The NBA draft signals the start of a new league year. It closely follows the end of the NBA Finals, helping fans transition from thinking about one season ending to another beginning.
The NBA has developed into a world league. We have plenty of players born in the United States, but the NBA has seen an influx of international talent from Luka Doncic to Victor Wembanyama. These players aren't as well-known by casual basketball fans because they just played internationally, but they are being drafted highly and have a big impact on the NBA.
From the homegrown talent infused with the international player pool, a trend has developed in the league. It has been decades since a white American has been drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
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Here is more on the last white American to be drafted No. 1 overall ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.
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Last white American No. 1 overall pick in NBA
To find the last time a white American was drafted, you have to go all the way back to 1977. There, you will find a 6-10 center named Kent Benson. He was born in 1954 in New Castle, Indiana. Benson attended New Castle Chrysler High School and was named Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1973.
He chose to stay local for college, attending Indiana University and playing for Bobby Knight. Benson played for the Hoosiers for four seasons, including the 1975-76 undefeated team that went a perfect 32-0. On the undefeated season, he said, "If the team wins, everybody wins. Coach Knight knew the potential that could be with that team. He molded us and made us a team."
Benson was named the Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior in 1977. He finished his career with 1,740 points and 1,031 rebounds, averaging 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
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Kent Benson draft year
Benson was the first overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. He landed with the Milwaukee Bucks, but was only with the team through the 1979-1980 season. Benson was selected ahead of Hall of Famers Walter Davis (1.05), Bernard King (1.07) and Jack Sikma (1.08).
| Pick No. | Player Name |
| 1 | Kent Benson |
| 2 | Otis Birdsong |
| 3 | Marques Johnson |
| 4 | Greg Ballard |
| 5 | Walter Davis |
| 6 | Kenny Carr |
| 7 | Bernard King |
| 8 | Jack Sikma |
| 9 | Tom LaGarde |
| 10 | Ray Williams |
| 11 | Ernie Grunfeld |
| 12 | Cedric Maxwell |
| 13 | Tate Armstrong |
| 14 | Tree Rollins |
| 15 | Brad Davis |
| 16 | Rickey Green |
| 17 | Bo Ellis |
| 18 | Wesley Cox |
| 19 | Rich Laurel |
| 20 | Glenn Mosley |
| 21 | Anthony Roberts |
| 22 | Norm Nixon |
Who did Ken Benson play for?
Benson played for Milwaukee, Detroit, Utah and Cleveland in his 11-year career. He played in Italy after leaving the NBA, but retired in 1989 with three years left on his deal.
Benson made an impact in his first career game. Two minutes in, he elbowed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the gut, and the Lakers center retaliated by punching Benson in the head. Benson suffered a concussion, but only missed one game. Abdul-Jabbar broke his hand with the punch and missed two months of action.
Kent Benson NBA stats
Here are Kent Benson's per-game stats from his NBA career.
| Season | Team | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | Steals | FG% | FT% |
| 1977-78 | Bucks | 69 | 18.7 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 46.5% | 65.2% |
| 1978-79 | Bucks | 82 | 26.0 | 12.3 | 7.1 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 51.8% | 73.5% |
| 1979-80 | Bucks/Pistons | 73 | 25.9 | 9.6 | 6.2 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 48.4% | 70.2% |
| 1980-81 | Pistons | 59 | 33.2 | 15.7 | 6.8 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 47.3% | 77.2% |
| 1981-82 | Pistons | 75 | 32.9 | 12.5 | 8.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 50.5% | 80.4% |
| 1982-83 | Pistons | 21 | 28.5 | 9.9 | 7.4 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 46.7% | 76.0% |
| 1983-84 | Pistons | 82 | 21.1 | 7.1 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 55.0% | 82.2% |
1984-85 | Pistons | 72 | 19.5 | 6.6 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 50.6% | 80.9% |
| 1985-86 | Pistons | 72 | 18.7 | 6.5 | 5.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 48.4% | 79.5% |
| 1986-87 | Jazz | 73 | 12.3 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 44.3% | 81.0% |
| 1987-88 | Cavaliers | 2 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 100% | 50.0% |
| 11 Years | 4 Teams | 680 | 23.1 | 9.1 | 5.7 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 49.3% | 75.7% |
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Full list of No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks
Here is a list of all the No. 1 overall draft picks in NBA history.
| Year | Player | Team |
| 1947 | Clifton McNeely | Pittsburgh Ironmen |
| 1948 | Andy Tonkovich | Providence Steamrollers |
| 1949 | Howie Shannon | Providence Steamrollers |
| 1950 | Charlie Share | Boston Celtics |
| 1951 | Gene Melchiorre | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952 | Mark Workman | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1953 | Ray Felix | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1954 | Frank Selvy | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1955 | Dick Ricketts | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1956 | Sihugo Green | Rochester Royals |
| 1957 | Rod Hundley | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1958 | Elgin Baylor | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1959 | Bob Boozer | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1960 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1961 | Walt Bellamy | Chicago Packers |
| 1962 | Bill McGill | Chicago Zephyrs |
| 1963 | Art Heyman | New York Knicks |
| 1964 | Jim Barnes | New York Knicks |
| 1965 | Fred Hetzel | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1966 | Cazzie Russell | New York Knicks |
| 1967 | Jimmy Walker | Detroit Pistons |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes | San Diego Rockets |
| 1969 | Lew Alcindor | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1970 | Bob Lanier | Detroit Pistons |
| 1971 | Austin Carr | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1972 | LaRue Martin | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1973 | Doug Collins | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1974 | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1975 | David Thompson | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1976 | John Lucas | Houston Rockets |
| 1977 | Kent Benson | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1978 | Mychal Thompson | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1979 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1980 | Joe Barry Carroll | Golden State Warriors |
| 1981 | Mark Aguierre | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1982 | James Worthy | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson | Houston Rockets |
| 1984 | Akeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets |
| 1985 | Patrick Ewing | New York Knicks |
| 1986 | Brad Daugherty | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1987 | David Robinson | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1988 | Danny Manning | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1989 | Pervis Ellison | Sacramento Kings |
| 1990 | Derrick Coleman | New Jersey Nets |
| 1991 | Larry Johnson | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1992 | Shaquille O'Neal | Orlando Magic |
| 1993 | Chris Webber | Orlando Magic |
| 1994 | Glenn Robinson | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1995 | Joe Smith | Golden State Warriors |
| 1996 | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1997 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1998 | Michael Olowokandi | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1999 | Elton Brand | Chicago Bulls |
| 2000 | Kenyon Martin | New Jersey Nets |
| 2001 | Kwame Brown | Washington Wizards |
| 2002 | Yao Ming | Houston Rockets |
| 2003 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2004 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic |
| 2005 | Andrew Bogut | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2006 | Andrea Bargnani | Toronto Raptors |
| 2007 | Greg Oden | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2008 | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2010 | John Wall | Washington Wizards |
| 2011 | Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2012 | Anthony Davis | New Orleans Hornets |
| 2013 | Anthony Bennett | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2014 | Andrew Wiggins | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2015 | Karl-Antony Towns | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2016 | Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2017 | Markelle Fultz | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2018 | Deandre Ayton | Phoenix Suns |
| 2019 | Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2020 | Anthony Edwards | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2021 | Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons |
| 2022 | Paolo Banchero | Orlando Magic |
| 2023 | Victor Wembanyam | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2024 | Zaccharie Risacher | Atlanta Hawks |