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Even when the right players go high, they don’t always provide those teams with the relationship to winning that they hoped for. Take the top pick. The last No. 1 pick to win an NBA championship with the team that drafted him is Kyrie Irving, who went No. 1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. He is one of just six No. 1 picks since 1980 to do that: Irving, LeBron James (2004, Cleveland Cavaliers), Tim Duncan (1997, San Antonio Spurs), David Robinson (1987, Spurs), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984, Houston Rockets) and James Worthy (1982, Los Angeles Lakers).
In January 1999, Kerr found himself in Popovich's office in San Antonio, after agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal with the Spurs. Kerr had won three consecutive championships with the Bulls, who were dismantling their dynasty following Jordan's retirement. Popovich, meanwhile, hadn't won any. "He wasn't 'Pop' yet," Kerr told ESPN. "He was Gregg Popovich." "I instantly liked him. Everything that we know about him now was true then," Kerr said. "He has this unique ability to connect with people of any background, any player, any person near him, he can relate." It was an unusual season shortened by the NBA lockout, and it didn't begin until Feb. 5. The Spurs, with Tim Duncan and David Robinson, started slowly, posting a 6-8 record. "By some accounts, [Popovich] was on the hot seat," Kerr said. "I remember how well he handled that in front of the team, just not paying much attention to that and just getting us focused on how to get better. He was incredibly fiery, more so than a decade later, I would say, because it was a different era. “
Rich Paul: But I say all that to say—it’s not on the players. Those guys can go out and score 30 and 40 and 50—they can do all that. But it’s going to—it’s a race of the front offices, right? Who’s going to make the proper moves to put the proper talent around for each one of those guys to be successful? You can say what you want about anybody. When it was the Detroit Pistons and they were winning back when Isaiah was playing—they drafted Dumars. They went and got Aguirre. They had got Rodman and Rick Mahorn. You know, like when it was the Lakers—they got Worthy and Magic and Kareem, you know, and winning Michael Cooper and Byron Scott. It’s—as much as you want to lean on how great an individual was and/or is—you also have to factor in the decision makers to help place the proper pieces around them that allows them to be great in those moments as well. And we get confused. Take Tim Duncan—attempt. No offense to any franchise—but he was drafted to the Spurs. David Robinson was already there. When they took Tony Parker, people didn’t know who Tony Parker was. When they took Manu in the second round, people looking around like, ‘What’s...?’ But again, Tim Duncan wasn’t making those picks or those decisions at all.
Jorge Sierra: Jaylen Brown passed Byron Scott in playoff scoring and is now No. 45 in NBA history. Giannis Antetokounmpo moved ahead of David Robinson for No. 53. Luka Doncic passed eight players and is No. 98 all-time.
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Josh Giddey nears historic quadruple-double in 146-115 blowout win over Lakers
ClutchPoints: Josh Giddey records a near QUADRUPLE DOUBLE as the Bulls take down the Lakers on the road🤯 🔸15 points 🔸17 assists (T-Career high) 🔸10 rebounds 🔸8 steals (Career-high) He would of become the first player to get a quadruple double since David Robinson in 1997 👀
Shaquille O'Neal: I was famous for brutalizing David Robinson. People asked, ‘Why don’t you like David Robinson?’ I used to love David Robinson, but I made up in my mind that he didn’t give me an autograph when I was 15. Because the first time I played him, he ran me out of the gym. I was like, ‘Damn, oh, this dude didn’t give me no autograph when I was 15?’ So now, when I see him, I’m gonna kill him on the court.
Chicago Bulls: VOOOOOOOOCH 💪💪 Tonight vs. Toronto, Nikola Vucevic recorded his 545th career double-double, passing David Robinson for 26th most in NBA history 👏
Victor Wembanyama the fourth-youngest player to score 50 points
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 50 points -- including a career-best eight 3-pointers -- in a 139-130 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. "My first thought is eventually I want the rest of our performances, the rest of our games, to overshadow this one," Wembanyama said. "I want to make it where in the future, [this is] just another one." Clearly, it's not. Prior to Wembanyama, the past three 50-point games produced by Spurs came in overtime outings. David Robinson in 1994 logged the franchise's most recent 50-point performance in regulation. At 20 years and 314 days, Wembanyama is the fourth-youngest player to score 50 points. At 7-foot-4, he's also the tallest to do so.
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Michael C. Wright: Victor Wembanyama now has his 13th career game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks, which ALREADY registers as third most in franchise history behind David Robinson (117) and Tim Duncan (74).
Popovich watched all the work manifest itself in France. "He improved steadily throughout the Olympics and ended up being very formidable," Popovich said. "His aggressiveness was the big thing, and physicality. He's understanding what it takes, what he's going to get, and what he's got to give back to counter that kind of thing. FIBA is much more aggressive. So, it was a wonderful little petri dish for him, so to speak. To be able to have to do that every day and every game, that's where he really rose as it went along. He scored 26 points against the USA team in the Finals. It was kind of like a David Robinson thing where I didn't really know he had 26 points. It was like that with Victor because he can do so many different things."
HoopsHype: Players with an NBA title, Olympic gold medal, world championship, All-NBA selection and All-Defensive selection: David Robinson Shaquille O'Neal Anthony Davis KLAY THOMPSON Hell of a run. pic.twitter.com/WIwXdPwQlN
In the 14-year span from 1979 to 1993, we saw four no. 1s who would win multiple titles as their team’s centerpiece: Magic Johnson (1979), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984), David Robinson (1987), and Shaquille O’Neal (1992). Several others would become Hall of Famers, including James Worthy (1982), Patrick Ewing (1985), and Chris Webber (1993). But the past 25 years have been strewn with disappointments, from Kwame Brown (2001) to Greg Oden (2007) to Anthony Bennett (2013) to Markelle Fultz (2017). Some no. 1s found sustained stardom—Griffin, Derrick Rose (2008), John Wall (2010)—but hit a ceiling or were sapped by injuries. Even Deandre Ayton (2018), who made the 2021 Finals as the Phoenix Suns’ third-best player, now looks like another cautionary tale.
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