LeBron James Has Quietly Surrounded Himself With So Many No. 1 Picks, His Career Reads Like an All-Time Draft Fantasy Team
If you trace LeBron James’ career from start to present day, you’ll see a path paved not only with trophies and records, but also with teammates who once held the weight of being the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Some were legends before he met them. Others became stars beside him. And a few were long past their prime. But one thing ties them all together — at some point, they were considered the best player in the world for their age. And at another point, they shared the floor with LeBron.
We always talk about LeBron’s greatness in terms of what he accomplished. Four NBA championships. Multiple MVPs. The all-time scoring record. But rarely do we talk about who he did it with. Not just role players or rising rookies. We’re talking about top-tier, elite, No. 1 overall picks. LeBron hasn’t just played with one or two. He’s played with nine.
Nine players who, like him, were once the crown jewel of an NBA draft. Nine players who entered the league with massive expectations. It’s one of the wildest and most underrated career stats in basketball history. And when you line them all up, something strange happens — it almost feels like LeBron has been living in a basketball fantasy camp built out of top draft picks.
Let’s take it back to where it started. Cleveland, 2003. LeBron is the chosen one. The kid from Akron with magazine covers before he played a minute of pro ball. As he develops into a franchise superstar, the Cavaliers surround him with mixed talent, but eventually, one of his most important co-stars emerges — Kyrie Irving. Kyrie was the No. 1 overall pick in 2011, chosen by Cleveland during LeBron’s Miami chapter. By the time LeBron returned home in 2014, Kyrie had already made his mark as a flashy, fearless scorer. Their bond was instant on the court, even if off the court things were complicated. Together, they delivered Cleveland its first-ever NBA championship in 2016.
But Kyrie wasn’t the only No. 1 pick LeBron joined forces with. In Miami, he shared the stage with Chris Bosh — the fourth overall pick in 2003 — and while Bosh wasn’t a No. 1 pick himself, Miami would become home to another: Greg Oden. Oden, the 2007 No. 1 pick, plagued by injuries, made a quiet attempt at a comeback during LeBron’s Heat era. Though his role was small, it added to the odd collection of high-profile players LeBron would suit up with.
Things only escalated as LeBron moved to the Lakers. Suddenly, the list of former top picks expanded like a roll call. There was Anthony Davis, the 2012 No. 1 pick and perhaps the most dominant big man of his generation when healthy. Their 2020 title run was defined by their pick-and-roll chemistry, their defense, and their mutual trust. Then came Dwight Howard, who had once been the No. 1 pick in 2004 and had spent years as the face of Orlando. By the time he joined LeBron in L.A., he was in a different phase of his career, but still contributed crucial minutes during the bubble championship.
LeBron didn’t just play with stars in their prime. He played with legends past their prime, too. Shaquille O’Neal, the 1992 No. 1 pick, was one of them. In the late 2000s, LeBron and Shaq teamed up in Cleveland, a bizarre but unforgettable pairing that saw Shaq chase one last ring and LeBron in peak MVP form. It wasn’t the perfect duo, but it gave us a wild generational crossover — a bridge between 90s dominance and 2010s superstardom.
Then there’s Derrick Rose. The 2008 No. 1 pick, youngest MVP in NBA history, and for a brief moment, the player many believed would dethrone LeBron. Injuries robbed Rose of his full potential, but when he landed in Cleveland for a short stint, it added another name to the ever-growing No. 1 club LeBron had teamed up with.
And just when you think the list ends, Kwame Brown enters the picture. The 2001 top pick, often labeled a “bust” by media unfairly, had a brief time with the Lakers before LeBron arrived. But in the 2012 season, Kwame joined the Miami Heat training camp. He didn’t make the final roster, but that brief brush with LeBron still counts in the weird, tangled timeline of top picks entering his orbit.
When you look at the list — Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Shaquille O’Neal, Greg Oden, Kwame Brown — and even Ben Simmons recently being linked as a Lakers workout invite — it makes you wonder. How does one player end up connected to so many No. 1 picks? Is it luck? Strategy? A sign of respect? Or is it just the gravitational pull of LeBron James?
Some call him LeGM — a joking nod to how he supposedly controls team decisions. Maybe there’s truth to that. Maybe LeBron has always known what he needs around him. Not just shooters. Not just defenders. But players who have been at the top of the mountain. Players who know what it’s like to carry the weight of a franchise. Players who, like him, understand pressure.
Because pressure is something LeBron has lived with for two decades. From the moment he walked into the league, every pass, every shot, every decision has been dissected. So maybe it makes sense that he’d be drawn to those who have worn that same crown. Playing with former top picks isn’t about collecting trophies — it’s about surviving expectations. It’s about being in the foxhole with people who get it.
And maybe the reason this stat feels so wild is because it doesn’t feel intentional. LeBron isn’t loudly bragging about playing with nine top picks. He’s not dropping stats or tweeting about it. It’s just quietly happened, season after season, team after team. He goes somewhere, and somehow, a No. 1 pick follows.
The truth is, the NBA is full of incredible players who never quite live up to their draft hype. Some get hurt. Some end up on the wrong teams. Some burn out early. But when they land with someone like LeBron, the expectations shift. Suddenly, they’re no longer the savior — they’re the support. And maybe that’s the safest space they’ve ever been in.
Think about Anthony Davis. Injuries were derailing his legacy in New Orleans. In L.A. with LeBron? He wins a title. Think about Dwight Howard. Mocked and misunderstood for years. With LeBron? A redemption arc. Even Kyrie — as chaotic as his time has been — played the best basketball of his life next to LeBron.
That’s the hidden magic in this story. Not that LeBron has played with nine No. 1 picks. But that most of them played their best ball with him. That under his spotlight, some stars burned brighter. That in his orbit, their talent resurfaced, and their legacies felt rewritten.
Maybe that’s the true legacy of LeBron James. Not just what he did alone, but what he allowed others to rediscover within themselves. For all the talk about superteams, maybe the real story is super healing. Players who came in broken, overlooked, or doubted — finding something again beside someone who never stopped believing he could win.
It’s easy to point to stats and rings. It’s easy to measure greatness in numbers. But stories like this? They tell us something else. That greatness can be contagious. That leadership means more than points. That sometimes, the best thing a player can do isn’t carry a team alone — it’s make everyone around him remember who they are.
Nine No. 1 picks. One generational superstar. And a legacy still being written. LeBron’s teammates may have been lottery gifts. But what they gave back to the game while playing with him? That might be the real jackpot.