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| 2025-2029 NBA Draft: Potential No.1 Picks |
Written by: Prospect-Central
If people say "The Draft" isn't an exact science, I wonder what they would say about trying to predict No.1 picks 5-years into the future. If that wasn't bad enough, we're gonna try and prognosticate the future No.1 picks for all five North American sport's leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, WNBA). Better strap on your seatbelts, cuz this is about to be a bumpy ride. Lord help us! 🙏
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| Cooper Flagg: Duke |
Here are a few tidbits about the NBA Draft & No.1 picks:
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| A.J. Dybantsa: BYU |
A plethora of resources were used in pooling together the top prospects from each sport that have a realistic chance of being the No.1 selection in their draft (sources will be listed at bottom of article). From there I did my due diligence and learned as much about these players as I could, including watching as much film & video on each player I could find. Once I felt comfortable on whom the best players were for each draft, I made my selection for a potential No.1 pick followed by a few players who should be in the mix. With that being said, Prospect-Central proudly presents 2025-29 NBA potential No.1 Draft picks!
2025-2029 No.1 Draft Picks
NFL / NHL / MLB / WNBA
Cooper Flagg is such a good basketball player, he automatically makes himself and his twin brother Ace Flagg, one of the best set of fraternal twins in the history of basketball. This of course is without Ace Flagg bringing a thing to the table. If Cooper Flagg is Arnold Schwarzenegger, then Ace Flagg must be Danny DeVito. But I digress, enough movie references for now. I've been watching Cooper Flagg play basketball since he was a 6-foot-4 seventh-grader coming out of Newport, Maine, so the fact he's on the verge of not only becoming the No.1 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, but also the second-youngest college player ever drafted into the NBA, it certainly feels like a long time coming.
Considered the most anticipated prospect coming out of high school since LeBron James, although one could certainly make a case for Zion Williamson, Cooper Flagg is basically a lock to be the No.1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft this June. Rutgers Freshman sensation Dylan Harper is probably his biggest competition at the moment, and even as I'm writing this Dylan Harper just dropped the 1st triple-double for Rutgers in 41-years! That being said, the reason why Cooper Flagg will be the No.1 NBA Draft pick, is because he has the highest floor of anyone in the draft. Whether he can reach his full potential on the offensive side of the ball or not is yet to be determined, but he's the best defensive player in college basketball imo, and that skill-set should transfer right away to the NBA. Basically Cooper Flagg's a lock to have a successful NBA career just for his defense alone, so if & when his offensive game rounds into form, you're looking at a perennial NBA All-Star, or at the very minimum a defensive POY candidate every year he's in the league. Let's not forget, the fact there are so few white American basketball stars, you better believe Cooper Flagg will be given every opportunity to reach his full potential.
2026 NBA Draft
Football is probably the most popular sport in the United States., but the biggest stars come from basketball. Of all the potential No.1 Picks in all 5 North American sport's leagues over these next few years, no player is better at their sport than A.J. Dybantsa is at playing basketball. Thus if all the stars align just right, A.J. Dybantsa should become the best player and make the most money of all the potential No.1 Draft picks from all 4 sport's. Another player I've been watching hoop since he was a 6-foot-3 seventh grader, A.J. Dybantsa showed all the signs that he would eventually be a very high NBA Draft pick one day. Length, athleticism, offensive skills, the "it" factor, you name it he's got it and in about a year and a half, A.J. Dybantsa will more than likely become the No.1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Now he'll certainly have competition for the top spot from the likes of Kansas commit Darryn Peterson & Duke commit Cameron Boozer, but baring any unforeseen circumstances, A.J. Dybantsa should be the first player to hear his name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver once the 2026 NBA Draft rolls around. Three-years ago Prospect-Central published a HS Freshman Watchlist for incoming 9th graders from c/o 2026. A.J. Dybantsa was the No.1 player in the class heading into the season, then he reclassified over a year ago and became the No.1 player in c/o 2025, and now the high school senior and recent BYU commit has come full circle and is ready to become a No.1 NBA Draft pick. And since he's headed to BYU, he'll have all the time in the world to focus on his craft, because the only thing he'll be allowed to bang, are rim-rattling dunks! ⛪️
2027 NBA Draft
Tyran Stokes sf/pf / 6'7'' 240 / HS Jr.
Even though we're almost three-years away from the 2027 NBA Draft, it's definitely not a stretch for Louisville, Kentucky native Tyran Stokes to be the presumptive favorite for the No.1 pick, at least for the moment. He's not nearly a lock to be the first overall selection as previously mentioned Cooper Flagg & A.J. Dybantsa, but if the 2027 NBA Draft were held today, more likely than not Tyran Stokes would be at the top of most NBA gm's draft boards, and for good reason too. He uses his impressive combination of size, strength, ball-handling, footwork and athleticism, to create advantages all over the floor. He's not a perfect prospect of course, as he needs to continue to work on his 3-point shooting, as well as his defensive intensity, but all the tools are there for Tyran Stokes to have a very successful NBA career.
Another player featured three-years ago on Prospect-Central's HS Freshman Watchlist for incoming 9th graders from c/o 2026, Tyran Stokes entered high school as the No.2 recruit in his class behind only A.J. Dybantsa, who of course reclassified to c/o 2025. Now Tyran's the top dog, but he definitely has a few players nipping at his heels, most notably California native Brandon McCoy, Jr., who is an absolutely fabulous prospect in his own right and very well could supplant Tyran as the No.1 pick of the 2027 NBA Draft once the time comes. There are rumors Tyran Stokes might also reclassify to c/o 2025 so he could play with his boy A.J. Dybantsa in college, but that's yet to happen as of right now and I personally don't see the need to rush the process. I mean his NIL valuation is already $7 million (lol), so just because he hasn't grown since he entered high school (he was a 6-foot-7 eighth grader), his bank account clearly has. Might as well enjoy being a wealthy kid for the time being, as opposed to a rich adult. Until then, Tyran 'nosoraous' Stokes will continue terrorizing the HS hardwood, as he patiently waits for the 2027 NBA Draft. 🦖
2028 NBA Draft
Did I just read that right? Are we really trying to project who will be the No.1 NBA Draft pick in 2028, almost four-years from now. Let's be honest, I'm not even sure the world will still be around in four-years, so to say this is a stretch would be a valid assumption. That being said, here we are none the less so let's give it the old college try. Baba Oladotun is currently the No.1 ranked high school sophomore in c/o 2027, but before you think I'm just following whatever the recruiting industry is regurgitating, don't get it twisted. For better or for worse (and probably worse lol), I've been following Baba Oladotun's game since the 2nd grade! (current Top 5 recruit c/o 2027 Jaylan Mitchell is there as a 2nd grader also). And just a few years later you can see I felt Baba was a Top 10 5th grader in his class, along with current Top 10 recruit c/o 2027 Lincoln Cosby! The point is Prospect-Central does its due diligence before blatantly making any absurd prognostications, so lets see how everything plays out.
Labeled "Baby KD", Baba Oladotun is the prototypical wing for today's NBA. Incredible length, supreme ball-handling skills, terrific mobility & athleticism, but above all he has excellent 3-point range and can really shoot the basketball, hence the Kevin Durant comparisons. Born December 6th, 2008, Baba Oladotun just turned 16-years old so there's obviously still a few years to tighten up his overall game before he's draft eligible, but more importantly he really needs to put on some weight despite having a wiry strong frame. He has a plethora of scholarship offers, including University of Maryland & Georgetown, which are both in his backyard considering he resides in Silver Springs, MD. A few players from c/o 2027 who are most certainly in the mix for becoming the potential No.1 pick in the 2028 NBA Draft are previously mentioned 6'7'' Jaylan Mitchell, along with two other excellent players in 6'10'' C.J. Rosser & 6'6'' Ryan Hampton, who is the younger brother of NBA player R.J. Hampton. Whether or not Baba becomes the top player selected in the 2028 NBA Draft is anyone's guess, but the one prediction you can take to the bank however, Baba Oladotun will be a very high lottery selection regardless.
2029 NBA Draft
Let's get this out of the way right now. Mohamed Dabone's date of birth is listed October 21st, 2011. So, if my calculations are correct Watson (add the one, carry the three, divide by two) that means Mohamed Dabone just turned...13-years old! 👀 (1.21 Gigawatts!) Since the NBA's collective bargaining agreement requires all drafted players must be at least 19-years old during the calendar year of their given draft, Mohamed Dabone won't technically be eligible for the NBA Draft until the year 2030. A couple things though; (1) The NBA & NBPA always discuss lowering the age limit for the draft, so who's to say that won't happen within the next 5-years. (2) While I personally believe Mohmaed Dabone's age is legit, there are obviously rumblings around the world to the legitimacy of it and when there's smoke there's fire, so who knows what the future has in store for the birth certificate of one Mohamed Dabone. (3) Finally, Mohamed Dabone's an exciting young prospect regardless if he's eligible for the 2029 NBA Draft or not & quite frankly I just wanted to talk about him (lol), plus this article and $1 will get you a cup of coffee, so who gives a $h*t! 🤷🏽♂️
Originally from Burkina Faso, Africa, Mohamed Dabone first burst onto the scene last December as a "12-year old" when video surfaced of him playing for FC Barcelona and wining MVP of a U15 tournament in Madrid, Spain. Honestly, the video was shocking because he had the size, athleticism and mobility of a legit NBA player already, yet supposedly he wasn't even a teenager yet. Once again, I'm just going to assume Mohamed Dabone's the age he says he is until further notice & even if he's slightly older, he still seems like an exciting young prospect with an enormous amount of potential. Since his boisterous debut last December, the 13-year old has continued to put on a show at every event he's played in, most notably with FC Barcelona in the U18 EuroLeague. From his length & athleticism, to his blossoming skill-set & incredible defensive capabilities, Dabone's future potential is greater than Bitcoin. His age will continue to be the elephant in the room for the foreseeable future, but as of right now Mohamed Dabone is without question the early favorite for the No.1 pick in either the 2029 or 2030 NBA Draft.
NBA Draft Resources
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