5 Biggest NBA Draft Busts
There have been many hyped up college and foreign prospects who failed horribly in the NBA. They were drafted early, given millions, and flopped horrendously when they made their debuts.
Here are the 5 biggest NBA draft busts in history. Check out why these potential stars fell short and the latest NBA playoff odds.
5. Hasheem Thabeet: 2009, Memphis Grizzlies, 2nd Overall
Going into the 2009 NBA draft, Hasheem Thabeet had a lot of hype around him. Hasheem was a defensive monster at UConn and the Memphis Grizzlies liked what they saw.
The Grizzlies took Thabeet with the 2nd pick in the draft ahead of Stephan Curry and James Harden. This pick is considered one of the 5 biggest NBA draft busts in the league’s history.
Hasheem never evolved his offensive game and his defensive abilities seemingly disappeared. After a few years, Hasheem was out of the league.
4. Kwame Brown: 2001, Washington Wizards, 1st Overall
In 2001, the Washington Wizards thought they had the next Shaq. Playing alongside the great Michael Jordan, people thought Kwame would evolve into a star.
Unfortunately, he is more known as one of the 5 biggest NBA draft busts in history. While Brown didn’t become a star, he did become a decent role player and got 12 years in the league.
3. Greg Oden: 2007, Portland Trail Blazers, 1st Overall
Coming out of Ohio State, everyone thought Greg Oden had star written all over him. Even before his first game Oden had million dollar endorsement deals and starred in numerous commercials.
The future was bright for Oden, but became one of the 5 biggest NBA draft busts in history. Poor Greg’s knees gave out on him and he was never able to regain his full form.
Oden is widely considered one of the biggest what if stories in NBA history.
2. Darko Milicic: 2003, Detroit Pistons, 2nd Overall
During the early 2000s, European stars were making their way into the league. In 2003, the Pistons thought they found the next Dirk Nowitzki in Darko Milicic.
Detroit picked Darko over Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony who all became top stars. Darko went the other way and became one of the 5 biggest NBA draft busts in history.
He never became a cornerstone player and spent his entire career coming off the bench. Milicic only averaged 6 points and 5 rebounds throughout his 12-year basketball career.
1. Anthony Bennett: 2013, Cleveland Cavaliers, 1st Overall
The unfortunate number one of the list of the 5 biggest NBA draft busts in history goes to Anthony Bennett. After LeBron James left Cleveland, the team desperately looked for another star.
In 2013, they found their next star in Anthony Bennett. The Canadian basketball star was a force at UNLV and experts had I hope for him.
Cleveland took Bennett #1 in 2013 over Giannis Anetokounmpo and it was the biggest mistake I’m franchise history. Anthony never found his shooting touch or a solid role and was out of the league in 2017.
