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What NBA teams have the most No.1 draft picks?

The top overall pick is the most coveted selection in the NBA draft. It gives one fortunate franchise the first opportunity to add a potentially trajectory-altering player to its roster.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards have had the No. 1 pick more than any other franchise, each landing at the top of the draft six times. Cleveland selected LeBron James (2003) and Kyrie Irving (2011) with the top pick in their respective drafts. The pair went on to lead the organization to its lone NBA title in 2016.

Here is a look at how many times each NBA franchise has had the No. 1 pick since the inception of the draft in 1947:

Cleveland Cavaliers, 6

1971: Austin Carr

1986: Brad Daugherty

2003: LeBron James

2011: Kyrie Irving

2013: Anthony Bennett

2014: Andrew Wiggins

Washington Wizards, 6

1951: Gene Melchiorre (Baltimore Bullets)

1954: Frank Selvy (Baltimore Bullets)

1961: Walt Bellamy (Chicago Packers)

1962: Bill McGill (Chicago Zephyrs)

2001: Kwame Brown

2010: John Wall

Houston Rockets, 5

1968: Elvin Hayes (San Diego Rockets)

1976: John Lucas

1983: Ralph Sampson

1984: Hakeem Olajuwon

2002: Yao Ming

Sacramento Kings, 5

1956: Si Green (Rochester Royals)

1957: Hot Rod Hundley (Cincinnati Royals)

1959: Bob Boozer (Cincinnati Royals)

1960: Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals)

1989: Pervis Ellison

Atlanta Hawks, 4

1952: Mark Workman (Milwaukee Hawks)

1955: Dick Ricketts (St. Louis Hawks)

1975: David Thompson

2024: Zaccharie Risacher

Golden State Warriors, 4

1953: Ernie Beck (Philadelphia Warriors)

1965: Fred Hetzel (San Francisco Warriors)

1980: Joe Barry Carroll

1995: Joe Smith

Milwaukee Bucks, 4

1969: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

1977: Kent Benson

1994: Glenn Robinson

2005: Andrew Bogut

New York Knicks, 4

1963: Art Heyman

1964: Jim Barnes

1966: Cazzie Russell

1985: Patrick Ewing

Orlando Magic, 4

1992: Shaquille O'Neal

1993: Chris Webber

2004: Dwight Howard

2022: Paolo Banchero

Philadelphia 76ers, 4

1973: Doug Collins

1996: Allen Iverson

2016: Ben Simmons

2017: Markelle Fultz

Portland Trail Blazers, 4

1972: LaRue Martin

1974: Bill Walton

1978: Mychal Thompson

2007: Greg Oden

Detroit Pistons, 3

1967: Jimmy Walker

1970: Bob Lanier

2021: Cade Cunningham

Los Angeles Clippers, 3

1988: Danny Manning

1998: Michael Olowokandi

2009: Blake Griffin

Los Angeles Lakers, 3

1958: Elgin Baylor (Minneapolis Lakers)

1979: Magic Johnson

1982: James Worthy

San Antonio Spurs, 3

1987: David Robinson

1997: Tim Duncan

2023: Victor Wembanyama

Brooklyn Nets, 2

1990: Derrick Coleman (New Jersey Nets)

2000: Kenyon Martin (New Jersey Nets)

Chicago Bulls, 2

1999: Elton Brand

2008: Derrick Rose

Minnesota Timberwolves, 2

2015: Karl-Anthony Towns

2020: Anthony Edwards

New Orleans Pelicans, 2

2012: Anthony Davis

2019: Zion Williamson

Providence Steamrollers, 2

1948: Andy Tonkovich

1949: Howie Shannon

Boston Celtics, 1

1950: Charles Share

Charlotte Hornets, 1

1991: Larry Johnson

Dallas Mavericks, 1

1981: Mark Aguirre

Phoenix Suns, 1

2018: Deandre Ayton

Pittsburgh Ironmen, 1

1947: Clifton McNeely

Toronto Raptors, 1

2006: Andrea Bargnani

Franchises that have never had the No. 1 pick

Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New Orleans Jazz/Utah Jazz, Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Vancouver Grizzlies/Memphis Grizzlies

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