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Cooper Flagg came into his freshman season at Duke with massive expectations. The highest-ranked recruit from the state of Maine in history lived up to the hype, too, as he led the Blue Devils to the Final Four en route to becoming just the fourth freshman to be named the AP men's basketball Player of the Year. It is already set in stone that Flagg will be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and it has been widely assumed that he'd be taken first overall for years now. Some have even thrown around the “generational prospect” label when talking about the forward. So, where does Flagg rank among the most highly touted NBA Draft prospects ever?
1. LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary – 2003
LeBron James has long been under the microscope of media and fans alike, and that dates back to long before his NBA days. At St. Vincent-St. Mary, James not only became the best high school prospect in history, but expectations for the kid from Akron, Ohio, were so high that he was viewed as the greatest NBA Draft prospect overall.
James was dubbed “The Chosen One” because of his pro-ready build and freakish athletic abilities. While it can be debated about who the greatest NBA player ever is between James and Michael Jordan, James was definitely viewed as the heir to His Airness. After winning three state championships and gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated, James stayed close to home after the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him.
When high school players were allowed to declare for the NBA Draft, it was often harder to predict how they'd translate to the professional game than it was for collegiate players. Even so, James had massive expectations placed on his shoulders, and he lived up to the hype. James is now tied for the longest NBA career ever (22 seasons), and he has earned 21 All-Star appearances, four NBA Finals MVPs, and four MVPs along the way.
2. Lew Alcindor, UCLA – 1969
UCLA basketball was arguably the greatest dynasty in sports history during the '60s and '70s. Lew Alcindor was their star player for three straight championships during his three-year collegiate career. Said career was arguably the best college basketball career in history.
Alcindor's skyhook was unblockable on offense, and he sent countless shot attempts the other way on defense. It led to him becoming the greatest NBA prospect ever by 1969. While becoming the first pick was inevitable, it wasn't clear which team he'd end up with, as the number one selection was decided by a coin flip between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. The Bucks won the coin flip and landed the center who'd eventually change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Abdul-Jabbar's winning ways continued at the professional level, and he ended up becoming the greatest center of all time. Abdul-Jabbar won six championships and was the MVP of the league six times as well. Scouts nailed it with both of the best draft prospects ever.
3. Victor Wembanyama, France – 2023
Victor Wembanyama seems like something you'd make in a video game, which is why he was hyped up as the best prospect since James – surpassing the next player on this list – years before he was draft eligible despite not even playing stateside. The Frenchman is 7-foot-4, but he can play like a guard.
Wembanyama has an impressive handle and can hit step-back jump shots from well beyond the 3-point arc. The San Antonio Spurs drafted him first overall in 2023, which continued a line of dominant big men the team took with the number one pick. David Robinson and Tim Duncan were, of course, the team's other two top picks.
Like the Spurs' centers before him, Wembanyama is already looking like an all-time great. Wembanyama made the NBA All-Star Game in year two, and he was well on his way to winning the Defensive Player of the Year award before his season was shut down due to blood clotting. Even with the premature ending to his sophomore campaign, Wembanyama still led the NBA with 176 blocks. Wembanyama is clearly one of the best players in the NBA, and big things are to come for his future.
4. Zion Williamson, Duke – 2019
Zion Williamson is the first player on this list who hasn't quite met expectations at the professional level. Williamson became an internet star due to his high-flying ways in high school, and he established himself as the number one prospect after what was arguably the best freshman season ever when he played for Duke.
In college, Williamson defied gravity and the laws of physics to the way to a BPM of 20.10, which is by far the best single-season mark in college basketball history. Williamson's unmatched athletic traits led to him being pinned as the best prospect since James. When he has been on the court for the New Orleans Pelicans, he has been great, evidenced by his career 24.7 point-per-game mark.
However, Williamson's time on the court has been limited due to injuries. The former college Player of the Year has only played in 214 of a possible 482 NBA games since being selected first overall. Conditioning and weight management issues have led to his spending so much time in street clothes, too. Williamson has time to turn it around and live up to his potential. After all, he has produced big numbers when he has played. However, he is on a dangerous path toward bust territory as of now.
5. Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas – 1959
Wilt Chamberlain has always had unbelievable measurements and unrealistic statistical production, and that dates back to his time before the NBA. Chamberlain was 7-foot-1 and over 200 colleges recruited him coming out of high school. He ended up at Kansas. At the time, freshmen weren't allowed to compete on the varsity, but Chamberlain scored around 30 points and approached 20 rebounds per game in each of the next two seasons.
Chamberlain skipped his senior season but wasn't eligible for the NBA Draft yet. He instead opted to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. The Bid Dipper was even a legend before he got to college. Chamberlain won championships at Overbrook High School and played professional as a teenager under the pseudonym of George Marcus.
Everything about Chamberlain was the stuff of legend. After he was finally drafted first overall in 1959, he'd go on to break almost every individual record in the book, many of which have still yet to be broken. Most notably, Chamberlain's 100-point game is considered the most unbreakable record in all of sports
6. Ralph Sampson, Virginia – 1983
During the early '80s, the center position ruled basketball. The Houston Rockets got two great big men with the first overall pick. First was Ralph Sampson in 1983, and he was succeeded by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. The former was a 7-foot-4 force in the paint who played at Virginia.
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Sampson was ahead of his time, as not only was he a rim-protecting aficionado in college (462 career blocks), but he also had shooting touch. Sampson scored 2,228 points over his four-year career, and he ended up becoming the fourth and final player to be named the national Player of the Year on three occasions.
The Virginia product got off to a hot start at the professional level, scoring 21 points per game in his first season. However, Sampson's rookie of the Year campaign was one of his very best, as injuries shortened his prime and his career as a whole. Sampson made the All-Star Game in each of his first four seasons, and he helped lead the Rockets to an NBA Finals appearance in 1986. After four years and change in Houston, though, Sampson would lose his star power with three different teams before retiring in 1992.
7. Patrick Ewing, Georgetown – 1985
Another '80s center prospect who was considered generational was Patrick Ewing. The NBA moved on from the coin flip and opted for the NBA Draft Lottery in 1985, which resulted in the New York Knicks landing the center who'd eventually become the best player in franchise history.
Before that, Ewing dominated the painted area at Georgetown. The 1985 college Player of the Year dominated on both sides of the court. The Hoyas made three March Madness championship games in four years with him leading the way, even winning the whole thing during his junior campaign.
While Ewing made 11 All-Star Games in the NBA, the championship success didn't follow him at the professional level. Sandwiched in between Sampson and Ewing's draft classes was the 1984 class, which was one of the best in NBA history. Olajuwon went first overall that year, and he was a fellow elite big man prospect. Michael Jordan also went third overall. At the time, teams were hesitant to take guards over centers at the top of the draft.
8. Anthony Davis, Kentucky – 2012
Anthony Davis wasn't in the limelight as early as some of the other hoopers on this list, as he didn't blossom until hitting a massive growth spurt during high school. After his lone season at Kentucky, though, Davis was viewed as one of the most sure-thing draft options in recent memory.
Davis did it all at Kentucky. He averaged 14.2 points per game, but he demonstrated more scoring prowess when his team needed it. The Wildcats were so stacked that Davis just didn't have to score all that much. It was his rim protection that really stood out, though. Davis averaged 4.7 blocks per game as a freshman. His 186 total blocks that season are within the top five of a single season in college basketball history, and they are the most for a freshman.
Davis was the college Player of the Year, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and he led the Wildcats to a national title. At the professional level, Davis has been one of the best players in the NBA since he was drafted first overall in 2012. Injuries have plagued him as of late, but he still has 10 All-Star nods to his name. There is even a case that Davis, not James, was the Los Angeles Lakers' best player when they won the NBA Finals in 2020.
9. Magic Johnson, Michigan State – 1979
Magic Johnson was one of the best assist men in college basketball history during his career at Michigan State. However, Johnson stood 6-foot-9, which was unseen from a point guard before the game. Johnson was a true revolutionary for the game of basketball, which made him highly coveted with the number one pick in 1979. Johnson was so good that he declared for the NBA Draft after two college seasons despite that being a rarity at the time.
Perhaps Johnson would have had some competition for being selected first overall in 1979 had his longtime rival, Larry Bird, not been drafted the year prior. The Boston Celtics took Bird in 1978 despite him returning to Indiana State for the 1978-79 season. Regardless, both are among the most highly touted NBA Draft prospects in history, and they both lived up to the billing with two of the greatest NBA careers ever.
Johnson became arguably the best NBA point guard in history. He led the Showtime Lakers to five championships, and he earned three MVPs along the way. Johnson's size and unique skill set changed what it meant to be a point guard, but his joyful personality and rivalry with Bird is what changed the game of basketball for the better overall.
10. Cooper Flagg, Duke – 2025
Duke has had a lot of great basketball players, many of whom were white. Cooper Flagg is one of the very best players in program history, regardless of his background. He was so good at Duke that he was able to shed the villain label that players like Grayson Allen, JJ Redick, and Christian Laettner before him were given.
Flagg had one of the best freshman seasons ever this past college basketball season. The do-it-all forward led his team in points (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), blocks (1.4), and steals (1.4). The national Player of the Year is a shoo-in to be the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the only question is which team will be picking first overall? The NBA Draft Lottery is on Monday, May 12. The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets have the best odds to land the top pick.
