The top five NBA draft classes of all time
- Jason Soutar
- 24 March 2022
In 2003, future Miami Heat ‘big three’ LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were all drafted. But is this the greatest draft class in history? Find out here as we rank the five greatest.
With the 2022 NBA draft just a few months away, Planet Sport look at the top five draft schools of all time, starting with number five...
5) 1987 NBA Draft
Top players: David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Kevin Johnson, Kenny Smith.
Robinson was selected No.1 overall and went on to have a legendary career, winning two titles and one MVP. He is one of the greatest defenders of all time and led a draft class consisting of some of the most talented players to ever grace the league.
No.11 pick Reggie Miller never won a title in his career but will always be remembered as one of the best shooters ever.
Scottie Pippen, of course, won six titles with Michael Jordan and was selected at number four behind Robinson, Armen Gilliam, Dennis Hopson and Reggie Williams.
4) 1985 NBA Draft
Top players: Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Charles Oakley, Terry Porter, Joe Dumars, Detlef Schrempf.
The No.1 pick two years prior to Robinson's class of '87 was New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing. Eleven-time All-Star Ewing never won a title and is one of the best players never to do so.
Karl Malone was selected at number 13 and scored 36,928 points (third all-time) in a glistening career.
The talent doesn't stop there. Chris Mullin, Joe Dumars and Arvydas Sabonis join Ewing and Malone in the Hall of Fame, with Detlef Schrempf being named an All-Star three times and Sixth Man of the Year twice.
3) 2003 NBA Draft
Top players: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, David West.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were all drafted on the same night and linked back up again in 2010 when James signed for the Miami Heat. The trio won two titles together.
The depth of this draft isn't outstanding, but the sheer strength of four of the top five picks makes the 2003 draft class a shoo-in for our top three.
James now has the second-most points scored in NBA history and is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in top spot.
Elsewhere in the draft, Kyle Korver was a very late pick at 51 but made a career out of knocking down three-pointers. Carmelo Anthony made a name for himself as one of the best scorers in the league during his prime, scoring buckets for fun with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.
2) 1996 NBA Draft
Top players: Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Peja Stojakovic, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jermaine O'Neal, Derek Fisher.
1996 was a stacked draft class with plenty of depth. The best player picked on June 26, was Kobe Bryant, who was selected by the Charlotte Hornets at No.13. He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and as they say - the rest is history.
Bryant is one of four Hall of Famers drafted in '96, alongside Allen Iverson, Ray Allen and Steve Nash.
Detroit Pistons legend Ben Wallace actually went undrafted this year before being signed by Washington. He went on to become one of the best defenders ever and set the tone in the stingy Pistons team that won the NBA championship in 2004.
1) 1984 NBA Draft
Top players: Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon.
Despite clearly not having the same depth of the draft classes in 1996 and 1985, for example, the quality of the players drafted in 1984 makes it an easy choice to pick this year as our number one.
The greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan, was selected at No.3 behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie.
Olajuwon had an incredible career, winning back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, with Jordan winning a three-peat both before and after Olajuwon's double.
Stockton is a legendary playmaker who leads the league in all-time steals made. Barkley, on the other hand, is one of the greatest power forwards ever.
Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley and Stockton are all in the NBA Hall of Fame.
