Cooper Flagg’s lifelong dreams of becoming an NBA player will be fulfilled on Wednesday night. The long expectation of him becoming the No. 1 overall pick will likely be met, too.

It’s been reported that it’s a near certainty the Dallas Mavericks will select Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick when the 2025 NBA Draft begins on Wednesday. While Flagg dominated in his lone season at Duke, winning the National Player Year award, the hype preceded his time in Durham. The Maine native was viewed as a potential top draft pick during his high school career, with many believing he’d be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft when he reclassified in 2023.

Two years later, Flagg maintained that path to become the clear top prospect in the 2025 draft. Now, he has to live up to the hype of being the No. 1 overall pick and one of the most highly anticipated prospects in recent memory.

Flagg certainly won’t be the first prospect to deal with that pressure, as several others throughout the 2000s can attest to the pressure he’s about to face in the NBA. So, let’s take a look at how the 10 most-hyped prospects this century have done after they were drafted into the NBA. 

The hype: Even when he was in high school, James was regarded as one of the best players in basketball. The Akron, Ohio, product began receiving hype during his sophomore season at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, with some of its home games having to be played at the University of Akron’s basketball arena. The hype only grew from there, with James memorably appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the caption “The Chosen One” during his sophomore year of high school. By his senior year, James’ high school games were being aired on national television, which is a rarity outside of the annual all-star games.

NBA career: James has arguably become the best player in league history, achieving some things that no one has ever done on the court after the Cleveland Cavaliers took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He’s won four MVPs, four titles and four Finals MVPs. He’s been named an All-Star and All-NBA in all but one of his 22 seasons, accomplishing both after turning 40 in December. His longevity has also been unmatched, allowing him to become the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Verdict: Exceeded the hype, and then some

Greg Oden (2007)

The hype: Oden was one of the first star players in the NBA’s one-and-done era, helping Ohio State reach the national championship as a freshman in the 2006-07 season. He averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game, helping him earn AP first-team All-American honors. The hype for the big man exceeded the stat sheet as well, with Steve Kerr calling Oden a “once-in-a-decade” player ahead of the 2007 NBA Draft.

NBA career: Unfortunately for Oden, he dealt with injury woes not long after the Portland Trail Blazers took him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. He underwent offseason microfracture surgery that caused him to miss his entire rookie season. More injuries forced him to play in just 82 games in the next two seasons before more knee surgeries sidelined him from 2010-13. Oden joined the Miami Heat for their NBA Finals run in 2013-14, but he only played 26 total games that year. He put up some decent numbers in his career considering the playing time, averaging eight points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 19.3 minutes per game. But his NBA career was over following his one-year stint in Miami.

Verdict: Fell short

Hype: Oden wasn’t the only prospect with major hype ahead of the 2007 NBA Draft. In fact, Durant was arguably the better college basketball player between the two. As a freshman at Texas in 2006-07, Durant averaged 25.8 points per game, which was the fourth-best mark in the nation. Durant’s ability to create his own shot and make plays for others at his size was a rarity in basketball at the time, helping him become the consensus national player of the year that season. 

NBA career: Durant was instantly one of the NBA’s best scorers after the Seattle Supersonics took him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2007. He averaged 20.3 points per game that year, winning Rookie of the Year and has never averaged below 20 points per game in his 18-year career. Durant’s scoring prowess has helped him earn 15 All-Star and 11 All-NBA nods. His four scoring titles is tied for the third-most in league history, which helped him win an MVP in 2013-14. Sure, his move to the Golden State Warriors in 2016 was controversial. But Durant won two titles there, earning Finals MVP both years.

Verdict: Exceeded the hype

Hype: Unlike most No. 1 overall picks in the last 20 years, Griffin emerged as a top prospect during his sophomore season in college. The Oklahoma product was the consensus national player of the year in 2008-09, averaging 22.7 points and a nation-high 14.4 rebounds per game that year. His high-flying dunks added to the hype, seemingly throwing down at least one highlight slam per game.

NBA career: Like Oden, Griffin also missed his first year in the league due to injury after the Los Angeles Clippers took him with the No. 1 overall pick. But he immediately became one of the game’s best power forwards when he stepped on the court in 2010-11. He won Rookie of the Year that season, with his memorable Slam Dunk Contest win happening in the middle of that season. He also earned his first of six All-Star nods that year, adding five All-NBA honors later in his career. Arguably, Griffin’s most impressive feat was that he was able to help the Clippers climb into relevancy, helping them become a playoff mainstay from 2012-17. He finished third in MVP voting in 2013-14 as well. Even though Griffin was slowed down by injuries for much of his career, he proved to be worthy of a No. 1 overall pick before he announced his retirement in 2024.

Verdict: Met the hype

Hype: Two years after he had Derrick Rose, John Calipari helped mold another point guard into becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the draft in his first season at Kentucky. Graded as the top point guard in the 2009 recruiting class, Wall used his speed and athleticism to flash as a freshman, averaging 16.6 points, 6.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He was named a consensus first-team All-American as a result, leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight as many thought Wall was clearly the best prospect in the 2010 draft.

NBA career: After being selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Wall instantly became one of the top passers in the NBA. He averaged at least eight assists per game in each of his first nine years in the league and averaged a double-double in three seasons. He eventually reached star status in his fourth season, earning his first of four All-Star nods that year and helping the Wizards become a playoff contender from 2014-17. Injuries began to derail Wall’s career in 2017-18, leading Washington to trade him in 2020. 

Verdict: Met the hype

Hype: Calipari has molded many top prospects over his long career as a college coach. Davis is viewed by many as the best of the bunch. The Kentucky product didn’t show a ton of scoring prowess as a freshman during the 2011-12 season, averaging 14.2 points per game. But Davis’ length made him one of the best defensive players in recent college basketball history, averaging 10.4 rebounds and a nation-high 4.7 blocks per game. Those numbers helped him win the majority of the national player of the year awards as he led Kentucky to a national title.

NBA career: The New Orleans Pelicans didn’t hesitate to make Davis the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Following an impressive rookie season, Davis took a leap in scoring in 2013-14, averaging 20.8 points per game that year. He’s averaged at least 20 points per game each season since then and has also consistently been among the best defenders in the league. He’s averaged at least two blocks per game in all but two of his 13 NBA seasons, leading the league in blocks three times as he’s been named to an All-Defensive team five times. He’s also earned 10 All-Star and five All-NBA nods in his career, helping the Los Angeles Lakers win it all in 2020.

Verdict: Exceeded the hype

Hype: Wiggins was viewed as one of the best high school players ever before beginning his college career at the University of Kansas in 2013-14. Some placed lofty expectations on Wiggins, comparing him to LeBron James and other all-time greats when he was still in high school. Wiggins had an impressive freshman season at Kansas, averaging 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and one block per game as he earned second-team All-American honors. 

NBA career: The Cavaliers took Wiggins with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but they immediately sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a trade for Kevin Love that offseason. Wiggins won Rookie of the Year that season and averaged 19.7 points per game over his six seasons in Minnesota, but he was only able to help the Timberwolves make the playoffs once. He was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2020, becoming an All-Star for the first time in 2022. He also played a key role in their title win that year, playing at a high level on both ends of the court. But he hasn’t been able to reach those heights again, getting traded to the Miami Heat in February. Wiggins’ career has certainly been a strong one. However, one All-Star nod for a player taken with the No. 1 pick is relatively underwhelming.

Verdict: Fell short of expectations.

Hype: Years before he became the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, there had been buzz surrounding Simmons and his status as a top NBA Draft prospect. He impressed scouts throughout his high school career and continued to do that in his one-year stint at LSU, even though the Tigers were underwhelming that year and didn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and two steals per game, being named a first-team All-American as a result. Simmons’ height (6-foot-10) added to his intrigue as a prospect, standing much taller than most point guards as he did most things at a high level.

NBA career: Simmons has had one of the more unusual careers in NBA history. He missed his first season after the Philadelphia 76ers took him with the No. 1 overall pick, but he won Rookie of the Year for his play in 2017-18. He helped the Sixers make the playoffs that year and earned his first of three straight All-Star nods the following season, with Philadelphia becoming an Eastern Conference contender due to his play. However, Simmons’ shortcomings as a shooter were apparent in the postseason, coming to a head when he memorably passed out of an open layup in the Sixers’ Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2021. Simmons was called out by head coach Doc Rivers and fellow star Joel Embiid after that game, causing him to demand a trade. His career hasn’t been the same since, missing time due to a holdout and a back injury. He’s played just 107 games since the start of the 2022-23 season and has largely been reduced to being a role player.

Verdict: Fell short of hype

Hype: Even though Williamson wasn’t regarded as Duke’s top recruit in the class of 2018, he quickly became the most talked-about Blue Devils’ player in quite some time. Similar to Griffin, Williamson seemed to throw down a highlight dunk in every game he played at Duke. He was also a viral sensation during his high school career due to his dunking ability. Williamson’s vertical ability was just one of the reasons why everyone thought he was the clear top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He also averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game that year, winning all the major national player of the year awards.

NBA career: Just as they did with Davis seven years prior, the Pelicans made Williamson the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. Injuries plagued Williamson’s rookie season, but he earned his first of two All-Star nods in Year 2. Injuries have continued to slow down Williamson, playing in just 214 games through the first six years of his career. But when Williamson has been on the court, he’s arguably been one of the best players in the league. He became the third-fastest player to score 5,000 career points this past season, and his 25.1 PER would rank 11th in NBA history if he played enough games to qualify.

Verdict: Too soon to tell

Hype: Wembanyama was on basketball fans’ radars well before the San Antonio Spurs took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Frenchman dominated multiple leagues in Europe before heading to the United States, with many believing he’d be the top pick in the 2023 draft before he began to play for Metropolitans 92 in the 2022-23 campaign. Standing at 7-foot-3, Wembanyama’s ability to dribble, create and shoot are pretty unprecedented for a player his size, which helped him win numerous accolades as a teenager in France. 

NBA career: Wembanyama is only two seasons into his NBA career, but Spurs fans have to be happy with what they’ve seen so far. He won Rookie of the Year in 2023-24, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and a league-high 3.6 blocks per game. He followed that up by averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game in 2024-25, earning his first All-Star nod. Wembanyama seemed to be a lock to win Defensive Player of the Year, but blood clots ended his season prematurely. Still, Wembanyama might be a top-10 player in the league already just two years into his career.

Verdict: Too soon to tell, but early returns are promising

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