Getting into the NBA is no easy task for most basketball players. It requires dedication, hard work and passion for the game as the league is widely considered the best in the world. But some players face seemingly insurmountable hurdles in their careers from the start, which can greatly affect their time in the league.
Today, we will name twelve NBA players whose careers were doomed from the very start of their careers. In this list, we will forgo players who were drafted in the second round and only include first-round draft picks. We will look at multiple factors why their careers were doomed from the start which led to their regrettable stint in the league.
PF/C Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Georgia
As the 5th overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, the Nuggets were excited to trade for Tskitishvili due to his shooting potential as a big man. However, the Georgian-born big man was not equipped with the physicality required to go against the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Yao Ming or Tim Duncan on a nightly basis.
He was out of the league after just playing 172 games. In an era where big men dominated the paint, Tskitishvili’s outside game was better suited for Europe than in the NBA.
PF Robert Traylor, Michigan
After a stellar career in Michigan, Traylor was selected as the 6th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. He was a dominant force in college but one huge red flag about him was his weight. At just 6’8”, he weighed over 300 pounds in college and was deemed too overweight to play in the NBA.
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Traylor had problems shedding weight and was out of the league by 2005. Sadly, he suffered a fatal heart attack in 2011, at the young age of 34.
C Michael Olowokandi, Nigeria
One of the most disappointing first-overall picks in the history of the league, Olowokandi career has been substandard, to say the least. His time in the league was doomed from the start because he was an older prospect who had limited potential for further development.
Olowakandi started his career at 23 years old as he didn’t pick up the sport until he was 18. That minor detail is usually a red flag for teams, but the Clippers shrugged it off anyway.
C Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzania
As the 2nd overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, Thabeet was seen as a defensive monster due to his otherworldly shot-blocking abilities at UConn. But there were quite a number of reservations about drafting a 7’3” player with a very limited offensive arsenal.
With a guy his size lacking the proper mechanics of a basic jump shot, Thabeet was quickly out of the league in just four years.
F Royce White, Iowa State
White definitely had the talent to play in the NBA but unfortunately, his mental illness was a huge factor in why he didn’t succeed in the next level. Houston was expecting him to bolster their frontcourt, but there was one huge problem with the 6’8” forward – his extreme fear of flying.
A typical NBA team usually travels by air around three to four times a week, and White was not willing to travel by plane. While suffering from mental health is not a joke, the league at the time was not equipped to deal with similar problems compared to today.
C Sam Bowie, Kentucky
Bowie missed two full seasons in college due to suffering a stress fracture in both of his legs. Portland didn’t care much and still drafted him 2nd overall in the 1984 NBA draft. Honestly, he wouldn’t get much flak if it wasn’t for a guy named Michael Jordan being drafted just after his selection.
The injuries Bowie suffered in college prevented him from having a good career in the pro ranks and was out in the league in just 511 games.
C Chris Washburn, NC State
Washburn’s problems were well-documented even before he was selected as the 3rd overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. When he was in college, he was caught by police for stealing a stereo.
In addition, he was struggling with addiction to drugs, especially cocaine. Washburn failed three drug tests in three years and was banned from the NBA for life, ending his career after scoring a measly 222 points.
C Darko Milicic, Serbia
Darko’s doomed career was heavily attributed to Detroit’s lack of interest in his development rather than his skills as a basketball player. The Pistons already had a good team before they drafted Milicic but still held on to the 2nd overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft due to a trade they made with the Grizzlies in 1997.
With constant DNPs at such a young age as one of the draft’s top selections, Milicic’s confidence quickly diminished and he really didn’t have the support to properly develop during his time in the league.
PF/C Pervis Ellison, Louisville
Having an awful nickname such as “Out of Service Pervis” is a dead giveaway of how bad your career went in the association. Before becoming the 1st overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, Ellison was known as a clutch performer in Louisville, leading them to a National Championship before going pro.
Injuries really hampered Ellison’s career from the start as he missed 48 games in his rookie year. He somehow managed to last 11 seasons in the league but never became the star analysts hoped he’d be.
C Kwame Brown, Glynn Academy HS
“If you draft me, you’ll never regret it”. Those were the infamous words that Brown told former Wizards coach Doug Collins ahead of the 2001 NBA draft. As we all know, he never delivered on his promise.
Brown was blessed with the body of a warrior but with the tiny hands of a middle school student. He reportedly had problems gripping a basketball during workouts. This problem persisted throughout his career as he struggled nightly with turnovers and defensive assignments.
C Jahlil Okafor, Duke
Lofty expectations were given to Okafor by the time he was drafted into the league. He had a stellar rookie season with Philadelphia and was poised to become one of the best big men of his generation.
But as fate would have it, Embiid returned from his injury sabbatical and brutally outplayed him for the starting spot in the team. Okafor never recovered from his delegation to the bench and his poor defensive efforts essentially doomed the trajectory of his career after a couple of seasons with the Sixers.
PF Anthony Bennett, UNLV
Without a clear consensus on who’s the top pick ahead of the 2013 NBA draft, the Cavaliers surprised everybody with Bennett’s selection at number one. He had a good year with UNLV, but there was a plethora of issues with him such as laziness, a sleep apnea diagnosis, and just being undersized at the power forward spot.
Bennett was clearly overwhelmed with all the negativity that surrounded him early in his NBA career and was out of the league in just four seasons. An unsatisfactory ending after battling insurmountable odds in his young career.
