The NBA Draft is a major event every summer. The event features all 30 franchises selecting new players for their teams. Eligible rules for prospective players feature the prospects being at least 19 years old before they can sign with a team. Players who have played at least one year of college basketball are eligible for the NBA draft. This has been since mentioned as the “one and done” rule.
- 9T. Ohio State – 24 First-Round Picks
- 9T. Syracuse – 24 First-Round Picks
- 9T. Louisville – 24 First-Round Picks
- 7T. Arizona – 26 First-Round Picks
- 7T. Indiana – 26 First-Round Picks
- 6. Michigan – 28 First-Round Picks
- 5. Kansas – 35 First-Round Picks
- 4. UCLA – 40 First-Round Picks
- 2T. Duke – 53 First-Round Picks
- 2T. North Carolina – 53 First-Round Picks
- 1. Kentucky – 57 First-Round Picks
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College basketball is one of the most viewed sports in the United States. March Madness is on an entirely different pedestal. The madness will begin soon with potential NBA prospects living it up, trying to get their school to the Final Four. When you think about the best college basketball teams, which teams come to mind? If you are thinking of the school that sends the most professional talent, we have you covered. The ACC, SEC, and BIG 10 are the conferences that headline the colleges with the most NBA first-round picks. A famous rivalry and a very blue state headline the most first-rounders.
These are the colleges that have the most NBA first-round picks.
9T. Ohio State – 24 First-Round Picks
There was a stretch in the 80s where Ohio State was an easy place to find players. Herb Williams, Clark Kellogg, Tony Campbell, Brad Sellers, and Dennis Hopson were drafted between 1980 to 1987. Two players were taken in the 90s with Jim Jackson in 1992 and Derek Anderson in 1997.
It was 10 years before Ohio State had a first-round pick drafted again. The 2007 NCAA Championship appearance squad featured three first-round picks. Greg Oden headlined the class at No. 1 overall, with Mike Conley Jr. (No. 4) and Daequan Cook (No. 21) following him. From 2007 to 2010, Ohio State had a first-round pick. That included Kosta Koufos (2008, No. 23), Byron Mullens (2009, No. 24), and Evan Turner (2010, No. 2). D’Angelo Russell (2015) was the last OSU first-round pick until Malaki Branham was selected in the 2022 NBA Draft.
9T. Syracuse – 24 First-Round Picks
Jim Boeheim has coached the Orange since 1969. He was an assistant from 1969 to 1976 and has served as the head coach of the team ever since. He owns a National Championship and a plethora of professional basketball players. Outside of Dave Bing in 1966, every first-round pick that has come out of Syracuse has featured Boeheim as a coach. That includes Derrick Coleman in 1990 as the No. 1 overall pick and Carmelo Anthony as No. 3 overall in 2003.
From 2008 to 2017, the Orange had 10 first-round picks. That includes Timberwolves draft busts Jonny Flynn and Wesley Johnson in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010. That was followed by two picks in 2012, Fab Melo and Dion Waiters. Future Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams was taken in 2012. Tyler Ennis (2014), Chris McCullough (2015, Malachi Richardson (2015), and Tyler Lydon (2017) were taken in consecutive years. The Orange have not had a first-round pick since the 2017 NBA Draft.
9T. Louisville – 24 First-Round Picks
Since 2000, seven Louisville players have been drafted in the first round. Donovan Mitchell was the last first-rounder in 2017. Before him, those picks included Terry Rozier (2015), Gorgui Dieng (2013), Terrence Williams and Earl Clark (2009), Fransico Garcia (2005), and Reece Gaines (2003).
The highest pick ever taken out of the school was Pervis Ellison at No. 1 in 1989. Ellison was joined by Kenny Payne at No. 19 in the same draft. Other familiar names feature Darrell Griffith (No. 2) in 1980, Junior Bridgeman (No. 8) in 1975), and Wes Unseld (No. 2) in 1968.
7T. Arizona – 26 First-Round Picks
It’s been a successful new millennium for Arizona. Since 2000, 16 players out of Arizona have been drafted in the first round. Among those names is some premier talent. Even the players who were taken in the 90s, such as Jason Terry, Mike Bibby, and Damon Stoudamire, sound familiar. From 2001 to 2005, Richard Jefferson (2001), Andre Iguodala (2004), and Channing Frye (2005) were selected. After misses on Jerryd Bayless, Jordan Hill, and Derrick Williams, the Arizona pipeline began to succeed again.
Aaron Gordon (2014), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (2015), Stanley Johnson (2015), Lauri Markkanen (2017), and Deandre Ayton (2018) have enjoyed solid NBA careers. Ayton was taken with the No. 1 overall pick. Since then, Josh Green and Zeke Nnaji were taken in the same draft in 2020, while Bennedict Mathurin and Dalen Terry were both taken in 2022.
7T. Indiana – 26 First-Round Picks
Walt Bellamy (1961) and Kent Benson (1971) headline two former Indiana No. 1 overall picks. The Hall of Fame talent doesn’t go far, with Isiah Thomas (1981) not far behind at No. 2 overall. The 70s, 80s, and 90s were all great for the NBA when it came to talent coming out of the Hoosiers. Fifteen first-rounders came out of those decades, including current Indiana head coach Mike Woodson.
Since 2000, 11 first-round picks have entered the league. That includes Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo in the top 4 picks in 2014. Former Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon was taken at No. 7 in 2008. OG Anunbody was taken in 2017 and has turned into a solid pick. Romeo Langford (2019) is the last Indiana first-rounder.
6. Michigan – 28 First-Round Picks
In recent years, Michigan selections have hit well in the NBA. Since 2010, 10 first-round picks have come from the Wolverines. That includes Tim Hardaway Jr (No. 24) and Trey Burke (No. 9), taken in the same draft in 2013. Caris LeVert (2016), Moe Wagner (2018), and the newly rich Jordan Poole (2019) have enjoyed solid careers. For now, Franz Wagner (2021) appears to be a future contributor down the line.
The 90s were another swell decade for Michigan. Nine first-round picks were taken in that decade. That included Chris Webber at No. 1 overall in 1993, then his “Fab Five” teammates Juwan Howard (No. 5) and Jalen Rose (No. 13) in 1994. Glen Rice was selected at No. 4 in 1989 to just miss joining the decade-long talent. The only other Michigan No. 1 overall pick was Cazzie Russell in 1966, while another household name, Rudy Tomjanovich, was taken at No. 2 overall in 1970.
5. Kansas – 35 First-Round Picks
Even before Bill Self took over the program in 2003, the Jayhawks had some pretty solid talent coming out of the school. That includes Clyde Lovellette (1952), Wilt Chamberlain (1959), Jo Jo White (1969), Jacque Vaughn (1997), Paul Pierce (1998), Drew Gooden (2002), Nick Collison (2003), and Kirk Hinrich. Since 2004, 19 players from Kansas have been taken in the first round, including five NBA Drafts with multiple first-round picks. That is headlined by the epic 2008 draft class that featured three Kansas first-round picks in Brandon Rush (No. 13), Darrell Arthur (No. 27), and J.R. Giddens (No. 30).
Among the other doubled-up first-rounders, Cole Aldrich (No. 11) and Xavier Henry (No. 12) were taken back to back in 2010. Markief Morris (No. 13) and Marcus Morris (No. 14) were taken back-to-back in 2011. Andrew Wiggins (No. 1) and Joel Embiid (No. 3) were two of the top three picks in 2014. Last year, the NCAA champions saw Ochai Agbaji (No. 14) and Christian Braun (No. 21) taken in the first round.
4. UCLA – 40 First-Round Picks
John Wooden coached the Bruins from 1948 to 1975 and won 10 NCAA championships. During that span, Wooden coached 11 first-round NBA draft picks. That included Gail Goodrich (1965), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969), and Bill Walton (1974). The 70s were a fruitful decade as 13 UCLA players went to the next level. That included the epic 1979 draft class with three-first rounders in Roy Hamilton (No. 10), Brad Holland (No. 14), and Raymond Townsend (No. 22).
The 80s, 90s, and 2000s were somewhat of a lull, but things began to pick up again in 2006. Since then, 13 first-round picks have been drafted. Leading the way are some talented players in, Russell Westbrook (No. 4) and Kevin Love (No. 5), drafted in 2008. Jrue Holiday (2009) and Zach LaVine (2014) are some other All-Star talents, while Kevon Looney (2015) has enjoyed some NBA championship rings. Looney, the first-round talent out of UCLA, features T.J. Leaf (2017), Lonzo Ball (2017), Aaron Holiday (2018), and Peyton Watson (2022).
2T. Duke – 53 First-Round Picks
The top 3 schools in the country are on their island. Only three schools have at least 50 first-round draft picks. Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski coached Duke from 1980 to 2022. During that time, he won 1,202 games, 101 tournament games, and five championships. He developed 47 first-round picks. That also includes four No. 1 overall selections. What’s even wilder is that Duke has five draft classes with at least three first-round picks in the same draft.
Starting with the 1999 draft class with four first-rounders in Elton Brand (No. 1), Trajan Langdon (No. 11), Corey Maggette (No. 13), and William Avery (No. 14). The 2017 class was headlined by Jayson Tatum (No. 3), Luke Kennard (No. 12), and Harry Giles (No. 20). The 2018 class followed with Marvin Bagley III (No. 2), Wendell Carter J. (No. 7), and Grayson Allen (No. 21). Finally, the 2019 draft class capped the three-peat of three first-rounders with Zion Williamson (No. 1), R.J. Barrett (No. 3), and Cam Reddish (No. 10). Last year, the 2022 class featured four first-rounders in Paolo Banchero (No. 1), Mark Williams (No. 15), A.J. Griffin Jr. (No. 16), and Wendell Moore Jr. (No. 26).
2T. North Carolina – 53 First-Round Picks
Some people might think the North Carolina and Duke rivalry is hyped up more than it should be. When both schools are tied for the second-most first-round draft picks, it paints a different picture of how much talent these two schools send to the next level. We’re talking about Bob McAdoo (1972), Phil Ford (1978), James Worthy (1982), Michael Jordan (1984), Brad Daugherty (1986), and current UNC head coach Hubert Davis (1992). The list continues with Rasheed Wallace (1995), Jerry Stackhouse (1995), Vince Carter (1998), and Antawn Jamison (1998).
Roy Williams coached North Carolina from 2003 to 2021 and won three NCAA championships. Williams sent 24 first-round picks to the next level, including four classes with at least three first-round picks. The 2005 draft class featured four first-rounders in Marvin Williams (No. 2), Raymond Felton (No. 5), Sean May (No. 13), and Rashad McCants (No. 14). The 2009 draft class was led by Tyler Hansbrough (No. 13), Ty Lawson (No. 18), and Wayne Ellington (No. 28). The 2012 class featured four first-rounders in Harrison Barnes (No. 7), Kendall Marshall (No. 13), John Henson (No. 14), and Tyler Zeller (No. 17). Finally, the 2019 class was headlined by Coby White (No. 7), Cameron Johnson (No. 11), and Nassir Little (No. 25).
1. Kentucky – 57 First-Round Picks
The school with the most first-round pick is the Kentucky Wildcats. It wasn’t until the 90s that the Wildcats began to take off. Rick Pitino (1989-1997) and Tubby Smith (1997-2007) combined for 15 first-round picks. That included the 1997 draft class with three picks in Ron Mercer (No. 6), Derek Anderson (No. 13), and Rodrick Rhodes (No. 24). John Calipari took over the program in 2009 and has seen the program send 34 first-round picks. Recruits have quickly learned that playing for Calipari could mean going to the NBA.
Since 2010, Kentucky has had multiple first-round picks in every NBA draft except for 2021. Among those classes, the 2010 class (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe), the 2012 class (Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Marquis Teague), and the 2015 class (Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker) featured four first-round selections. When looking back at All-Star talent, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have come out of Kentucky. That doesn’t include other solid players, Enes Kanter, Nerlens Noel, Jamal Murray, Malik Monk, Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro, P.J. Washington, Immanuel Quickly, and Tyrese Maxey, who have enjoyed solid careers.
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