Every avid NBA fan has heard of the success stories of a player coming from college and developing into an NBA Star. Whether it be being a top prospect living up to the hype like Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Or, coming from a relatively unknown college and becoming a star like Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum, the Portland Trail Blazers’ star duo. However, what does tend to get overlooked is the opposite story. What about the players who were great in college, but could not quite make it in the league, whether it be because of injuries or some other reason. Without further adieu, here are five players who fit this bill.
Five College Basketball Stars Who Didn’t Make it in the NBA
The First NBA Player Who Did Not Quite Pan Out: Adam Morrison
Adam Morrison has a case for the biggest bust in NBA history. After helping lead his alma mater, Gonzaga, to a ton of success while being a 28 point per game scorer, he was drafted third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2006 NBA Draft. As insane as it is to say now, he was looked at as the savior of the Bobcats at the time. Sadly, this was not the case at all.
He only lasted three seasons in the league and ended up averaging only 7.5 points per game. His last season in the league, he only averaged 2.4 points per game and only averaged a terrible 2.1 rebounds per game for his career. A terrible rebounding average to possess as a power forward. Needless to say, Michael Jordan, who is now the president of the Charlotte Hornets, whiffed on this draft pick.
Second NBA Player: Darko Milicic
The one claim to fame Milicic has is being drafted one spot ahead of Carmelo Anthony. What is even more strange is that he still got a ring with the Detroit Pistons, the team led by Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace. You can go ahead and hate on Anthony all you want, but he would have definitely gotten his elusive ring if the Pistons had selected him instead of Milicic. Milicic was a star over in Serbia which drew the interest of many NBA squads.
This may not be a former college player, but his name is worth mentioning on this list. Unfortunately, Milicic has a strong argument for being one of the biggest busts in NBA history. For his career, he only averaged six points per game including a disappointing rookie season where he averaged 1.4 points per game. Not to mention, Milicic he possessed a porous career offensive rating of 94. Milicic has now given up his basketball career. He then tried a stint at kickboxing. He is now living on a farm.
Third Player: Christian Laettner
Laettner is a bit of a strange case. He was heavily touted coming out of Duke. He even received a gold medal for being part of the famous Dream Team. It is somewhat difficult to consider Laettner a bust when he did receive one All-Star nod in his career along with making the All-Rookie Team. His scoring averages were not too shabby either as he finished his career averaging 12.8 points per game, including a season where he averaged 18.2 points per game.
Sadly, this one of the few bright spots as he simply did not live up to the hype. Laettner was that good coming out of college. The Timberwolves thought they were getting a future Hall of Famer. It also does not help that he was picked for the Dream Team over Shaquille O’Neal. In reality, Minnesota drafted a role player who would bounce around the league throughout his long career.
Fourth Player: Greg Oden
Oden is now famous for being selected before Kevin Durant. The Trail Blazers seem to have bad luck in the NBA Draft (Michael Jordan anyone?) While it seems odd now, at the time, it actually made sense for Portland to draft Oden. He was a superstar for Ohio State and the Trail Blazers were in desperate need of a big man at the time. Especially since Brandon Roy was on the team at the time.
For Oden, he succumbed to knee issues. He has a condition where one leg is actually longer than the other which caused massive problems for his knees. Oden only ever averaged over double figures one time in his career and averaged only eight points per game for his career. Not to mention, he had three straight seasons where he did not play due to injury. Oden never even averaged a single block per game. When it comes to Greg Oden, it is an extremely sad case of “what could have been” since his struggles were not all his fault.
Fifth Player: Tyler Hansbrough
This one hurts me as a North Carolina Tar Heels fan. Hansbrough was a beast in college. When you needed a rebound and second-chance point, you could count on him. However, that flamed out quickly when he came to the big leagues.
Hansbrough went from being an NCAA champion averaging 20 points per game to a bench player who only averaged 6.7 points per game for his career. He never lived up to his potential and the last time he played was the 2015-16 season. These players never lived up to their potential in the NBA. However, they were very fun to watch during their time in college.