States and Colleges Producing the Most First-Round NBA Picks
A new crop of rookies enters the NBA each year with much anticipated hype for some of the first picks.
Much attention is placed on the incoming players themselves, but which colleges and states are producing the most first-round picks?
To answer that question, the team at Vegas Insider analyzed the first-round picks from the past 10 years to determine which collages and states are producing the top picks into the league.
When looking at the colleges specifically, Kentucky was the place for producing the most first-round picks with 22 in total across the past decade.
It may not come as a surprise to basketball fans with the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bam Adebayo, Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker all coming into the league from the University of Kentucky.
Kentucky just about edged out Duke, which had 21 players enter the league as first-round picks since 2015, although that number is expected to rise in the 2025 draft.
However, Duke can have the bragging rights of producing more first picks overall, especially with the likes of Zion Williamson and Paolo Banchero in recent years.
Rounding off the top three, there’s a tie for third between Arizona, Gonzaga, and North Carolina, who have each produced eight first-round picks.
Top 10 colleges producing first-round picks
| Rank | College | Tally |
| 1 | Kentucky | 22 |
| 2 | Duke | 21 |
| T3 | Arizona | 8 |
| T3 | Gonzaga | 8 |
| T3 | North Carolina | 8 |
| 6 | Michigan | 7 |
| T7 | Baylor | 6 |
| T7 | Florida State | 6 |
| T7 | Kansas | 6 |
| T7 | Villanova | 6 |
| T7 | Washington | 6 |
Michigan sits at sole 6th in the ranking, having produced 7 first-round picks in the past 10 years before a five-way tie for 7th between Baylor, Florida State, Kansas, Villanova, and Washington rounds off the top 10.
Surprisingly, UConn had only four first-round picks in the past decade, however it was still enough for inclusion in the top 20.
States where the most first-round picks were born
Although international players have dominated the draft for first-round picks in the past 10 years, there’s plenty of state natives amongst the draft picks.
Ranking in the top position, we have the state of Texas producing the most first-round picks across the past decade.
In total, 21 first-round picks, including notable stars such as Trae Young and Cade Cunningham, were originally from the state.
The state of California was narrowly behind with 20 first-round picks coming from the state, and Georgia rounded off the top three with 15 draft picks in the first round.
The top 10 states where first-round picks were born
| Rank | State | Tally |
| 1 | Texas | 21 |
| 2 | California | 20 |
| 3 | Georgia | 15 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 13 |
| 5 | Florida | 12 |
| T6 | Wisconsin | 10 |
| T6 | New York | 10 |
| T8 | Pennsylvania | 8 |
| T8 | Indiana | 8 |
| T8 | Maryland | 8 |
Which teams are benefiting from first-round picks?
When looking at the franchises specifically, many teams have benefited from picks in the opening 30, whether it be through their own picks or making trade deals with other franchises.
The Boston Celtics are the team who have benefited the most from getting players in the first-round, the 2024 NBA Champions have had 14 first-round picks across the past 10 years.
However, they’re joined at the top of that statistic with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have also had 14 first-round draft picks.
The San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, and Atlanta Hawks all had 13 first-round picks for a tie in third place within the study.
Teams with the most drafted first-round picks
| Rank | Team Drafted | Tally |
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 14 |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 14 |
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs | 13 |
| 4 | Utah Jazz | 13 |
| 4 | Atlanta Hawks | 13 |
| 5 | Denver Nuggets | 12 |
| 6 | Orlando Magic | 12 |
| 7 | Charlotte Hornets | 11 |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 11 |
| 9 | Portland Trail Blazers | 11 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 11 |
Methodology
Using the NBA’s official website, the past 10 drafts were analyzed to determine which colleges, states and teams were producing the most first-round picks.
All data was collected before the 2025 NBA Draft.
All data correct as of June 2025.