It has been 12 years since Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted into the NBA.
The class of 2013 didn’t feature a lot of big name prospects ahead of the NBA Draft. In fact, only three players from that class have managed to earn NBA All-Star honors in their career.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of those players as he was picked using the 15th overall pick by the organization.
Today, the Greek Freak is viewed as arguably the best player in the NBA. With that said, let’s take a trip down the memory lane.
The first 14 picks in any NBA Draft are considered lottery picks, Antetokounmpo fell just outside of that.
Evidently, the expectations weren’t that high from an unheard prospect out of Greece, who was selected at the No. 15 spot.
Fast forward to 2025, Giannis is a 2x NBA MVP, 1x NBA DPOY, 1x NBA Finals MVP, 1x NBA champion, and more. But which players were picked ahead of him? Well, here’s the full breakdown:
- Anthony Bennett – Cleveland Cavaliers (1)
- Victor Oladipo – Orlando Magic (2)
- Otto Porter Jr. – Washington Wizards (3)
- Cody Zeller – Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (4)
- Alex Len – Phoenix Suns (5)
- Nerlens Noel – New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (6)
- Ben McLemore – Sacramento Kings (7)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Detroit Pistons (8)
- Trey Burke – Minnesota Timberwolves (9)
- CJ McCollum – Portland Trail Blazers (10)
- Michael Carter-Williams – Philadelphia 76ers (11)
- Steven Adams – Oklahoma City Thunder (12)
- Kelly Olynyk – Dallas Mavericks (13)
- Shabazz Muhammad – Utah Jazz (14)
If the class of 2013 gets redrafted, there’s no doubt that Antetokounmpo will be selected with the No. 1 overall pick. That should speak volumes about the Greek Freak’s achievements.
As we mentioned earlier, Giannis has enjoyed a terrific spell in the league, albeit facing crossroads ahead of the offseason.
But what about the rest of the players? Well, here’s a quick breakdown of the same:
| Player Name | Where are they now |
| Anthony Bennett | Out of league |
| Victor Oladipo | Out of league |
| Otto Porter Jr. | Out of league |
| Cody Zeller | Out of league |
| Alex Len | Backup center for the LA Lakers |
| Nerlens Noel | Out of league |
| Ben McLemore | Out of league |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Starting shooting guard on Orlando Magic |
| Trey Burke | Out of league |
| CJ McCollum | Starting point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans |
| Michael Carter-Williams | Out of league |
| Steven Adams | Backup center for the Houston Rockets |
| Kelly Olynyk | Starting center for the New Orleans Pelicans |
| Shabazz Muhammad | Out of league |
Only five out of the 14 players selected ahead of Antetokounmpo are still in the NBA. Moreover, they are not anywhere close in accomplishments as they have regressed while Giannis remains in the prime of his career.
