Minnesota Timberwolves Secure No. 1 Pick in 2015 NBA Draft for First Time in Franchise History

Minneapolis/St. Paul The winning lottery combination came up Minnesota's way tonight as the Timberwolves won the top overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft for the first time in franchise history. Owner Glen Taylor represented the Wolves at tonight's Draft Lottery held at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. The 2015 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 25, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and broadcast on ESPN beginning at 6:00 p.m. CT.

"This is a great day for our franchise and our fans. We're excited about the opportunity to have the top pick in the draft for the first time in franchise history," said Flip Saunders, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. "The No. 1 pick is a fantastic asset to have as we look to add more talent to our team."

Originally slated to draft in the first position, the Wolves entered tonight's Draft Lottery with a 25.0 percent chance of winning the top overall pick and 64.28 percent chance of landing a top-three selection. Previously, Minnesota had never selected higher than second.

The first pick in the NBA Draft has produced a number of basketball legends over the years, including 11 players on the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Patrick Ewing, Elvin Hayes, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Walton and James Worthy). More recently, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, John Wall, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis all entered the league as No. 1 picks. Current Timberwolves teammates Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett were also selected No. 1 overall.

Along with the first overall pick, the Wolves also hold two second round picks, 31st (first pick in the second round) and 36th (Sacramento's selection, acquired from Houston on Dec. 19, 2014 via the Troy Daniels and Corey Brewer trade).