Or highly drafted players that they traded for or signed.
Most Champs in recent memory won with players that they drafted.
2024 Celtics - Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum (drafted)
2023 Nuggets - Jokic (drafted)
2022 Warriors - Curry (drafted)
2021 Bucks - Giannis (drafted)
2020 Lakers - LeBron (didn't draft)
2019 Raptors - Kawhi (didn't draft)
2018 Warriors - Curry (drafted)
2017 Warriors - Curry (drafted)
2016 Cavs - LeBron (technically drafted)
2015 Warriors - Curry (drafted)
2014 Spurs - Duncan and Kawhi (drafted)
2013 Heat - LeBron (didn't draft)
2012 Heat - LeBron (didn't draft)
2011 Mavs - Dirk (traded for on draft night)
2010 Lakers - Kobe (traded for on draft night)
2009 Lakers - Kobe (traded for on draft night)
2008 Celtics - Garnett (didn't draft)
2007 Spurs - Duncan (drafted)
2006 Heat - Wade (drafted)
2005 Spurs - Duncan (drafted)
2004 Pistons - Billups (didn't draft)
So in the last 20 years we have 15 out of 20 Champions with their best player drafted by them. One caveat, I'm counting players who were drafted and swapped for another draft pick on draft night as drafted by that team. Dirk and Kobe. To me, if your rookie season was spent with that team, they drafted you.
But of those 5 champs with their best player acquired other than draft, 3 of them were LeBron lol.
Another caveat is Durant, who you could argue was Golden State's best player for two of those titles. But to me, that team was still built through the draft with Curry, Klay and Draymond. And Durant never won shit without Curry. The draft is still the best, and really the only, way to for most teams to win championships.
