Worst NBA No. 1 Picks Including Markelle Fultz

Seven years after the Philadelphia 76ers picked Markelle Fultz as the No. 1 overall draft pick, he’s now unsigned and might be out of the NBA.

Honorable Mention:

Clifton McNeely, known as “The Man of a Million Shots,” gets an honorable mention. He was the first-ever top draft pick in 1947 but chose to coach high school basketball instead of playing for the Pittsburgh Ironmen. It turned out to be a smart move since the Ironmen folded before the season even started.

Markelle Fultz (2017):

Philadelphia traded up in the 2017 draft to get Fultz, giving Boston a future first-round pick and their No. 3 pick, which became Jayson Tatum. Oops! His career hit a snag with a knee injury in Summer League and later a mysterious shoulder issue called thoracic outlet syndrome. Despite shooting well in college, his shot vanished in the pros.

👀🏀🤔 Markelle Fultz introduces another style of free throw attempts

— Fanatics View (@fanaticsview)

While rehabbing, Philly traded him to Orlando where he tore his ACL in January 2021. Though he became a reliable backup guard for Orlando, knee problems limited him to just 40% of games. It’s tough to call him a bust since injuries held him back, but it wasn’t what Philly hoped for. On the bright side, they used one of those picks from trading Fultz to draft Tyrese Maxey.

LaRue Martin (1972):

In 1972, LaRue Martin was drafted first due to competition between ABA and NBA teams. Bob McAdoo was clearly more talented but had rumored ABA ties or contract demands that scared Portland off. McAdoo went second and became an MVP by his third season.

Martin had impressive college stats but played for a weak Loyola-Chicago team. His numbers didn’t translate well into the NBA; he averaged only 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds as a rookie.

Portland crushed his confidence further by drafting Bill Walton with another top pick in 1974, ending Martin’s NBA stint after just four years with averages of 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Greg Oden (2007):

Portland’s mistake in picking Greg Oden over Kevin Durant is glaring because Durant and others like Al Horford are still thriving today and could be Hall-of-Famers.

Oden’s career never took off due to injuries—missing his entire rookie year because of knee surgery—and personal struggles like alcoholism admitted later on https://grantland.com/features/a-rare-interview-former-no-1-overall-pick-greg-oden-injury-plagued-career/. He showed promise briefly but ultimately played only 105 games over several seasons before fading out of the league.

Fans really wish things turned out differently for these players!

Anthony Bennett (2013):

Cleveland shocked everyone by picking Anthony Bennett first overall in 2013 from UNLV; it didn’t go well at all! He missed his first sixteen shots and didn’t score until game five or hit double digits until game thirty-three.

Bennett averaged just 4.2 points during his rookie year then had surgeries for sleep apnea-related issues affecting conditioning.
Afterward, Cleveland traded him along with Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love; Bennett did slightly better at Minnesota but was soon bought out.
He bounced around briefly before playing overseas within three-and-a-half years post-draft

Gene “Squeaky” Melchiorre (1951):

Gene “Squeaky” Melchiorre tops this list as perhaps THE biggest bust ever! Drafted by Baltimore Bullets only months before being caught up in an enormous college point-shaving scandal while at Bradley University https://www.espn.com/classic/s/basketball_scandals_explosion.html.
Though he pled guilty & got leniency from court—NBA Commissioner banned him permanently!