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    • Top 5 Undrafted Players in NBA History

    by admin in NBA | Comments Off on Top 5 Undrafted Players in NBA History

    Draft day is exciting for viewers and for those players who are selected. But no one can really imagine the pain and the agony of that young player who is not picked by any franchise despite having potential. It makes a player feel that he is not good enough to play at professional level. This situation dissapoints many, but there are some players who never give up and become more resolute to enter and perform well in NBA.

    Let’s honor those players who achieved a lot in NBA despite being undrafted.

    1. Ben Wallace

    Ben Wallace is  undoubtedly the most successful undrafted player in NBA history and his career is no less impressive than any top player. After going unselected, he signed a free agent contract with the Washington Bullets in 1996 but he played the best basketball of his career with Detroit Pistons. While playing for Detroit, he won 4 defensive player of the year awards, an NBA championship, two rebounding titles and one shot blocking title. He appeared in 4 all-star games as well.

    2. Avery Johnson

    Nowadays, Avery Johnson is known more for his coaching than his play but in his playing days he was a not a bad player at all. He spent 16 years in NBA and had brief stints with 6 teams. His most productive season came in 1999 when he won a championship with Spurs and hit the championship winning shot as well. Usually undrafted players have topsy turvy careers and they do not play many games. But Avery Johnson went on to play 1,054 games in his career, a record until Ben Wallace broke it in 2012.

    3. John Starks

    After going undrafted in 1988 NBA draft, John Starks contracted with Golden State Warriors as a free agent. But they released him soon, then he played briefly with some minor basketball leagues. In 1990, he made a come  back in NBA and started to play for New York Knicks. Soon, he became a key player for the team and his shooting abilities helped the New York Knicks to win many games. He ended up being the Knicks all-time leader in three point shooting and the first player in NBA history to make 200 three pointers in one season. He could easily have at least one championship under his belt if he had not missed some opportunities on crucial moments.

    4. Bruce Bowen

    Upon graduation, Bruce Bowen declared himself eligible for the 1993 NBA draft but he was not picked by any franchise and it took him four years to make a debut in NBA. After playing basketball overseas, he briefly played with Miami Heat. He was going through an unsteady career until Spurs signed him. In Spurs uniform, he made his name as a lockdowm perimeter defender and despite lacking offensive skills, he became an integral part of the team. He also helped the Spurs to win three championships.

    5. Udonis Haslem

    After going undrafted, Udonis Haslem went to France for playing basketball. In 2003, Miami Heat offered him to come to the training camp and participate in summer league. Some good numbers in summer league earned him a spot in Miami Heat roster. Since then, he has been performing consistently for Miami Heat. Recently, he added a record to him to his name when he become an all time leader in rebounding for Heat franchise. He is the only undrafted player to lead a franchise in rebounding.




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