For NBA franchises, the draft is one of the most important events as it can make or break a team. Things changed drastically for the Miami Heat when they drafted Dwyane Wade as the fifth pick of the 2003 NBA draft — they won their first championship just three years later.
On the downside, things weren’t going quite so well for the Washington Wizards after making Kwame Brown No. 1 overall. Brown is one of many former players who are considered draft busts. Let’s take a look at some of them below.
7. Joe Carroll (No. 1, 1980)
Joe Carroll doesn’t seem that bad looking at his stats. The former center was a 1987 All-Star and averaged 17.7 points and 7.7 rebounds over his 10-year career. Not bad at all, right?
But considering the Golden State Warriors got the No. 1 pick from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Robert Parish, plus a third pick that eventually earned them Kevin McHale, Carroll doesn’t seem like such a bargain anymore. The Celtics would go on to become a dynasty while the Warriors would not win another title until 2015.
6. Danny Ferry (No. 2, 1991)
For most fans, Danny Ferry is perhaps best known for drafting LeBron James as the GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, Ferry was the second pick in the 1989 draft, with the Los Angeles Clippers making the pick. Completely opposed to the idea of playing for the Clippers, Ferry chose Italy, where he became a star.
His rights were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who signed him to a 10-year contract, which he fulfilled before joining the San Antonio Spurs. In 2003 he won the championship with San Antonio.
Though he was a decent player and the Cavs made the playoffs in six of his 10 years there, he was never the NBA star many expected of him, averaging just 7.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game throughout his career.
The Cavs appear to be back on an uptrend, which will bode well for residents as Ohio sportsbook is slated to launch in January, according to bookies.com. There were even rumors of LeBron James’ possible return to Cleveland.
5. Jay Williams (No. 2, 2002)
It might be a little unfair to have Jay Williams here, but it’s kind of his fault. Williams was drafted second overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2002, but his NBA career ended as quickly as it began when the former guard was unfortunately involved in a motorcycle accident after his rookie year.
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Williams should have known better than to hop on a bike since he didn’t have a license to ride in Illinois and it was against the terms of his contract with the Bulls. Also, he wasn’t wearing a helmet.
The Bulls eventually waived him and were generous enough to give him $3 million to help his recovery, although they were under no obligation to pay him anything for violating the terms of his contract with the team.
4. Sam Bowie (No. 2, 1984)
Sam Bowie spent 10 years in the NBA after being drafted second overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1984 and becoming the first rookie team that season. He even averaged a double-double in the 1989-90 season, but he’s best remembered as the guy drafted ahead of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton.
He probably wouldn’t be making this list if it wasn’t for that.
3. Hasheem Thabeet (No. 2, 2009)
Hashem Thabeet
© Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports
Hasheem Thabeet was another second overall pick to fail miserably. The 7ft 3in center was drafted ahead of James Harden, Steph Curry and DeMar DeRozan – two of the three going on to become MVPs while the other was part of the conversation as recently as last season.
Thabeet was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009 and was eliminated from the league in five years. He just couldn’t run at NBA pace and offered very little defense due to his lack of upper body strength. Drafting Thabeet turned out to be an experiment that didn’t go well for the Grizzlies — they’ve done a lot better in recent years.
2. Kwame Brown (No. 1, 2001)
Drafted by the Washington Wizards in 2001, Kwame Brown was the first No. 1 straight out of high school. That should be the high point of his career.
Brown had small hands and was a poor free-throw taker. He also lacked maturity, which is never great when Michael Jordan is both your teammate and president of basketball operations.
The former center was in the NBA for 12 years and has suffered a lot of unfair criticism over the years. He began firing back at his critics via his now hugely popular YouTube channel, Kwame Brown Bust Life.
1. Anthony Bennett (No. 1, 2013)
When the Cavaliers picked Anthony Bennett for No. 1 in 2013 it certainly came as a shock, and with good reason. He only lasted four years in the NBA, playing for as many teams and averaging just as many points before his retirement.
Bennett is now playing in Taiwan; In 2017 he won a Euroleague championship.
