List of first overall NBA G League draft picks explained

The NBA G League's first overall pick is the player who is selected first among all eligible draftees by a team during the annual NBA G League Draft (known as the NBA Development League Draft until 2017). For players to become eligible for the draft they must sign a general contract with the league.^[1] They must also be at least 18 years old, not attending college during the season which the draft precedes, and have either graduated from high school or, if the player did not finish high school, had what would have been his graduating class graduate.^[2]

No first overall picks have ever won the G League Most Valuable Player Award.^{[3] [4]} Five players have been named to at least one NBA Development League All-Star Game: Andre Barrett,^[5] Eddie Gill,^[5] Chris Richard,^[6] Carlos Powell (twice)^{[5] [7]} and Nick Fazekas.^[5] The first All-Star Game did not occur until the 2006–07 season, however, and so the possibility for players such as Mikki Moore to earn an All-Star selection was not possible.^[8] Moore was named the NBDL Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-NBDL First Team as a rookie in 2002–03.^[9] Fazekas, the first overall selection in 2010, and Powell, the first overall selection in 2009, each had previous NBA Development League experience prior to those respective drafts. In 2007–08, Fazekas had played for the Tulsa 66ers while Powell had played for the Dakota Wizards, and both were selected as NBA Development League All-Stars that season,^[5] making them back-to-back number one draft picks who had previously been NBADL All-Stars.^{[5] [10]}

Note that from the 2001 through 2004 drafts, it was known as the NBDL Draft. From 2005 through 2016, it was known as the NBA Development League Draft in accordance with the league's slight name change.^[11] The 2017 draft was the first under the league's current identity as the NBA G League, following a sponsorship deal with Gatorade.^{[12] [13]}

Key

^	Denotes player who has been selected to (an) NBA G League All-Star Game(s)
	Denotes player who has been selected to (an) NBA G League All-Star Game(s) and was also selected in an NBA draft
†	Denotes player who was also selected in an NBA Draft
Player (in italic text)	Rookie of the Year
PPG	Points per game
RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game

List of first overall picks

width=3%	Draft	width=9%	Selected by	width=8%	Player	width=4%	Nationality	width=12%	College/former club	width=2%	PPG	width=2%	RPG	width=2%	APG	Ref.
2001	Fayetteville Patriots			Blinn CC				^[14]
2002	Roanoke Dazzle			Detroit Pistons				^[15]
2003	Huntsville Flight	^†		Miami Heat				^[16] ^[17]
2004	Columbus Riverdragons	^†		Morehead State				^[18] ^[19]
2005	Florida Flame	^		Orlando Magic				^[20] ^[21]
2006	Anaheim Arsenal	^†		CB Granada (Spain)				^[22] ^[23]
2007	Colorado 14ers	^		BC Dynamo Moscow (Russia)				^[24] ^[25]
2008	Tulsa 66ers			Minnesota Timberwolves / Sioux Falls Skyforce				^[26] ^[27]
2009	Albuquerque Thunderbirds	^		Inchon ET Land Black Slamer (South Korea)				^[28] ^[29]
2010	Reno Bighorns			JDA Dijon (France)	14.6	7.5	0.8	^[30]
2011	Los Angeles D-Fenders	^†		Memphis Grizzlies	9.9	3.1	7.6	^[31]
2012	Fort Wayne Mad Ants	^†		Boston Celtics	11.6	11.2	0.8	^[32]
2013	Tulsa 66ers	^†		Arizona	15.1	6.1	0.7	^[33]
2014	Grand Rapids Drive			Rio Grande Valley Vipers				^[34]
2015	Idaho Stampede	^†		San Antonio Spurs	16.2	9.5	2.2	^[35]
2016	Erie Bayhawks	^†		Los Angeles D-Fenders	20.3	5.4	3.1	^[36]
2017	Northern Arizona Suns			Sacramento State	5.1	2.4	0.5	^[37]
2018	Salt Lake City Stars	^		Detroit Pistons	20.0	11.2	1.5	^[38]
2019	Northern Arizona Suns			Miami (Florida)	8.9	3.9	2.2	^[39]
2020	Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season draft was held on January 11, 2021
	Greensboro Swarm	^†		Washington Wizards / Capital City Go-Go	10.1	5.7	2.1	^[40]
	Delaware Blue Coats	Shamorie Ponds		OKK Spars (Bosnia and Herzegovina)	13.5	5.5	5.5	^[41]
2022	Cleveland Charge	^†		Memphis Grizzlies	15.2	3.9	2.8	^[42]
2023	Texas Legends			Denver Nuggets	9.1	6.1	1.8	^[43]

See also

• List of first overall NBA draft picks
• List of first overall WNBA draft picks

Notes

• All statistics are taken from the players' respective draft seasons.
• Indicates the college team, semi-professional and/or professional basketball team that the player most recently competed for heading into his respective draft.
• Robert Covington signed with the Philadelphia 76ers prior to playing in a D-League game in 2014–15. He spent the entire season with the 76ers and did not accumulate any D-League statistics.^{[44] [45]}

External links

• Number One Picks In The NBA D-League Draft at NBA.com
• List of current NBA Development League players

Notes and References

1. Web site: Schmidt. Mike. NBDL Season Preview. DraftExpress LLC. October 17, 2006. November 4, 2010.
2. Web site: D-League lowers the age requirement to 18. ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. April 13, 2006. November 4, 2010.
3. Web site: D-League Most Valuable Player Award Winners. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. November 4, 2010.
4. Web site: D-League Rookie of the Year Award Winners. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. November 4, 2010.
5. Web site: 2008 D-League All-Star Game Team Rosters Announced. NBA.com. NBA Development League, LLC. February 5, 2008. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111021164445/http://www.nba.com/dleague/allstar2008/rosters_080205.html. October 21, 2011.
6. Web site: 2009 NBA D-League All-Star Game Participants Unveiled. NBA.com. NBA Development League, LLC. February 3, 2009. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110628232753/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/2009_allstar_rosters.html. June 28, 2011.
7. Web site: 2010 NBA D-League All-Star Rosters Unveiled. NBA.com. NBA Development League, LLC. February 2, 2010. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101118175556/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/2010_allstar_rosters.html. November 18, 2010.
8. Web site: Brennan. Matthew. D-League All-Star Game Preview. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. February 17, 2007. November 4, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20121109202021/http://www.nba.com/allstar2007/dleague_preview.html. November 9, 2012. dead.
9. Web site: Mikki Moore D-League Statistics. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. November 4, 2010.
10. Web site: Nick Fazekas Playerfile. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. 2010. November 4, 2010.
11. Web site: NBDL Adopts New Name, Logo, and Ball. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. July 19, 2005. November 4, 2010. https://archive.today/20120907101253/http://www.nba.com/dleague/dleague/rebrandrelease_050719.html. September 7, 2012. dead.
12. Web site: NBA Continues to Flex Its Muscles With New and Improved G League . . June 21, 2017 . November 16, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170809172040/http://clnsradio.com/boston-celtics-news/item/15927-nba-continues-to-flex-its-muscles-with-new-and-improved-g-league . August 9, 2017 . dead .
13. Web site: Welcome to the NBA G League: Learn About The NBA’s Official Minor League . G League . June 20, 2017.
14. Web site: Chris Andersen D-League Statistics . basketball-reference.com . Sports Reference LLC . 2010 . November 4, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150423114112/http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/players/a/anderch01d.html . April 23, 2015 .
15. Web site: 2002–03 NBDL Draft Board. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. November 2002. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101118173758/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/draft_board_02.html. November 18, 2010.
16. Web site: Ken Johnson D-League Statistics. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. November 4, 2010.
17. Web site: 2003 NBDL Draft Board. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. November 2003. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101202102457/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/draft_board_03.html. December 2, 2010.
18. Web site: Ricky Minard Stats, Comparisons and Outlook. DraftExpress LLC. 2007. November 4, 2010.
19. Web site: 2004 NBDL Draft Board. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. November 2004. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101202102454/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/draft_board_04.html. December 2, 2010.
20. Web site: Andre Barrett. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. 2010. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100107171603/http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/career.jsp?player=andre_barrett. January 7, 2010.
21. Web site: 2005 NBA D-League Draft Board. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. November 2, 2005. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101202102451/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/draft_board_05.html. December 2, 2010.
22. Web site: Corsley Edwards D-League Statistics. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. November 4, 2010.
23. Web site: 2006 D-League Draft. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. November 2, 2006. November 4, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101125162319/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/draft_board.html. November 25, 2010.
24. Web site: Eddie Gill D-League Statistics. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. November 4, 2010.
25. Web site: 2007 D-League Draft . NBA Media Ventures, LLC . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. . November 1, 2007 . November 4, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081220032931/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/dleague_draft_07.html . December 20, 2008 .
26. Web site: Chris Richards D-League Statistics. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. November 4, 2010.
27. Web site: 2008 NBA D-League Draft Results . NBA Media Ventures, LLC . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. . November 7, 2008 . November 4, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151105201943/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/draft_board_08.html . November 5, 2015 .
28. Web site: Carlos Powell D-League Statistics. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. November 4, 2010.
29. Web site: 2009 NBA D-League Draft Results . NBA Media Ventures, LLC . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. . November 5, 2009 . November 4, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101118173714/http://www.nba.com/dleague/draft_board_2009.html . November 18, 2010 .
30. Web site: 2010 NBA D-League Draft Results . NBA Media Ventures, LLC . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. . November 1, 2010 . November 4, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101117022140/http://www.nba.com/dleague/draft_2010.html . November 17, 2010 .
31. Web site: 2011 NBA D-League Draft Results . NBA Media Ventures, LLC . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. . November 3, 2011 . November 4, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111207031237/http://www.nba.com/dleague/draft2011/index.html . December 7, 2011 .
32. Web site: Fort Wayne Mad Ants Select JaJuan Johnson With First Pick of 2012 NBA Development League Draft Live Via Cisco Webex . NBA Media Ventures, LLC . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. . November 2, 2012 . November 3, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121106094653/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/fort_wayne_selects_johnson_2012_11_02.html . November 6, 2012 .
33. Web site: Tulsa 66ers Select Grant Jerrett with First Pick of 2013 NBA Development League Draft via CISCO WebEx Meeting Center. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. November 1, 2013. November 19, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131104212849/http://www.nba.com/dleague/tulsa_66ers_select_grant_jerre_2013_11_01.html. November 4, 2013.
34. Web site: Grand Rapids DRIVE: 2014-15 Draft . NBA Media Ventures, LLC . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. . November 1, 2014 . November 1, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141114123242/http://www.nba.com/dleague/grandrapids/grand_rapids_drive_201415_dr_2014_11_03.html . November 14, 2014 .
35. Web site: 2015 NBA D-League Draft Board . NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. October 31, 2015. October 31, 2015.
36. Web site: BayHawks Draft Anthony Brown First Overall. NBA.com. October 30, 2016. October 31, 2016.
37. Web site: 2017 NBA G League Draft Board . NBA.com . October 21, 2017. November 16, 2017.
38. Web site: 2018 NBA G League Draft Board . NBA.com . October 20, 2018. October 20, 2018.
39. Web site: 2019 NBA G League Draft Recap . October 26, 2019 . Sportando . October 27, 2019.
40. News: Greensboro Swarm Select Admiral Schofield with First Pick of 2021 NBA G League Draft . January 13, 2021 . Our Sports Central . January 11, 2021.
41. Web site: Delaware Blue Coats Select Shamorie Ponds With First Pick Of 2021–22 NBA G League Draft . October 23, 2021 . NBA.com. May 31, 2022.
42. Web site: Daniels . Tim. Sam Merrill Selected No. 1 Overall by Cavs' Affiliate in 2022 NBA G League Draft . October 22, 2022 . Bleacher Report . October 27, 2022.
43. Web site: Wells. Jed. Jack White selected with first overall pick in 2023 NBA G League Draft . October 29, 2023 . Sporting News . October 30, 2023.
44. Web site: Sixers Sign Free Agent Robert Covington. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.. November 15, 2014. July 25, 2015.
45. Web site: Robert Covington D-League stats. basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 25, 2015. July 25, 2015.