JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
12 Worst NBA Players of All Time
Here’s the list of 12 worst NBA players of all time.
It's not common to discuss the worst NBA players ever. Rather, we frequently concentrate on the GOATS. Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James.
Here, that won't be the case. We will examine the 12 worst NBA players in history below. They include both first-round picks and second-round picks, and they span generations of on-court incompetence.
12. Javaris Crittenton
Before enrolling at Georgia Tech in 2006, Crittenton, a former Mr. Georgia Basketball, seemed to have the world at his disposal. In his lone season with the Yellow Jackets, he played the role of team leader. He was a member of the Senior Beta Club and the Future Business Leaders of America in high school.
As a result, the Los Angeles Lakers chose the guard with the 19th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. The remainder serves as a warning story. Crittenton only participated in 22 games for the Lakers during his two NBA seasons. He scored 5.3 points per game on average for three teams.
In the league, the Georgia native gained notoriety for bringing a gun to the locker room and confronting Gilbert Arenas, a teammate of the Washington Wizards at the time. Crittenton would not see the court in his lifetime. After being found guilty of manslaughter in the 2011 death of a 22-year-old mother of four children, he is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence.
11. DeSagana Diop
Despite averaging just 2.0 points and 14 minutes per game, Diop managed to play in the NBA for 11 seasons. The Senegalese native never averaged more than 3.4 rebounds in a season, despite his height of 7 feet.
In the 2002 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected this big man with the eighth overall pick in the hopes that he would help balance out LeBron James. As you can see, that was never realized.
10. Mark Madsen
Mark Madsen’s heroics helped lead the team to four NCAA Tournament berths, with the Cardinals making it to the Final 4 in 1998.
When the Los Angeles Lakers selected "Mad Dog" in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft, they were hoping that this would translate to the league. It never happened, even though this team was winning under Phil Jackson.
Throughout three seasons, Madsen averaged 2.6 points to end his Lakers career. He stayed with the Timberwolves for an additional six seasons, averaging 0.4 points in his last two seasons. Still, Madsen holds the unique distinction of being the worst basketball player in NBA history to win two championships.
9. Hasheem Thabeet
Other than being potential Hall of Famers, what is the commonality between James Harden and Stephen Curry? Each was chosen in the 2009 NBA Draft right after Thabeet.
The Tanzanian native, who was regarded as a raw player when the Memphis Grizzlies selected him with the second overall pick, went on to have one of the worst careers for a top-three pick in Association history. Over parts of five NBA seasons, this big man averaged 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds.
8. Anthony Bennett
Perhaps the greatest NBA Draft in modern history was the one that took place in 2013. Bennett was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers first overall. Among the top 10 choices were busts of Ben McLemore, Cody Zeller, Alex Len, and Nerlens Noel. Given that Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time league MVP, went 15th overall, it's absurd.
During parts of four NBA seasons, the former UNLV standout averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds on 39% shooting. The good news for Clevelanders? Before the 2014–15 season, he was one of the pieces traded for Kevin Love, which enabled LeBron James to lead the team to its one and only championship.
7. Adam Morrison
After playing brilliantly for a young Gonzaga Bulldogs team in college, Adam Morrison was heralded as the next great white hope. In the 2006 NBA Draft, the forward was chosen third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats, who were a real team at the time.
After a strong rookie campaign in 2006–07, Morrison went on to average 3.4 points per game in his final two NBA seasons. Before trying his hand at Serbia, he shot 36% from the field in his brief 161-game NBA career. Tyrus Thomas, Sheldon Williams, Patrick O'Bryant, and Mouhamed Sene—all busts who made it into the top 10—were in the same draft class as Morrison.
6. Nikoloz Tskitishvili
The stature of Nikoloz Tskitishvili as a player is exposed in the video above. It makes you laugh as a fan when you watch it. Haha. Kiki Vandeweghe, the former front office executive of the Nuggets must have been a laughing stock after selecting this Republic of Georgia native with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Before being traded to the Golden State Warriors, Tskitishvili played just two seasons for Denver, averaging just 3.2 points on 30% shooting. The guy averaged 1.7 points per game in his final two seasons of play.
5. Todd Fuller
Todd Fuller was picked ahead of the legendary Kobe Bryant in the 1996 draft. No, I am not joking. Dave Twardzik selected Fuller with the 11th overall pick, two picks ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, who selected Kobe Bryant.
In that draft, fellow Hall of Famer Steve Nash was selected fifteenth overall. Before being traded to the Utah Jazz, Fuller entertained the Warriors by averaging a fun 4.0 points in 132 games. After averaging 3.3 points in his final three seasons, Fuller would ultimately bomb out in the NBA.
ALSO READ: 5 NBA Regular Season MVPs Who Went On To Lose in NBA Finals
4. Rafael Araújo
When Rafael Araujo was picked at the draft in the NBA by the Toronto Raptors in 2004 as the 8th pick, the experts believed that the 6-foot-11 big man from Brazil would be the next big thing from up north. Rob Babcock, the front office head of the Raptors at the time, had the idea to form an elite three with him, Vince Carter, and Chris Bosh.
However, the move backfired miserably. In his two seasons of play, Araújo averaged just 2.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 41% shooting from the field. To add salt to the wound, Andre Iguodala, the NBA Finals MVP and four-time champion was selected one pick later.
3. Michael Ruffin
When Ruffin played for the Washington Wizards, he essentially inscribed his name in NBA history. Just look at his inane gaffe during a Toronto Raptors game. This is among the worst plays in the history of the modern league.
About his career, despite averaging 1.7 points and shooting 41% from the field, the former Chicago Bulls second-round pick managed to play in the NBA for nine seasons. Ruffin, who ended his career as one of the worst basketball players ever, averaged 0.5 points on 29% shooting in 2008–09 while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.
2. Sun Yue
I don’t think even the most fanatic of LA Lakers fans would remember the name, Sun Yue. The Chinese player’s highlight in the NBA was when he was sitting next to Kobe Bryant on the bench. The 2008–09 season saw 10 games from the former Lakers second-round selection. In fewer than three minutes of action per game, he scored 0.6 points on 27% shooting on average.
However, he did receive an NBA ring with the Lakers, and he carved a decent career in the CBA.
1. Cherokee Parks
Parks was good when he was playing for the Blue Devils. In his final collegiate season, the former High School All-American averaged 19.0 points and 9.3 rebounds, good for a championship.
As a result, the Dallas Mavericks selected Parks with the 12th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. The big man was chosen ahead of players like Michael Finley and Brent Barry, only to spectacularly fail. Throughout his career, Parks averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. In his final season with the Golden State Warriors, he averaged 1.0 points per game over 12 games.
Latest Articles
