NBA careers are often dictated by personal accomplishments, performance, dedication and longevity. The league is full of players who are willing to sacrifice anything to attain their goals and have a long career in the association.
However, in some cases, some NBA careers are often cut short due to a myriad of reasons. The reasons may vary but a couple of things are certain: it’s either the lack of desire or an injury bug.
Today, we will take a look at 15 NBA players whose careers were absolutely doomed from the beginning.
Darko Milicic (NBA Career: 2003-2012)
Milicic was a prime example of why NBA teams need to draft the best talent available versus the needs of a team. Drafted 3rd overall by the stacked Pistons in the 2003 NBA Draft, Milicic only played limited minutes in his first few seasons in the league which severely hampered his development and confidence.
As an 18-year-old rookie coming from Europe, it must have been brutal for him to go against Rasheed and Big Ben at practice.
Brandon Roy (NBA Career: 2006-2011, 2012-2013)
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It hurts to put Roy on this list but his career was truly doomed from the start due to the lack of cartilage from both of his knees.
His first major knee injury occurred when he was still in high school and that was the beginning of the myriad of knee injuries he had suffered throughout his career. As a result, Roy had to step away from the game at the young age of 28.
Kwame Brown (NBA Career: 2001-2013)
Perhaps one of the biggest busts in NBA history, Brown was initially hyped to become one of the best big men of his era after being drafted number one overall by the Wizards in 2001.
However, red flags began to show in his rookie year as several people in the Wizards camp noticed that he had tiny hands and had difficulty palming a basketball. This is not usually a big deal but with him standing at 6’11”, that’s pretty bad for a basketball player.
Adam Morrison (NBA Career: 2006-2010)
Morrison was one of the top players in college basketball in 2005-2006 while donning a Gonzaga jersey. However, many pundits were taken aback by his personality when he broke down in tears on national television after his Gonzaga Bulldogs squandered a 17-point lead in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
His toughness was soon questioned afterward when he got drafted into the NBA. Morrison never became a star in the league as people were skeptical about his emotional instability as a player.
Anthony Bennett (NBA Career: 2013-2017)
Perhaps the biggest bust in NBA history, Bennett’s downfall started when the Cavaliers surprised everybody by selecting him as the number one overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Keep in mind that there was no consensus top pick in this relatively weak class.
He did not score his first field goal until his fifth NBA game. In addition to his struggles and lack of confidence, he was often injured and was diagnosed with sleep apnea.
T.J. Ford (NBA Career: 2003-2012)
Before the 2003 NBA Draft, T.J. Ford, the college Player of the Year in 2003, was almost paralyzed after suffering an injury during a pickup game in Austin.
The scary injury was kept hidden throughout his nine-year NBA career. As a result, Ford suffered similar incidents throughout his career in the league and never fulfilled his potential.
Yi Jianlian (NBA Career: 2007-2012)
After the massive success of Yao Ming in the NBA, Yi was dubbed as the next big thing to come out of China.
However, it was evident from the start that Yi’s skills were not as great as Yao’s. The unwarranted expectations from Chinese basketball fans definitely took a toll on him. Yi was out of the NBA at just 24.
Chris Washburn (NBA Career: 1986-1988)
Before Washburn was selected the third overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, he was already involved in multiple issues off the court during his time with N.C. State.
Despite problems with his SAT scores and a short jail time after getting caught stealing a stereo, NBA teams were still enamored by his potential. Sadly, Washburn was handed a lifetime ban from the league in 1988 due to his drug addiction.
Sean May (NBA Career: 2005-2010)
After a decorated career in college, expectations were high for May entering the 2005 NBA Draft. He had a good start in the first couple of months in his rookie season but after a knee injury in late 2005, he was never the same player he once was.
He was mostly on the injured list throughout his NBA career. May also suffered weight problems and developed a lack of desire to compete at the NBA level again.
Jan Vesely (NBA Career: 2011-2014)
A native of the Czech Republic, scouts were drooling at Vesely’s athleticism and potential ahead of the 2011 NBA Draft. Selected as the 6th overall pick in 2011, expectations were high on the young forward.
However, Vesely was mostly relegated to the bench by then-Wizards coach Flip Saunders in his rookie year, which directly affected his confidence. As a result, Vesely had a hard time adjusting to the pace of the league and went back to Europe in 2014.
Hasheem Thabeet (NBA Career: 2009-2014)
Before becoming one of the biggest busts in the 21st century, Thabeet was a defensive beast at UConn. At 7’3”, he averaged 4.2 BPG throughout his college career.
His limited offensive game and relatively slow feet were huge red flags in college. Those concerns materialized on the NBA court. Thabeet heavily struggled to defend at the NBA level and was mostly a non-factor in all of the games he played in.
Jonny Flynn (NBA Career: 2009-2012)
Flynn had a great start to his NBA career and was actually named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2010. After a stellar rookie year, he suffered a hip injury in his second season with the Wolves and his play gradually declined.
Plus, with the impending arrival of Spaniard sensation Ricky Rubio in 2011, Minnesota suddenly didn’t view Flynn as part of their long-term core. With injuries piling up, Flynn was out of the league at just 23.
DeJuan Blair (NBA Career: 2009-2016)
Blair already had multiple knee injuries in high school which eventually heavily contributed to his downfall in the NBA. One theory is that a botched ACL operation he had in high school resulted in the gradual deterioration of his knees.
By the time he was in the NBA, doctors discovered he had little to no ACL on both of his knees, which is an anomaly.
Tyler Ulis (NBA Career: 2016-2018)
Heading into the 2016 NBA Draft, Ulis was projected to be a mid to late first-round selection after a stellar college career. Despite standing at just 5’10”, he was a Consensus First-Team All-American and the winner of the Bob Cousy Award.
Two weeks before the draft, it was revealed that he had a potentially problematic hip which may affect his career in the long run. Ulis’s draft stock plummeted and after a couple of seasons, he was already out of the league.
Greg Oden (NBA Career: 2007-2012, 2013-2014)
Just before his NBA career began in 2007, Oden had a season-ending microfracture surgery on his right knee. Nobody expected that this would just be a prelude to what was to come throughout his entire career.
Oden subsequently got injured again during his second and third seasons in the league, further diminishing his confidence and severely impacting his mental health.
