The lottery picks (the first 13 selections) are the primary focus of draft analysts around the country. Throughout the years, teams have built their foundations through early first round selections. Some, however, have made errant picks that have mired their clubs in decade long slumps.

How important is the first overall pick in the draft compared to the other lottery selections? Pretty important if you take a look at every NBA Draft since 1980.

Out of the 22 No. 1 overall selections since 1980, 17 players were All-Stars at least once in their careers. No. 2 overall picks saw only nine of 22 players achieve All-Star status. The most interesting note is that the No. 11 selection has produced more All-Stars (seven) than picks 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

The chart below details the success of the top 13 draft selections since 1980.

Pick No.	Active Players in 2002	All-Star Players	All-Star Games Appearances	Most AllStar Appearances
1	15	17	81	Hakeem Olajuwon
2	13	9	38	Isiah Thomas
3	11	10	48	Michael Jordan
4	12	3	12	Dikembe Mutombo
5	13	8	37	Charles Barkley
6	10	4	5	Antoine Walker
7	10	3	12	Chris Mullin
8	9	4	13	Vin Baker , Tom Chambers
9	12	3	4	Tracy McGrady
10	10	4	7	Eddie Jones
11	15	7	15	Reggie Miller
12	10	1	1	Mookie Blaylock
13	11	4	20	Karl Malone