Top 10 NBA Draft Busts of All-Time

As a kid, I was an avid follower of sports and the NBA was no exception. Since 1998, I haven't followed nearly as well, although I still watch it. The NBA Draft itself is a different process than other sports since the team with the worst record doesn't automatically get the No. 1 overall pick because of the lottery system that was first used in 1985. Many teams benefited from this process while others have made very bad selections that would cost their franchises dearly by passing on Hall of Fame players or multi-time NBA All-Stars.

My top 10 NBA Draft busts of all-time is based mainly on time spent in the league, total lack of production that is expected from a high selection, and key players that those same teams passed on. Any team that drafts players want to get the most out of their selections to warrant why they took them in the first place. So productivity does factor in my rankings here. Here are my top 10 NBA Draft busts off all-time....

10. Power forward Marcus Fizer, Iowa State- 4th overall pick in 2000 by the Chicago Bulls
With the Bulls vastly becoming the laughing stock of the league at the time, Marcus Fizer was drafted to help former top pick Elton Brand in the front court in a year where the NBA Draft was considered the worst ever overall. It was not to be for Fizer as he lasted four seasons in Chicago during which Brand would be traded by then. He couldn't even make the expansion roster of the Charlotte Bobcats when he was taken by them. Fizer didn't make the final roster for the Bobcats, and he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in which he had another disappointing season with them. After two 10-day contract stints in 2005-06, Fizer's days were over in the NBA. He has played internationally ever since, and has had okay success at it. Fizer averaged 9.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game playing in 235 games over a six-year career in the league.

9. Power forward Stromile Swift, LSU- 2nd overall pick in 2000 by the Vancouver Grizzlies
As another one of the players that came out what is considered the worst NBA Draft ever, Swift was counted on to help the Grizzlies become a much better team. Swift only averaged double digits in points in his career twice, and lasted five seasons for the franchise. He signed with the Houston Rockets, and returned to the Grizzlies the following season. Swift played with the Nets as well as Phoenix Suns, but only played in 54 games in those two years with both clubs. He was the biggest bust of a terrible draft class in 2000. He averaged 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game during his career in the league.

8. Guard Dennis Hopson, Ohio State- 3rd overall pick in 1987 by the New Jersey Nets
As a shooting guard for the Buckeyes, Hopson came into his own as an all-around player for the school. He was second in the nation in scoring during his senior season. The Nets had the injury bug hit them hard at the guard positions, and they wanted to address it making Hopson their choice in the draft. Hopson was expected to be the player that got back the Nets back to a respectible record, but the team continued to spiral downward after picking him. Hopson was traded to the Bulls after leading the Nets in scoring during the 1989-90 season averaging 15.8 points per game. Although he didn't contribute much, he won an NBA Championship that season with Chicago. He was traded to Sacramento Kings during the 1991-92 season, and that would be the last of his NBA career when he began to play in international leagues around the world. He averaged 10.9 points per game in five NBA seasons.

7. Guard Bo Kimble, Loyola Marymount- 8th overall pick in 1990 by the Los Angeles Clippers
Kimble was a big part of the explosive scoring offense at Loyola Marymount along with teammate Hank Gathers, who died before the NCAA Tournament in 1990 began. Kimble's leadership showed as the team made the Elite Eight that year, and it was enough for the Clippers draft him. However, it was another mistake in a long line of them for the Clippers franchise as Kimble played in only 105 games in three seasons averaging 5.5 points per game. The Clippers traded him to the New York Knicks after the 1991-92 season in which he would only play in nine games and score 33 points with his new team. The fact that he was the No. 8 overall pick does spare him being higher than the rest listed here.

6. Forward Ed O'Bannon, UCLA- 9th overall pick in 1995 by the New Jersey Nets
No matter how you slice it, the New Jersey Nets selecting O'Bannon was a flat awful move. O'Bannon played a huge role in UCLA's NCAA Championship in 1995 and was the John Wooden Award winner during the same season, too. That would be by far the highlight of his basketball career that ended up being very short in the NBA. O'Bannon's NBA career lasted all of 128 games in two uneventful seasons. Of those games, he only started in 34 of them and he spent the last 19 of his career in Dallas after the Nets traded him in his second season. Players such as Theo Ratliff and Michael Finley were picked later on in this draft, and had faired much better at the NBA level than O'Bannon. O'Bannon was a huge star in college, but a huge bust at the pro level. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in his two seasons in the league.

5. Center Michael Olowokandi, Pacific- 1st overall pick in 1998 by the Los Angeles Clippers
In a draft year that produced All-Stars such as Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitski, and Paul Pierce, the Clippers once again made another blunder of a pick with Olowokandi. Olowokandi did show signs of improvement when he reached double digits in points per game in back-to-back seasons before he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves before the 2003-04 season. Injuries were piling up on him at that time, and he never came close to those numbers again. Four years later after signing with Minnesota, his NBA career was over. His status as No. 1 overall pick puts him on this list after other fellow draftees in 1998 had much better careers than did Olowokandi.

4. Center Sam Bowie, Kentucky- 2nd overall pick in 1984 by the Portland Trail Blazers
Most everyone knows the story of Sam Bowie being picked ahead of Michael Jordan by Portland, and some maybe shocked that he's not at the top of my list. The Trail Blazers acquired the No. 2 overall pick from the Indiana Pacers, but were not in position to take Akeem Olajuwon since he went No. 1 overall to the Houston Rockets. The Trail Blazers wanted to address the center position by taking Bowie because of having shooting guard Clyde Drexler on the club. So instead of taking the best available player like Jordan, who went to Chicago at No. 3, they took Bowie as Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA Championships in his career. Jordan, Charles Barkley(picked 5th by Philadelphia), John Stockton(picked 16th by Utah), and even Otis Smith turned out to have more successful careers than Bowie. Of course, this wasn't the first time Portland drafted a center very early that became a major bust in the NBA. Bowie only played four seasons for Portland and was traded to New Jersey. Bowie averaged 10.9 points per game and 7.5 rebounds a game in an injury-filled 10-year career.

3. Kwame Brown, Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Georgia- 1st overall pick in 2001 by the Washington Wizards
You knew when Michael Jordan had taken over as team president for Washington at the time that Brown was going to be a major factor in the NBA or a complete bust as the first ever high school player chosen first overall. Unfortunately, he was a bust in every imaginable way due in large part because of his immaturity and less than stellar work ethic. He showed some improvement early in his career, but then got himself involved in feuds with fellow teammates. To make matters worse, he claimed a stomach ailment in 2005 during the NBA Playoffs only to be spotted at a Chinese restaurant later that night. He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where at times he showed glimpses of promise worthy of his draft selection only to lose his job to Andrew Bynum. He has made two more stops since leaving the Lakers, and hasn't come close to fulfilling his lofty expectations as the No. 1 overall selection in 2001. He has averaged just 6.7 points per game in his career.

2. Center LaRue Martin, Loyola University- 1st overall pick in 1972 by the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers should have paid attention to history before taking Bowie in 1984, and this selection to take Martin should have been enough proof for them as to why. Martin had a great career at Loyola University, and even outplayed center Bill Walton when his team went against UCLA during the 1971-72 college season. Portland was convinced he was their man to select, and they couldn't have been more wrong. They passed on Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal, Julius Erving, and even Jim Price who all had better careers. To put it in perspective how bad this pick was, the Trail Blazers were still one of the two worst teams in the league for the next two seasons which meant they were involved in a coin flip to see who would select first in those drafts. They lost the coin flip in 1973, but traded their No. 2 pick. In 1974, they won the coin flip and selected another center in Walton with that first overall pick. Martin's career was done with Walton's selection and he retired in 1976 as Portland won the NBA Championship the following season. Martin played in 271 career games in four seasons averaging only 5.3 points per game.

1. Center Chris Washburn, NC State- 3rd overall pick in 1986 by the Golden State Warriors
In quite possibly the worst NBA Draft ever in 1986 that is largely remembered for the unfortunate death of Len Bias, one such player picked right after him makes the top spot on my list. Chris Washburn's talent was undeniable, but his personal decisions in life such as battling a drug addiction as well as stealing a car stereo in college made for a short career. While some can make legit arguments for others being the top bust ever, Washburn's career was brief and very uneventful. Washburn started in only two of 72 career games, and averaged a paltry 3.1 points per game in his two seasons in the league. He failed three drug tests, and was banned for life in 1989. Washburn's career ended before it started, and it goes to show you how fast you can fall despite the athletic talent that one such as him had. Perhaps Golden State should have taken note of his work ethic as well as student status at NC State before this selection. His very short, unproductive career as a top 3 pick is why he's my top choice as the NBA Draft bust ever.

I considered more players from the 2000 NBA Draft, but they didn't make my list.

An argument can be made for most of the ones I listed here, and the length of one's career as well as where they were selected played a big part in how determined this list. While these drafts are literally a crap shoot as to how great or bad selections will be, it is easier to see how they look now. However, I'm quite certain with these picks as well as others that those who made these selections would have liked a mulligan rule to be in effect to pick again.

Sources: NBA Draft History, basketball-reference.com, prosportstransactions.com/basketball, CNN Sports Illustrated, Loyola Marymount site, wikipedia.org