Several future Hall of Famers came out of this class, along with a No. 2 pick still argued about decades later and a second-round find who played into the 2000s.
1Michael JordanThird overall pick by the Chicago Bulls who won six championships, six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs and ten scoring titles.1000pts
2Hakeem OlajuwonFirst overall pick by the Houston Rockets who won the 1994 MVP, two championships with two Finals MVPs, and two Defensive Player of the Year awards.745pts
3Charles BarkleyFifth overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers who won the 1993 MVP with Phoenix and made 11 All-Star teams.597pts
4Oscar SchmidtBrazilian scorer chosen by the New Jersey Nets in the sixth round who never played in the NBA and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2013.553pts
5Michael Cage14th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers who led the NBA in rebounding in the 1987-88 season.488pts
6John Stockton16th overall pick by the Utah Jazz who spent his whole 19-season career in Utah and retired as the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals.349pts
7Sam PerkinsFourth overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks, a stretch big man who played 17 NBA seasons and reached the Finals with the Lakers, SuperSonics and Pacers.349pts
8Alvin RobertsonSeventh overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs who won both Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player in 1986 and recorded a quadruple-double that season.263pts
9Sam BowieSecond overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers, taken one spot ahead of Michael Jordan, whose career was limited by leg injuries.263pts
10Kevin Willis11th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks who made the 1992 All-Star Game, won the 2003 title with San Antonio and played 21 NBA seasons.163pts
11Jerome Kersey46th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers, a forward on Portland's 1990 and 1992 Finals teams who later won the 1999 title with San Antonio.0pts
Photo credits
- Michael Jordan — Zach Catanzareti Photo, CC BY 2.0
- Oscar Schmidt — Sérgio (Savaman) Savarese, CC BY 2.0
- Sam Perkins — Jim Greenhill from McLean, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Sam Bowie — Lori Shepler, Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0
