FlurrySports details all of the number one selections in the Washington Wizards NBA Draft history, including Kwame Brown and John Wall.
Add us as a preferred source on Google searches!
With the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards hold the rights to the number one overall pick. The Wizards came away with the number one pick after entering the lottery with the best odds at 14%, a far cry from Dallas winning the lottery with 1.8% last season. Washington has had its fair share of misery over the past few seasons, but things may be turning around. They landed both Anthony Davis and Trae Young during the season, so adding the number one pick to that core will be a force immediately.
Throughout the franchise’s history, the Wizards have held the number one pick four times. With the number one pick, the players selected have yielded mixed results, with one becoming one of the franchise’s greatest players and another becoming one of the biggest busts in NBA history.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the history of the number one picks in Washington Wizards NBA Draft history.
First Overall Picks in Washington Wizards NBA Draft History
1961 | Walt Bellamy – Center – Indiana
In their very first draft (as the Chicago Packers), the Washington Wizards selected Indiana’s Walt Bellamy with the number one pick. After putting together a dominant career at IU, including bringing in 33 rebounds in his last game, Bellamy stayed close to home, suiting up for the Packers. Bellamy immediately made an impact on the NBA, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year and putting up a stat line of 31.6 points per game (PPG) and 19 rebounds per game (RPG). His 31.6 PPG average in his rookie season ranks second for a player’s rookie season, behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 37.6 PPG. His 973 field goals made in his rookie season (second all-time to Chamberlain) have yet to be topped.
Bellamy parlayed his fantastic rookie season into three and a half more great seasons, as he averaged 27.6 PPG and 16.6 RPG before being traded to the New York Knicks in 1965. While Bellamy was not able to become the franchise cornerstone for the Wizards, that came more to the fact that Washington was an expansion franchise and did not have the best pieces or money to put around him. While with the Wizards, Bellamy was never able to make the playoffs, but his 5,438 rebounds with the team still rank fourth all-time in franchise history.
1962 | Bill McGill – Forward – Utah
Immediately following Washington’s selection of Walt Bellamy in 1961, they were awarded the number one pick once again after finishing dead last in the 1961-62 season. With that pick, the Wizards (now Chicago Zephyrs) attempted to partner Bellamy with Utah big man Bill McGill to solidify their front court. At Utah, McGill was dominant, leading the NCAA in scoring in the 1961-62 season and leading the Redskins (as they were known at the time) to a number seven ranking, before the team was ruled as ineligible for postseason play due to a player accepting a plane ticket from a booster.
As a rookie, McGill did not see the success that Bellamy did, as he was only able to muster 7.4 PPG and 2.7 RPG. A lot of that had to do with McGill playing a reserve role behind Bellamy. In an effort to improve their team for the immediate future, the Wizards elected to trade McGill to the Knicks, ending his Washington tenure after just 66 games. While McGill certainly did not live up to the number one billing for the Wizards, he is still far from the biggest bust in Washington Wizards draft history.
2001 | Kwame Brown – Center – High School
That distinction, unfortunately, belongs to Glynn Academy’s Kwame Brown. Brown originally elected to play basketball for the University of Florida, but rescinded on that decision and entered the 2001 NBA Draft. With Michael Jordan as team president, the Wizards selected Brown with the first overall pick in the draft. Brown came into the NBA with a great deal of hype, given his jump from high school to the NBA. Due to the hype and what looked like immaturity on the court, Brown quickly flamed out. During his rookie season, Brown played in 57 games (starting in three) and averaged just 4.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG. Washington shook off his poor rookie season’s growing pains, as they brought him back for his sophomore campaign with a strong belief in his potential.
Brown’s role quickly grew, as he started 20 games (playing in a total of 80) and upped his averages to 7.4 PPG and 5.3 RPG. While still not the superstar that Washington had hoped he would be, Brown continued to develop his game in his third season, finishing with his best season yet as a Wizard, averaging 10.9 PPG and 7.4 RPG. While he didn’t know it yet, Brown’s Washington career came to a peak when he recorded 30 points and 19 rebounds in a game against the Sacramento Kings.
Brown’s fourth season started off on the wrong note for the Wizards as he bet on himself and rejected a five-year, $30M contract in favor of testing free agency. While in his fourth season, injuries started to plague Brown, and he was limited to just 42 games. His averages dropped to seven PPG and 4.9 RPG. His ongoing feuds with Gilbert Arenas and Eddie Johnson did not help his case and he was traded at the end of the season to the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Brown certainly had all of the potential to be a star in the league, the Wizards fell into the classic trap of drafting for potential as opposed to taking the proven talent. The next two picks after Brown were Tyson Chandler and Pau Gasol.
2010 | John Wall – Point Guard – Kentucky
Finally, the last time that the Washington Wizards held the number one pick, they selected John Wall. After being one of the best point guards in Kentucky history, he was on top of the basketball world. Wall was the best player in the country, was dougieing all over the SEC and was the focal point of a hit hip-hop song. He was the sure-fire number one pick in the 2010 draft after averaging 16.6 PPG during his lone season under John Calipari.
Wall’s fame followed him to the NBA, as the day before the draft, he was signed to a shoe deal with Reebok. The day after was selected, the Washington D.C. mayor declared June 25 as John Wall Day. Wall was a shot of adrenaline into a fanbase that so badly needed it.
Wall immediately made an impact on the nation’s capital, averaging 16.4 PPG and 8.3 assists per game (APG), finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. Wall continued on the success of his rookie season and became a legend for Washington during his tenure there. In nine seasons with the Wizards, the Kentucky alum recorded averages of 19 PPG, 9.2 APG and 4.3 RPG. He was also named an All-Star five straight seasons between 2013 and 2018. The peak of Wall’s Washington career came during the 2016-17 season, after putting together averages of 23.1 PPG and 10.7 APG on 45.1% shooting.
Injuries plagued the end of Wall’s tenure in Washington, as he missed games due to a knee injury. Things got much worse for Wall, though, after he received a procedure on his heel; he developed an infection from the incision. Even worse, Wall ruptured his Achilles tendon after falling at home. That injury caused him to miss the next 12 months, basically ending his Wizards career.
While Wall never reached the heights that Wizards fans had hoped for, his impact on the city as a whole cannot be understated. Wall currently stands as the team’s fourth all-time leading scorer and is far and away the team’s leader in assists. Before it is all said and done, Wall will have his number 11 hanging in the Washington rafters.
