Advertisement

Illinois has the most No. 1 overall NBA draft picks. Here's the list

Wes Huett, Journal Star
·3 min read
2

Illinois has a long history of high school basketball success. Plenty in the college and pros, too.

As for the NBA Draft, no other state has more players picked No. 1 overall than the Land of Lincoln. According to MaxPreps, Illinois and North Carolina lead the way with seven players each selected No. 1 overall by the NBA since the draft began in 1947.

Those two lead a total of 27 states that have produced top picks through the 2023 draft. New York is next with six, followed by Texas with five. Georgia, Indiana, Virginia and West Virginia have four each.

Peoria basketball: 5 surprising things we learned from new book on the golden of era of HS basketball

Here is a look at each of the Illinois top picks, along with their high school, college, year drafted and a few notable facts and figures:

Anthony Davis

  • High school: Chicago Perspectives

  • College: Kentucky

  • Drafted: 2012, New Orleans Hornets

  • Notable: One of two top picks from Illinois still active, the 30-year-old just ended his fourth season with the Los Angeles Lakers and 11th overall. The eight-time NBA all-star and four-time NBA first-teamer won an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and an NBA championship in 2020.

Derrick Rose

  • High school: Chicago Simeon

  • College: Memphis

  • Drafted: 2008, Chicago Bulls

  • Notable: The two-time Illinois state champ just finished his 14th NBA season, over which he has averaged about 18 points in 700 games while battling multiple injuries. He won the 2011 NBA MVP award while averaging 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds. The 32-year-old is a free agent.

Mark Aguirre

  • High school: Chicago Westinghouse

  • College: DePaul

  • Drafted: 1981, Dallas Mavericks

  • Notable: The hall of famer averaged 20-plus points during his 13-season NBA career that began in Dallas and ended as a two-time NBA champ with the Detroit Pistons. He went on to a short career as an NBA assistant before becoming president of basketball operations at Champions League, Inc.

Doug Collins

  • High school: Benton

  • College: Illinois State

  • Drafted: 1973, Philadelphia 76ers

  • Notable: The hall of famer was one of the top college players also part of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team before an eight-season career in the NBA was cut short by knee injuries. He went on to coach Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, plus stops with Detroit, Washington and Philly and has been a noted broadcaster since the 1980s. The 71-year-old works in an advisory role with the Bulls.

MLB, NFL and more: 6 reasons the sports world might know Peoria

LaRue Martin

  • High school: Chicago De La Salle

  • College: Loyola Chicago

  • Drafted: 1972, Portland Trail Blazers

  • Notable: Long considered one of the biggest busts for a top pick, Martin averaged 5.3 points in a four-year NBA career. The 73-year-old Chicago native went on to a successful business career as manager of community relations and public affairs with UPS.

Cazzie Russell

  • High school: Chicago Carver

  • College: Michigan

  • Drafted: 1966, New York Knicks

  • Notable: The college basketball hall of famer played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning a title with the Knicks in 1970 before stints with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. He went on to play in the CBA before a coaching career in the pro basketball league. The 79-year-old in 2022 was an assistant with the Flager College women's team in Florida.

With Gene "Squeaky" Melchiorre taking a shot, the 1949-50 Bradley Braves basketball team poses for an Associated Press photo. On the date of the photo — Feb. 22, 1950 — the team was ranked No. 1 in the nation. From left to right are Mike Chianakas, Fred Schlictman, Dave Humerickhouse, Aaron Preece, Elmer Behnke, Jim Kelly, Paul Unruh, Billy Mann and Charles "Bud" Grover.

Gene Melchiorre

  • High school: Highland Park

  • College: Bradley

  • Drafted: 1951, Baltimore Bullets

  • Notable: The point guard and first-team all-America pick — nicknamed "Squeaky" — never played an NBA game due to his lifetime ban from the league for his part in a point-shaving scandal in 1951. He admitted to taking money from gamblers, but pledged that he never threw games. He went on to raise a family, work various jobs in his hometown and eventually start his own trucking firm. He died in 2019 at the age of 92.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: List of No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks from state of Illinois