Pelica Debrief
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New Orleans Pelicans: Ranking the Top 40 No. 1 Picks of All-Time

By Aaron Kellerstrass

Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans as LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans as LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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New Orleans Pelicans, Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers heads upcourt against the New Orleans Pelicans -Hornets (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

New Orleans Pelicans: The top-20 no.1 draft picks of all-time

#19: Chris Webber- Orlando Magic (1993)

Webber had the skills to be the greatest power forward of all-time. He could shoot, pass, create his own shot, defend the rim and rebound. Webber had a season of 20 points, 13 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He was part of some of the most entertaining teams of all-time in Sacramento and always seemed to be judged based on the fact that he didn’t quite live up to his enormous hype (no one could have). Webber was never quite as good as people thought he should be, which dogged him his whole career and has now caused people to underrate him historically.

#18: Mark Aguirre-Dallas Mavericks (1981)

Younger fans are probably asking who this old guy is, but trust me, he was very good. Aguirre could flat out score, averaging 20 points, five rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for his career. His best season he averaged 29.5 points, six rebounds and 4.5 assists, numbers that put him in elite company historically. This is even more impressive when you consider he didn’t shoot that many 3-pointers.

#17: David Thompson- Atlanta Hawks (1975)

Known as possibly the greatest college basketball player of all-time and is credited for bringing alley oops and above the rim play to the NBA. His career, like many players in the 1970’s, was ruined by drug addiction. Even his career-ending knee injury was caused when he was pushed down the stairs in Studio 54 during a alcohol/drug binge. Thompson also played one season in the ABA before the merger, but still managed to average 22.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists for his career and that’s factoring in his last three seasons, in which his numbers dipped. Thompson’s career was unfortunate but based on talent alone, he deserves to be this high on the list.

#16: James Worthy- Los Angeles Lakers (1982)

The goggle wearing sidekick of Magic Johnson, Worthy was a key part of the Showtime Lakers and one of the best small forwards of all-time. He made seven all-star games in a row and averaged 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and three assists per game for his career while helping to change and re-define the position.

#15: Allen Iverson- Philadelphia 76ers (1996)

One of the shortest and one of my personal favorites on this list, Allen Iverson was something to behold. Lighting quick, but only six feet tall, Iverson made 11 All-Star games, though a few of them were due to his incredible popularity with the fans. Iverson was one of the NBA’s most creative and dynamic scorers, averaging 26.7 points for his career and topping 30 in five different seasons. Iverson is an icon, who brought hip hop culture to the NBA, and was one of the most entertaining and beloved players of all-time due his toughness.