From Michael Olowokandi to Cherokee Parks, here are the 20 most dreadful NBA players in history.
Elgin Baylor, the legendary NBA icon and leader of the Clippers front office, was mistaken in this case. Anticipated to become the next exceptional player, this towering 7-foot center was chosen as the top pick in the 1998 NBA Draft from a lesser-known California college called Pacific.
In Southern California, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, and Vince Carter were all chosen ahead of him in the draft. What makes him a failure, especially in terms of rebounds and points, is that he averaged 3.7 and 3.9 respectively in his two final seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves before joining the then-struggling Los Angeles Clippers. In his uneventful five seasons with the Clippers, he improved his average to 5.8 rebounds and 9.9 points, earning him the nickname “The Kandi Man.”
16. DeSagana Diop
Despite averaging a mere 2.0 points and playing only 14 minutes in 11 seasons, Diop has somehow found a way to contribute to the NBA. Even at 7 feet tall, the Senegalese player has never grabbed more than 3.4 rebounds in a single season.
Joe Johnson likes the likes of Zach Randolph and Gilbert Arenas, who were all picked after him in the funny NBA draft back in June. There was hope that this big man could provide some balance, but it never came to fruition. After LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers picked Diop with the 8th overall pick.
2. Sun Yue
Who is that dude hanging in some photo in his China-based dwelling? We’re pretty sure that’s Sue, the darn pretty Kobe Bryant’s left. He averaged 0.6 points on a shooting percentage of 27% in less than three minutes per outing during the 2008-09 season, when he played 10 games for the Lakers, who picked him in the second round of the NBA draft.
Quite impressive. That encompasses winning two CBA championships. He actually obtained an NBA championship with the Lakers during that season and continues to excel in the CBA. This is not a criticism of Yue.
And the absolute worst NBA player of all time is….
19. Keith Closs
That never materialized.
It’s so enjoyable. Olowokandi, a player from Los Angeles, joined the NBA after recording a 15-67 post. Before the bombing incident, he averaged 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 points. This is an impressive feat considering it was his final season at Central Connecticut State University.
Worst NBA players: The top 10
13. Lazar Hayward
Marquette had a brilliant college career, earning consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament from 2010 and leading the program in All-American honors, while being a four-time recruit-star “Money Man.”
Unfortunately, the guy was arrested in September 2021 for attempting to enter Hawaii with a fake negative COVID-19 test. He played all 72 games. After being selected as the 30th pick in the 2010 draft, Hayward averaged 2.9 points, shooting 35% in three seasons. However, this transfer to the NBA was not successful for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were hapless.
17. Javaris Crittenton
Crittenton, a former Mr. Basketball Georgia, seemingly had the world as his oyster as he headed to Georgia Tech in 2006, acting as a part of the team and being a leader with the Yellow Jackets. He was also a member of the Beta Senior Club and Future Business Leaders of America in high school.
In 2011, Crittenton faced charges of manslaughter in the murder of a 22-year-old mother of four. Currently, he is serving a 23-year sentence in prison. Crittenton’s encounter with teammate Gilbert Arenas, in which he brandished a firearm in the locker room, effectively ended his basketball career. Within the league, Crittenton is primarily known for averaging 5.3 points during his time with three different teams. He had a brief stint of only two seasons in the NBA, playing 22 games with the Lakers. This ultimately resulted in Crittenton being chosen as the 19th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. The remainder of his story serves as a cautionary tale.
11. Darko Miličić
The 2003 NBA Draft was truly remarkable, as it included some of the best players in the league such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James. These talented individuals, along with Darko Miličić, were all picked within the top five positions. It is undeniable that this draft will always be remembered. The Detroit Pistons will never forget this extraordinary event.
Detroit doesn’t need you to realize how much of a genius this turned out to be. The Pistons averaged 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 points from the field, shooting 34% in three seasons. Those are actual statistics. And they have Miličić as one of the biggest busts in NBA Draft history.
5. Mengke Bateer
Released quickly, he was initially part of the Denver Nuggets during training camp in 2002. Bateer never even came near to succeeding in the United States, being regarded as a renowned figure in China (four-time CBA Player of the Year).
Take a look. The video is embedded above showcasing his best moments. Maybe, he has a shooting percentage of 39% in terms of rebounds and averages 2.5 points and 3.4 rebounds throughout his career with the Raptors, Spurs, and Nuggets. He played a total of 46 games before Bateer’s career came to an end.
6. Todd Fuller
Poor execution of draft strategy. Drafting. The primary offender? Between 1994 and 2002, the Warriors were unable to secure more than 36 victories in any given season. These Golden State Warriors were considered a source of amusement and ridicule within the league, a fact that may not be familiar to younger fans.
Fuller would end up bombing out in the NBA after averaging 3.3 points over the course of his final three seasons. The Utah Jazz traded him to the Warriors before the draft, and the Warriors rewarded Fuller by averaging a fun 4.0 points in 132 games. In the 1996 NBA Draft, someone took the name Kobe Bryant ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, who selected Steve Nash as the 15th overall pick. There is no further evidence to suggest that Fuller took this opportunity as head of the front office under Dave Twardzik.
3. Michael Ruffin
NBA history has witnessed one of the dumbest plays ever in reality, and it happened during a game between the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards. Just check out the moment when Michael Ruffin, a player from the Wizards, literally etched his name in NBA lore by farting out his brain.
Yes, I am capable of doing that! During the years 2008-09, while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, Ruffin concluded his professional journey with an average of 0.5 points, scoring only 29% of his shots, making him one of the most subpar basketball players in history. Despite having an average of 1.7 points per game and shooting 41% from the field, Ruffin, who was chosen in the second round by the Chicago Bulls, managed to have a lasting career of nine seasons in the NBA.
9. Nikoloz Tskitishvili
Laughing, we’re pretty sure that we’re still not turning that upside-down frown into a smile after making the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft from the Republic of Georgia. Speaking of Kiki Vandeweghe, the former Nuggets executive front office, we’re watching a drone video. If you’re not laughing, LOL.
This makes Tskitishvili one of the worst players in the history of the NBA. The dude finished his career, averaging just 1.7 points over his final two seasons. Before being dealt to the Golden State Warriors, he averaged a measly 3.2 points on a shooting percentage of 30% in his two seasons with Denver.
15. Hamed Haddadi
Here’s an interesting story. He came to lead multiple teams in the Olympics Summer 2008 in China after receiving offers. He was originally undrafted by the Memphis Grizzlies after the NBA Draft in 2004. Haddadi, a big man born in Iran, is still somehow playing professionally overseas at the age of 36.
Sometimes, the game of international basketball simply does not transfer well to the NBA. The positive aspect is that Haddadi has achieved success by winning three Asian Cup Gold Medals and being named the Asian Cup MVP four times. However, Haddadi’s performance in the United States was not successful, as he only averaged 2.2 points and 2.5 rebounds over a span of five seasons.
12. Hasheem Thabeet
Chosen directly after Thabeet in the 2009 NBA Draft, both players share something in common apart from being future Hall of Famers, and that is James Harden and Stephen Curry.
Did we indicate that James Harden and Stephen Curry were selected after him in the draft? I am certain we did. This tall player averaged 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in segments of five NBA seasons. The individual from Tanzania proceeded to have one of the least presumptuous careers for a top-three selection in Association history when the Memphis Grizzlies chose him as the second overall pick, recognized as a inexperienced player at that moment.
4. Rafael Araújo
In the northern region, many specialists believed that this towering 6-foot-11 individual was destined for greatness. Selected as the eighth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in 2004 from Brazil, the anticipation was for him to become a prominent figure. The then-Raptors front office leader, Rob Babcock, envisioned the creation of an exceptional trio by pairing him with Chris Bosh and Vince Carter.
Ouch! Following him, Andre Iguodala, a three-time NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP, was chosen. That’s remarkably poor, with an average of only 2.9 points and 3.0 rebounds on 41% shooting. Araújo only played two seasons with Toronto. Regarding that?
14. Mark Madsen
He helped lead the Stanford Cardinal team to four NCAA Tournament births by displaying some heroics on the big stage in 1998, earning a trip to the Final 4. We are well aware of how much of a larger-than-life figure Madsen was for us children of the 1990s.
Despite having success under Phil Jackson, the Los Angeles Lakers hoped that when they selected “Dog” Mad in the first round of the 2000 NBA draft, he would translate to be the worst player in basketball to ever win two NBA titles. However, Madsen ended up playing six seasons with the Timberwolves, averaging 0.4 points in his final two campaigns. His Lakers career finished with him averaging 2.6 points in three seasons, but it never happened for Maden.
8. Adam Morrison
Oh boy, Adam Morrison was hailed as the great white hope, starring for the upstart college team Bulldogs Gonzaga, before being selected as the overall 3rd pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats.
Whew, in the top 10 draft class, there were some busts including Sene Mouhamed, O’Bryant Patrick Williams, Sheldon Thomas, and Tyrus. Morrison was also part of this group. Before playing in the NBA, he had a brief run in the field, shooting 36% from the field. After two seasons in the NBA, Morrison averaged 3.4 points per game in his final seasons.
18. Elliot Williams
It proved to be a boon for Williams as he averaged 17.9 points and 4.0 rebounds as a sophomore. After transferring from Memphis to Duke, he became a top recruit under the coaching of Josh Pastner, the then-under coach at Memphis. In his freshman year at Duke, he continued to excel under the guidance of Mike Krzyzewski.
In the 2015-16 season, Williams concluded his last stint with the Memphis Grizzlies, maintaining an average of 1.6 points with a shooting percentage of 20%. He participated in segments of five seasons, concluding his professional career with an average of 4.9 points while shooting 42% from the court. The guard’s trajectory took a negative turn from that point onward, as he was unable to play his entire rookie season due to a knee injury after being chosen in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2020. It would have been wiser for Williams to remain in school.
7. Brian Scalabrine
During his tenure, Scabs averaged a mere 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 39% from the field. A second-round selection of the then-New Jersey Nets from USC in 2001, White Mamba was an incredibly dreadful basketball player before evolving into a quite dependable assistant coach and showcasing an unparalleled charisma. Who can tell? Maybe, he would even acknowledge that in the present day.
The privilege of being 6-foot-9. Notwithstanding this, he managed to succeed in the NBA for 11 seasons. That’s simply difficult to accomplish. During his last two seasons playing for the Chicago Bulls, the California-born player had an average of merely 1.1 points. The interesting part?
10. Anthony Bennett
In general, Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time most valuable player in the league, was picked 15th in total. Furthermore, the top-10 picks consisted of disappointments such as Cody Zeller, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel, and Ben McLemore. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Bennett as the number one overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, potentially making it the worst draft in recent history.
Was the trade for Kevin Love, in which assets were used, the only organization that LeBron James led during the 2014-15 season? The good news for Cleveland takes the cake, as he averaged 39% shooting, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.4 points in four seasons in the NBA. Former UNLV star Bennett, however, takes the icing on the cake.
1. Cherokee Parks
In his ultimate college campaign, Parks maintained an average of 19.0 points and 9.3 rebounds, all while securing a championship title under the guidance of Coach K. The previous High School All-American showcased an exceptional performance with the Blue Devils. This ex-Duke standout unquestionably claims the distinction of being the least skilled NBA player in history.
During his time with the Golden State Warriors in the 2003-04 season, Parks maintained a strong scoring average of 1.0 points per game. He concluded his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks, having been chosen as the 12th pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. However, he unfortunately failed to meet expectations, despite being chosen over talented players such as Brent Barry and Michael Finley. Throughout his career, Parks had an average of 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.