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Victor Wembanyama and the history of international No. 1 overall picks

By Rich Kraetsch

Victor Wembanyama (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Victor Wembanyama (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) /
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In celebration of the 2023 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, the Over & Back Podcast digs into the history of international players drafted first overall.

The San Antonio Spurs selected French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama with the first-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Spurs hope ‘Wemby’ can become a generational superstar for the franchise.

This got us at the Over & Back NBA Podcast thinking about the history of International #1 overall picks, how they fared in the league, why they were drafted #1 overall, did they live up to expectations, and more!

Everything to know about Victor Wembanyama and No. 1 overall picks

In this episode, we’ll spotlight every International No. 1 overall pick in NBA history, including:

  • Mychal Thompson (1978)
  • Hakeem Olajuwon (1984)
  • Patrick Ewing (1985)
  • Tim Duncan (1997)
  • Michael Olowokandi (1998)
  • Yao Ming (2002)
  • Andrew Bogut (2005)
  • Andrea Bargnani (2006)
  • Kyrie Irving (2011)
  • Anthony Bennett (2013)
  • Andrew Wiggins (2014)
  • Ben Simmons (2016)
  • Deandre Ayton (2018)

Breakout topics include ‘The Danny Manning Scale,’ how Andrew Bogut is kind of responsible for the Golden State Warriors dynasty, the unfair ‘bust’ label on Michael Olowokandi (Rich attended ‘The Kandi Man’s’ best game ever), why for some reason every first overall pick from Australia is weird, the hype cycle around Patrick Ewing, what the heck is Andrea Bargnani up to in 2023, Yao Ming’s well-rated Napa Valley winery and so much more!

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