The Top 3 No. 14 Overall NBA Draft Picks in NBA History

The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to pick 14th in next month’s NBA draft. On the surface, it may seem like the Cavs are out of reach to land a potential All-Star. But history shows how there have been many excellent players who went 14th in their respective drafts.

Like any pick, No. 14 has seen its fair share of busts over the years. But every so often, the 14th pick will become a longtime starter, an All-Star, or even a Basketball Hall of Famer.

Some of the more recent 14th overall picks include Bam Adebayo and Michael Porter Jr., two younger players with enormous ceilings. Others like Peja Stojakovic and Dan Majerle became exceptional pros as well.

But there are three players in particular who went on Hall of Fame careers after 13 players were picked ahead of them.

3. Tim Hardaway

The 1989 NBA Draft might be one of the weakest drafts since the NBA-ABA merger. With a 1-2 of Pervis Ellison and Danny Ferry and eight of the top-10 picks never making an All-Star team, who would expect someone at 14 to become a Hall of Famer? Sure enough, Tim Hardaway made it happen.

Hardaway was selected by the Golden State Warriors after a successful four-year career at UTEP. The 6-foot point guard quickly made his mark in the NBA, forming the famous “Run TMC” trio with future HOFers Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullins.

After four seasons, Hardaway already made three All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams, averaging 20.6 points, 9.8 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.

With long, productive stints with the Warriors and Miami Heat, Hardaway finished his 13-year career with five All-Star appearances and five All-NBA nods, including All-NBA first team in 1996-97. His No. 10 jersey was also retired by the Heat.

Finally, after nearly 20 years since his final season, Hardway will enter the Hall of Fame later this year.

2. Hal Greer

After the Minneapolis Lakers selected Elgin Baylor first overall in 1958, there were a lot of forgettable players selected. Eventually, after back-to-back players who would never play in a single NBA game, the Syracuse Nationals drafted Hal Greer out of Marshall University.

As the 14th player selected, expectations for Greer were understandably low. But the 6-foot-2 guard quickly became a potent scoring threat, averaging 22.8 points by his fourth season in Syracuse.

Once the team moved south and became the Philadelphia 76ers, Greer pulled off a run of 10 consecutive All-Star appearances and seven straight All-NBA selections.

Greer spent his entire 15-year career with Syracuse/Philadelphia, averaging 19.2 points but eclipsing 20 points eight times.

He averaged a team-high 26.0 points in the Sixers’ 1967 Finals victory, besting Hall of Fame teammates Wilt Chamberlain, Chet Walker, and Billy Cunningham. The HOF guard also finished his career as the NBA’s all-time leader in games played and has his No. 15 retired by the 76ers.

1. Clyde Drexler

Just before the legendary 1984 draft, its ‘83 counterpart didn’t produce much in the way of Hall of Fame talent.

Aside from first-overall-pick Ralph Sampson, the 1983 draft produced one other player who’d go on to have a home in Springfield, Massachusetts: Clyde “The Glide” Drexler.

While he’s often overlooked due to the icons in his era, Drexler is one of the best shooting guards in NBA history.

After the Portland Trail Blazers made him the 14th pick, the former Houston star became an All-Star by his third season. In year five, he was averaging 27.0 points per game.

Clyde’s 15-year career ended with averages of 20.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.0 steals.

Between the Blazers and Houston Rockets, Drexler racked up 10 All-Star appearances and five All-NBA recognitions. He won a title with the Rockets in 1995 and got his No. 22 retired in both Portland and Houston.

Finally, the Glide was a member of the famous 1992 USA Olympic team and the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

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