Top 5 NBA Draft Classes of All Time

A successful NBA Draft can change the future of a team. While one man cannot win championships alone, he can certainly help the team around him. The players included in this list are some of the best all-time from the top 5 NBA Draft classes of all time. All of them are more than deserving to be here so check out our list and tell us if you would change anything.

Basketball was, is, and will be a team sport. But some individuals stand out from the masses. The NBA consists of the best basketball players in the world but those at the top truly have no match. Our list includes the top 5 NBA Draft classes of all time, based on win shares. Win Shares is a statistic that recognizes a player’s contribution to the team’s success. One win share will equal one game won in the NBA. For a fully detailed explanation of this system, check out Basketball Reference.

1984 is Widely Regarded as the Best NBA Draft of All Time

We’re certain that no one is surprised about the 1984 class here. This is considered one of the greatest NBA Draft classes of all time. The draft itself didn’t have much depth, but it certainly didn’t lack star power. In drafting order, 1984 introduced the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon (1st), Michael Jordan (3rd), Sam Perkins (4th), Charles Barkley (5th), Alvin Robertson (7th), Otis Thorpe (9th), Kevin Willis (11th), and John Stockton (16th). Four of these players are also among the top 20 most successful players of all time, based on win shares only. 

Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, and Stockton are recognized as all-time greats today and have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame already. When combining their career achievements, you get numbers that might seem unreal. 47 All-Star Games, 45 All-NBA, 23 All-Defensive, 10 scoring titles, 9 assist titles, 5 steal titles, 3 rebound and block titles, 8 Championship trophies, and 7 MVPs. Each of these players was considered the leader of their team. The 90s were dominated by players drafted in the 80s, especially in 1984. Online sportsbooks in the US consider this the greatest draft class of all time.

Comparisons Forever Link 1996 to the Draft Class of 1984

When talking about win shares the class of 1996 is second only to 1984. While this class might not have produced as many superstars as the previous one, it was more balanced and had a better depth. For example, the players from this year had a combined total of 64 All-Star Game appearances, compared with 1984’s 46. The draft class of 1996 did a lot to revolutionize modern basketball. From Kobe Bryant to Allen Iverson, the early 2000s reshaped the NBA. It’s no wonder that basketball is one of the most popular sports in the US and the world today.

This year included a lot of big names who went on to achieve bigger things. Similar to 1984, 1996 also has four Hall of Famers in Iverson, Ray Allen, Kobe, and Nash. Stephon Marbury, Peta Stojaković, and Jermaine O’Neal were also included in multiple All-Star games and All-NBA teams. Steph Curry surpassed Allen in all-time 3-pointers a few months ago but Jesus Shuttlesworth will forever be considered one of the greatest shooters of all time. Kobe, AI, and Nash all received MVP awards as well. All in all, 1996 was a great year for basketball. The sport wouldn’t be here today without these legends.

Back-to-Back Historical Drafts are a Reason Why the Year 1985 Stands Out

The world of basketball will probably never see back-to-back drafts like the ones in 1984 and 1985. In two consecutive years, the NBA was introduced to multiple Hall of Famers and all-time greats. While the class of 1985 might not have the win share numbers of ’84 or ’96, it deserves to be in every single top 5 NBA draft classes of all-time list. That year included Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Terry Porter, Detlef Schrempf, A.C. Green, Chris Mullin, Charles Oakley, Joe Dumars, and more. We know you recognize a few champions from this list. While the draft class of ’85 didn’t have the star power of the previous year, it certainly had depth.

Ten players have a win share of 50.0, while Karl Malone has a win share rating of 234.6, one of the highest in history. He was also part of the possibly greatest one-two punch duo of all time with Stockton. It’s still insane how they’ve never won a title together. If you’re a Jazz fan, you can see the team’s chances for the next season on Bovada.

1985 had five Hall of Famers in Ewing, Mullin, Malone, Dumars, and 77th pick Arvydas Sabonis. While this might be the deepest draft class on our list, the lack of championships among the top players is worrying. It’s a shame most of them had to play against Jordan’s Bulls in the 90s.

The 2003 Draft Class is Top 5 of All Time on Every Single List

This is a very obvious pick that most of you might have been expecting already. When ignoring win shares, 2003 is included in constant debates as the greatest or second greatest draft class of all time. However, with this method, it falls into the 4th spot.

This draft class is very similar to 1984 in the matter that it is more known for its star power rather than its depth. The most notable players from this class are LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, David West, and Kyle Korver. Three of these names would go on to win multiple titles together, creating the infamous Miami Heat Big 3.

As of the 2022-2023 pre-season, LeBron has the second-best win share rate in NBA history with 249.5. He probably won’t surpass Kareem, but he could break other records of the six-time MVP. While LeBron’s pulling a lot of weight in this class and some of the most iconic moments in NBA history are linked to him, the others deserve recognition as well. Bosh is already a Hall of Famer with James, Wade, and Anthony to follow once they become eligible. Chris Kaman, David West, Josh Howard, Mo Williams, and Kyle Korver also had at least one All-Star appearance during their careers.

1987 is Another Proof of Why the ’80s Produced so Much Talent

The 80s produced some of the greatest basketball players in history. 1987 included David Robinson and Reggie Miller, both of whom are among the top 20 winningest players of all time. It would be a crime to forget about Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Kevin Johnson, or Mark Jackson.

The Admiral was the clear-cut best player of the draft even with Miller and Pippen there. He was a league MVP, a two-time champion, DPY, ROTY, multiple All-NBA selections, and so on. But the others in the draft were successful as well. Both Miller and Pippen are considered among the greatest players of all time.

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Reggie is one of the best shooters of all time and both Pippen and Grant were vital to the Bulls’ success in the 90s. Eight players have more than 10.000 points in this class. 1987 was a successful year that produced a lot of talented players and future rivalries.

That draft is also considered one of the best-evaluated ones in history, meaning there weren’t any busts among the top picks. The NBA Draft is a huge yearly event that Bovada includes odds for. While many talents have come and gone since these draft classes, we’re still waiting to see new a class crack the top 5.