Jabari Parker, on the night of June 26, 2014, became the most high-profile draft selection made by the Milwaukee Bucks since 1994, when they chose Glenn Robinson with the first overall pick.
“The Big Dog” went on to become the franchise’s second-leading all-time scorer.
Only time will tell where Parker figures into the big picture of Bucks history – and how he rates with other NBA players who were selected second overall.
Among the all-time greats who were chosen second overall before the inception of the NBA Draft Lottery in 1985 were Jerry West by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1960, Dave Bing by the Detroit Pistons in 1966, Earl Monroe by the Baltimore Bullets in 1967, Bob McAdoo by the Buffalo Braves in 1972, Isiah Thomas by the Pistons in 1981 and Terry Cummings (a member of the Bucks’ 40th Anniversary Team) by the San Diego Clippers in 1982.
Top 10 #2 Picks Since 1990
West played 14 seasons for the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers and ranks 17th on the league’s all-time scoring list with 25,192 career points. He was named Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals in 1969 (as a member of the losing team) and helped lead the Lakers to the NBA title in 1972. He was a 14-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Bing, who scored 18,327 career points, was an NBA All-Star seven times, making six appearances as a Piston and one as a Washington Bullet before closing out his career with the Boston Celtics. He garnered 18,327 career points and has had his uniform number retired by both the Pistons and his alma mater, Syracuse University. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1990.
Monroe, the 1968 NBA Rookie of the Year, earned NBA All-Star status three times as a Baltimore Bullet and twice as a New York Knick, accumulated 17,474 career points and helped the Knicks capture the NBA championship in 1973. He became a Hall-of-Famer in 1990.
McAdoo was named 1973 NBA Rookie of the Year and earned five consecutive NBA All-Star berths spanning 1974-78. He won three successive NBA scoring titles spanning 1974 through 1976 and was chosen the league MVP in 1975. Over 14 seasons with seven different NBA teams, McAdoo scored 18,787 points, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.
Thomas was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection in 1982 and went on to achieve 12 NBA All-Star selections. Playing all of his 13 seasons with Detroit, Thomas played in 12 consecutive NBA All-Star Games spanning 1982-93. He was the starting point guard on Detroit’s 1989 and 1990 NBA title teams and totaled 18,822 points and 9,061 assists during his career joining the Hall-of-Fame ranks in 2000.
Cummings averaged 23.7 points and 10.6 rebounds in his debut season as a pro and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1983. He played one more season for the Clippers before being traded to the Bucks in 1984, and he represented Milwaukee in the NBA All-Star Game in 1985 and 1989. Cummings played for the Bucks from 1984-89 and during the 1995-96 campaign and ranks 10th on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 9,290 points. He also played for San Antonio, Seattle, Philadelphia, New York and Golden State and finished his NBA career with 19.460 points.
West, Bing, Monroe and Thomas were named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team in 1996.
Some of those drafted No. 2 overall prior to 1985 whose NBA careers didn’t even approach those of their contemporaries were Tom Stith by the New York Knicks in 1961, Bill Buntin by the Pistons in 1965, Neal Walk by the Phoenix Suns in 1969 (the year in which the Bucks drafted Lew Alcindor, later to become known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Marvin Barnes by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1974.
Since the Lottery was implemented, the most impactful players taken with the No. 2 choice include Gary Payton by the Seattle Super Sonics in 1990, Alonzo Mourning by the Charlotte Hornets in 1992, Jason Kidd by the Dallas Mavericks in 1994, LaMarcus Aldridge by the Chicago Bulls in 2006 and Kevin Durant by the Super Sonics in 2007.
Among those No. 2 selections since 1985 whose careers have paled in comparison were Shawn Bradley by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1993, Stromile Swift by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000, Darko Milicic by the Detroit Pistons in 2003 and Hasheem Thabeet by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009.
Len Bias, taken by the Boston Celtics with the second pick in 1986, passed away before he played an NBA game, while Jay Williams, chosen by the Chicago Bulls at that position in 2002, played only one season before severe injuries he sustained in a motorcycle crash ended his NBA career.
This year marked the first time ever that the Bucks have made the No. 2 overall draft pick, so Jabari Parker is already in a class by himself in at least one respect.