The average length of career for National Basketball Association players is three seasons, but there are some who have a full-length career on the hardwood. Superstars not only earn the most money, but they also play the longest amount of time. Over time, however, Father Time has his say and players begin to regress. With that being said, here are ten active NBA players who are no longer superstars.
10. James Harden
At the height of his talents, former league MVP James Harden was one of the most gifted scorers the league has ever seen and were it not for the greatest superteam of all time in the Golden State Warriors, Harden would probably have a ring. In Houston, Harden secured three consecutive scoring titles on his way to battling in the Western Conference Finals year in and year out. In the 2018-2019 season, Harden put on his best scoring performance, averaging 36.1 points per game. In Philly, Harden won the assists title last season, but with tensions brewing between him and the Sixers, it’s unlikely we’ll see him play alongside Joel Embiid again. His efficiency, particularly in the playoffs, contributed to the disparaging wounds with Philly. His role has diminished year after year, while his playoff performance has waned annually.
9. Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin was the face of the Lob City-era Clippers. He was the most recent rookie to be selected for the all-star game back in 2011. Since then, the athletic, high-flying big man’s health has been a detriment to his career and arguably the team to never win a ring. All throughout his career, Griffin has endured several knee injuries, including a broken kneecap during his first year in the league that required him to miss the entire season afterward. Griffin underwent a couple of knee surgeries during his stint with L.A., but he also had several knee surgeries as a member of the Detroit Pistons from 2019 to 2021. It has been that kind of story for Griffin’s once-promising career that saw him become one of the best players in the NBA at one point.
8. Anthony Davis
The Brow, to this day, remains the best player in Pelicans history. Before joining LeBron James on the Lakers, Anthony Davis averaged a double-double every year of his career in New Orleans except his rookie season. Since landing in L.A., Davis has only amassed one season where he averaged double-digit rebounds. While he was essential to the Lakers’ 2020 championship run, Davis’ injuries prevent him from once again becoming the player he once was in New Orleans.
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7. Chris Paul
Chris Paul has been a key contributor everywhere he has landed in the league, on and off the court. Before Anthony Davis, Paul was the GOAT in New Orleans, which was a title well earned as he led the New Orleans Hornets into relevancy. His participation in the most controversial trade veto of all time cemented his appeal as a top-level talent. As the other half of Lob City’s main act, Paul was the key contributor the Clippers needed to piece together a championship run. Unfortunately, the story is once again about injuries. For Paul, however, the injuries seem to pile up around the postseason. On May 2, 2015, Paul strained his left hamstring and missed the first two games of the Western Conference Semifinals.
On April 25, 2016, Paul broke his right hand and missed the last two games of the first round. On May 24, 2018, Paul tore his right hamstring and missed the last two games of the Western Conference Finals. On June 19, 2021, Paul entered COVID-19 protocols, which required him to miss the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. Finally, on May 1, 2023, Paul strained his left groin adductor which caused him to miss time. Health has been Paul’s downfall, which will keep him in the discussion of one of the greatest players to never win a ring.
6. Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson was a major contributor to the Warriors’ championships in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. However, a ruptured Achilles tear almost ended his career altogether before his championship in 2022. The lesser half of the Splash Brothers created effective field goal percentages between 50 and 60% for his entire 11-year career. As one of the best catch-and-shoot players of all time, Thompson was never the same player after his Achilles tear in 2019.
5. Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez is still the Brooklyn Nets’ all-time leading scorer. Many remember him now as a roleplayer on a championship Milwaukee Bucks team, but there was a time when Lopez was a force to be reckoned with, averaging 20 points per game four times with the Nets. Lopez’s fall from his peak is mainly due to his role and the changing landscape of the league. As big men were forced to stretch the floor further, Lopez adapted and changed his game to become a key piece of the Bucks rotation.
4. DeAndre Jordan
The utility big man for the Lob City Clippers was a product of his time. The former all-star and all-NBA player led the league in field goal efficiency five years in a row, from 2012 to 2017, and rebounding twice between 2013 and 2015. Like Brook Lopez, the changing landscape of the league phased out Deandre Jordan’s productivity and age pushed him further and further down the depth chart.
3. Kevin Love
At his peak, Kevin Love was the man on a bad Minnesota Timberwolves roster. In his third season in the league, Love averaged 20.2 points per game and a league-best 15.2 rebounds per game. On two separate occasions following in Minnesota, Love averaged 26 points per game. After getting traded to Cleveland, Love faced major role changes and injuries that set him back from his prime, though he was still an important piece of the Cavaliers’ 2016 championship run. When LeBron and Kyrie split up the big three, Love was left behind but still faced a series of nagging injuries that limited his ability to take over.
2. Derrick Rose
The former MVP is the biggest “what if” in NBA history. When the best player for the Chicago Bulls since Michael Jordan was picked first in the 2008 NBA draft, the team had high hopes for his abilities to produce. At first, the Memphis product lived up to expectations, becoming the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2009 and the league’s youngest MVP in 2011. However, a series of knee injuries cut short or canceled four seasons of playtime early in his career which led to a series of trades that hot potatoed Rose around the league. It was not until he dropped 50 points as a member of the Timberwolves that the league began to respect him again as fans forgot just how dominant Rose was in his prime.
1. Russell Westbrook
Mr. Triple Double’s time away from OKC under the spotlight of the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers brought more scrutiny than the former MVP had ever faced before. Russell Westbrook was the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise, achieving two scoring titles and three assist titles during 11 years with the team. Westbrook, throughout his career, averaged a triple-double not once, not twice, not three times, but four times and is the only player to have done so. Changing teams and roles with questions about his efficiency have made Westbrook the subject of media scrutiny. At 34 years old, it’s hard to see Westbrook returning to his prime days of regularly putting up 30-15-10 on any given night.
