| Year | Team | Player | From |
| 2009 | LA Clippers | Blake Griffin | Oklahoma |
| 2008 | Chicago | Derrick Rose | Memphis |
| 2007 | Portland | Greg Oden | Ohio State |
| 2006 | Toronto | Andrea Bargnani | Italy |
| 2005 | Milwaukee | Andrew Bogut | Utah |
| 2004 | Orlando | Dwight Howard | (HS) Georgia |
| 2003 | Cleveland | LeBron James | (HS) Ohio |
| 2002 | Houston | Yao Ming | Shanghai, China |
| 2001 | Washington | Kwame Brown | (HS) Georgia |
| 2000 | New Jersey | Kenyon Martin | Cincinnati |
| 1999 | Chicago | Elton Brand | Duke |
| 1998 | LA Clippers | Michael Olowokandi | Pacific |
| 1997 | San Antonio | Tim Duncan | Wake Forest |
| 1996 | Philadelphia | Allen Iverson | Georgetown |
| 1995 | Golden State | Joe Smith | Maryland |
| 1994 | Milwaukee | Glenn Robinson | Purdue |
| 1993 | Orlando | Chris Webber | Michigan |
| 1992 | Orlando | Shaquille O’Neal | LSU |
| 1991 | Charlotte | Larry Johnson | UNLV |
| 1990 | New Jersey | Derrick Coleman | Syracuse |
| 1989 | Sacramento | Pervis Ellison | Louisville |
| 1988 | LA Clippers | Danny Manning | Kansas |
| 1987 | San Antonio | David Robinson | Navy |
| 1986 | Cleveland | Brad Daugherty | North Carolina |
| 1985 | New York | Patrick Ewing | Georgetown |
| 1984 | Houston | Akeem Olajuwon | Houston |
| 1983 | Houston | Ralph Sampson | Virginia |
| 1982 | LA Lakers | James Worthy | North Carolina |
| 1981 | Dallas | Mark Aguirre | DePaul |
| 1980 | Golden State | Joe Barrry Carroll | Purdue |
| 1979 | LA Lakers | Earvin Johnson | Michigan State |
| 1978 | Portland | Mychal Thompson | Minnesota |
| 1977 | Milwaukee | Kent Benson | Indiana |
| 1976 | Houston | John Lucas | Maryland |
| 1975 | Atlanta | David Thompson | North Carolina State |
| 1974 | Portland | Bill Walton | UCLA |
| 1973 | Philadelphia | Doug Collins | Illinois State |
| 1972 | Portland | LaRue Martin | Loyola (Ill.) |
| 1971 | Cleveland | Austin Carr | Notre Dame |
| 1970 | Detroit | Bob Lanier | St. Bonaventure |
| 1969 | Milwaukee | Lew Alcindor | UCLA |
| 1968 | San Diego | Elvin Hayes | Houston |
| 1967 | Detroit | Jimmy Walker | Providence |
| 1966 | New York | Cazzie Russell | Michigan |
| 1965 | San Francisco | Fred Hetzel | Davidson |
| 1964 | New York | Jim Barnes | Texas Western |
| 1963 | New York | Art Heyman | Duke |
| 1962 | Chicago | Bill McGill | Utah |
| 1961 | Chicago | Walt Bellamy | Indiana |
| 1960 | Cincinnati | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati |
| 1959 | Cincinnati | Bob Boozer | Kansas State |
| 1958 | Minneapolis | Elgin Baylor | Seattle |
| 1957 | Cincinnati | Rod Hundley | West Virginia |
| 1956 | Rochester | Sihugo Green | Duquesne |
| 1955 | Milwaukee | Dick Ricketts | Duquesne |
| 1954 | Baltimore | Frank Selvy | Furman |
| 1953 | Philadelphia | Ernie Beck | Pennsylvania |
| 1952 | Milwaukee | Mark Workman | West Virginia |
| 1951 | Baltimore | Gene Melchiorre | Bradley |
| 1950 | Boston | Charlie Share | Bowling Green |
| 1949 | Providence | Howie Shannon | Kansas State |
| 1948 | Providence | Andy Tonkovich | Marshall |
| 1947 | Pittsburgh | Clifton Neeley | Texas Western |
