Emeka Okafor

An expansion team's first draft pick inherits a whole city's patience, and Emeka Okafor spent his rookie winter proving Charlotte would not need much of it. Tied with Houston in overtime at Charlotte Coliseum on December 18, 2004, the second overall pick slipped free along the baseline, took the pass and threw down the dunk that decided a 101-100 Bobcats win. The season around it held a 19-game double-double streak, averages of 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds, and the Rookie of the Year award for a player whose interior defense set the tone for the franchise's earliest years. Okafor's line read 23 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.