The 2019 NBA Draft kicks off in June and this time every year, teams around the Association make their plans for the future. A top collegiate pick can completely change a franchise’s future trajectory. At the same time, a poor pick can set a team back years and create a reputation around them for making bad player choices. Collegiate basketball fans know all the top stars and sportsbooks for March Madness betting make it easy for those fanatics to wager on the teams they love to watch.

The NBA Draft has some legendary flops. These players were expected to be the next big thing in the Association. Yet, injuries and poor play caused their NBA careers to fail miserably.

5. Shawn Bradley – Philadelphia 76ers

Shawn Bradley was a star college center at BYU. The 7-foot-5 player was expected to cause all kinds of problems for NBA offenses thanks to his shot blocking ability and rebounding. Turns out, Bradley played for a college that didn’t play against the best talent.

He was found out when he reached the NBA as an unathletic, awkward center who could be pushed around with ease. Bradley somehow lasted in the league from 1993 until 2005. The former 3rd overall pick had a career average of 8.1 points per game and 6.3 rebounds.

4. Jimmer Fredette – Milwaukee Bucks traded to Sacramento Kings

There is a pattern forming and it seems that BYU players are overrated. Jimmer Fredette was a scoring machine at BYU averaging 28.9 points per game his senior year. He set all kinds of scoring records at the university, but his play has never translated to the NBA.
The Milwaukee Bucks shipped him to the Sacramento Kings before he had played a game. The Bucks had taken Fredette 10th overall in 2011. He went on to Chicago, New Orleans, and New York until landing in China with the Shanghai Sharks.

Turns out the level of play in China is similar to that at BYU as Fredette averaged over 36 points per game in both seasons. In March, the awful Phoenix Suns signed Fredette to a two-year contract. He played five times to end the season averaging 6.0 points per game. Right now, it is doubtful he will make the Suns’ roster next season.

3. Sam Bowie – Portland Trail Blazers

Sam Bowie is always called the ‘worst draft pick of all-time’ simply because Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton were in his draft class. Yes, he had leg injuries, but plenty of professional sports teams have taken previously injured players as top picks.

Had Bowie not got hurt in his second season and continued the success of his first (10 points per game and 8.6 rebounds), he never gets labelled as an NBA Draft flop. It is time to give Bowie a break.

2. Kwame Brown – Washington Wizards

Some NBA fans might ask, “who’s Kwame Brown?” The answer is a former No. 1 pick who flopped miserably. How miserably?

Brown went straight to the NBA from high school and the Michael Jordan-run Washington Wizards wasted their No. 1 pick on him.

Brown bounced around to seven different NBA teams between 2001 and 2013. He averaged just 6.6 points per game, and since 2017, Brown has played for a 3-on-3 basketball team.

1. Michael Olowokandi – Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers wasted their 1998 No. 1 pick on Michael Olowokandi, a center from University of the Pacific. The Clippers could have drafted Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, or Rashard Lewis instead.

Olowokandi averaged 8.3 points per game during a nine-year career. Today, he probably would never make it out of the G-League with that points per game ratio.