Mark Williams (15th to Charlotte) and obviously Paolo Banchero (first to Orlando).
North Carolina Tar Heels: 53
Michael Jordan and James Worthy were teammates at UNC and called it home before making the Hall of Fame. Their most recent first-round pick was the 29th selection in the 2021 draft with the Phoenix Suns drafting Day'Ron Sharpe but immediately trading him to the Brooklyn Nets.
Kentucky Wildcats: 57
The Wildcats are the only Southeastern Conference school on here and have produced three top picks in Karl-Anthony Towns, John Wall and Anthony Davis. Kentucky had a pair of first-rounders last year with Portland selecting Shaedon Sharpe with the seventh pick while the Memphis Grizzlies picked TyTy Washington Jr with the 29th pick.