Denver Nuggets: 15 best draft picks of all-time

Of course, you knew that small forward Carmelo Anthony was going to end up being No. 1. The Nuggets definitely took advantage of the Detroit Pistons’ whiff of a draft pick in Darko Milicic to take Anthony No. 3 overall in the iconic 2003 NBA Draft. Anthony was already coming off a championship season with the Syracuse Orangemen over the Kansas Jayhawks that spring.

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He would make the All-Rookie first team in 2004 and would make his first of 10 All-Star game appearances to date in 2006-07. In total, Anthony would make his first four All-Star games while with the Nuggets, as well as his first four of six All-NBA teams. Anthony was largely responsible for the Nuggets getting back to relevancy in the Western Conference in the mid-2000s after a near decade-long swoon in the late 1990s.

With his free agency looming, Anthony selfishly forced a trade to his home state New York Knicks in 2011. He would spend the next 6.5 seasons in The Big Apple. While he achieved individual success, the Knicks rarely made the Eastern Conference Playoffs during his time with the team. He would be traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the 2017-18 NBA season.

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Though he may never win an NBA Championship, Anthony did win a national title at Syracuse, as well as three Olympic gold medals for Team USA. When Anthony calls it a career, he will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. His number might be retired by both the Nuggets and the Knicks. Through 2017-18, Anthony has averaged 24.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 35.9 minutes per contest in 15 NBA seasons.