Top Five Lottery Picks in Nets History

In honor of today's NBA Draft lottery, these are the five best lottery picks made in franchise history.

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA Draft Lottery is today, and while the Brooklyn Nets won't be participating, they're no stranger to selecting high in the draft. Here are the top-five lottery picks in Nets history:

5. Kenny Anderson, 1991, No. 2 Overall

Anderson, a 15-year NBA vet, held career averages of 12.6 points, 6.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. On Feb. 18, 1994, he recorded a career-high 42 points and 14 assists en route to his first and only All-Star appearance. The Queens native played five seasons for the then-New Jersey Nets before becoming somewhat of a journeyman which included stops with Portland, Boston, Seattle, New Orleans, Indiana and Atlanta before finishing his career with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005.

4. Kerry Kittles, 1996, No. 8 Overall

Kittles spent eight of his nine NBA seasons in New Jersey, tallying career averages of 14.1 points, 2.6 assists and 3.9 assists rebounds per game. A member of the 1997 All-Rookie Second Team, he served as a key depth piece for the Nets throughout the late 90s into the early 2000s. Kittles sat out of the 2000-01 NBA season rehabbing from a off-season knee surgery, but returned to form while contributing to New Jersey's NBA Finals runs in 2002 and 2003.

3. Kenyon Martin, 2000, No. 1 Overall

Martin entered New Jersey with wide expectations, marking New Jersey's first top selection exactly a decade after Derrick Coleman. The six-foot-nine forward averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Martin made the 2001 All-Rookie First Team before his first and only All-Star appearance in 2004. He would ultimately be paired next to hall of fame point guard Jason Kidd, leading the Nets to back to back NBA Finals runs in 2002 and 2003 before being shipped to the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade deal in 2004.

2. Derrick Coleman, 1990, No. 1 Overall 

Coleman was the first top-overall selection in Nets franchise history, carrying career averages of 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. The Michigan native snagged a number of achievements while in New Jersey, including being named the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1991 while making the All-Rookie First Team and back-to-back All-NBA Third Team selections in 1993 and 1994, with the latter marking his first and only All-Star appearance. Coleman played five seasons in New Jersey before being traded alongside Rex Walters and Sean Higgins to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Shawn Bradley, Greg Graham and Tim Perry. 

1. Brook Lopez, 2008, No. 10 Overall

Lopez, the only active player listed, currently holds career averages of 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He spent nine seasons with the Nets, making the All-Rookie First Team in 2009 and All-Star Game in 2013. Lopez is the sole member of this list to have played in Brooklyn. He and the draft rights to Kyle Kuzma would be shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017 in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov. Following his one-year stint in LA, Lopez signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2018 off-season, where he has spent the last six seasons of his career. In Milwaukee, he was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2020. Last season with the Bucks, he built off of this achievement en route to the All-Defensive First team. Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Kris Middleton, Lopez won the 2021 NBA Finals.

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