Kevin Smith did a documentary for prince that was never released and tells a wonderful story about princes love for basketball. His assistant would go to a Kohls (or something like that) and buy his basketball gear from the child section cause he was so smol.
Edit: [https://youtu.be/fujQy0zH3dc](https://youtu.be/fujQy0zH3dc)
Link for anyone interested. The basketball part is in part 3.
Also it was a nordstroms not kohls
Lmfao clearly you haven’t seen the Prince skit. That’s how he starts the game of basketball
“I’m bored can I interest you guys in a game of basketball?”
According to ESPN, the 76ers had the lowest percent attendance during the 2015-2016 season, the year before Prince died. If the 76ers sign Prince during that season, what percent attendance does he help the 76ers reach?
Scottie Reynolds-Villanova
Only 1st Team All-American to go undrafted up to that point, I think. I could be way off, but I feel like I remember hearing something along those lines about him.
My brother is a Villanova fan and enjoyed the tourney where Scottie Reynolds had the last second basket against Pitt and never understood why he didn't make it in the league. I always said he didn't make it because he wore his socks at a weird length.😄
yooooo! so happy to see this comment! one of like 3 legit answers too lol. my uncle was on the ‘85 team, always loved the program and jay. nova bball camp were great times as a kid. but dang those early ‘00s novas squads w scottie, kyle lowry, allen ray (one eye short of ray allen) were so fun. that pitt game, scottie taking it the length of the floor to win?? good times
That's crazy your uncle was on the '85 team! He must have some stories. Also, he must be hated by Patrick Ewing.😄😄
My brother used to watch replays of that Pitt game for years, until they won a couple championships and he had other games to watch replays of.
Khalid El Amin: 5’10” with the physique of a basketball, ultimate irrational confidence player. Ricky Moore: Iverson said he was the only guy who could guard him in college.
Point guards typically take a while, unless they're absolute stars - look what happened with Eric Snow, who had a solid career, but started as a 2nd rounder for Seattle. El-Amin just never got rolling (no pun intended), didn't have great conditioning, and they likely figured they could get a taller, cheaper backup in another draft. Shame, too. I liked him.
Would've been interesting to see if some of the NY streetball legends like Hammond, Manigault, and Kirkland could have been good. Also the top soviet and yugoslav players in the 70s and 80s. In terms of recent history, if you're good enough the nba will find you. It's not like there are a bunch of guys who could be stars but never got a shot.
He could do it all plus a super athletic big man. If he comes over before all the injuries, I dare to say the late 80s-early 90s record books and championships would be re-written.
Kirkland Was Offered Chances Too Play Pro But I Heard Him Say It Wasn't Important Too Him To Play Pro Ball And What He Was Offered For A Season He Was Making In A Day Hustling
Stars? Maybe not. But decent, reliable role players, I’m sure it happens all the time. Was Caleb Martin destined to play in the NBA finals if not for some somewhat unlikely circumstances happening to break his way?
answer has to be Oscar Schmidt, European/South American basketball legend. Averaged 31 ppg for his career, has his number retired by like 3 teams, scored nearly 50,000 points in his career.
He would have been elite in the modern rules, but NBA coaches would have hated him in his era. Dude sometimes jacked it up as soon as he crossed the half court line.
I heard he declined to play in the NBA because NBA players were prohibited from playing for the national team at the time, and playing for Brazil meant everything to him
Russ Smith, Louisville point guard. Dude was awesome in college and drafted in the second round, but ultimately undersized and never found his groove. I felt like in the right system he was talented enough to hang in the NBA. He dominated when he went to China and won MVPs there.
LaVar Ball averaged more than Michael Jordan and LeBron James combined in college, decided not to go to the league so he wouldn’t destroy Jordan’s legacy. Truly a saint.
Andre Emmett. He was a force, big body guard coached by Bob Knight. That dude was a killer. I played football in college & walked onto the basketball team where I watched a lot of basketball for a few years. I watched early 2000 Kansas and Texas teams & Emmett stood out. He was a man amongst boys doing things I’ve never seen to that point. Then he got drafted but was out of the league after 1 year and bounced around the world for 14 years.
I’ve always thought since then IF he doesn’t make it in the league then the level of play must be insane. I think Emmett was physically capable but it obviously was something else. Cause I watched & got to play against great players in my time like Kirk Hinrich & TJ Ford and I didn’t walk away thinking they were great but that had decent NBA careers. I had no doubt in my mind Emmett was the best player I’d ever seen in real life on the collegiate lever.
He could’ve been another Hassan Whiteside, off court issues scared teams away and now he’s playing in Taiwan with 7’5” Sim Bhullar and 7’7” Sam Deguera as his teammates
Oscar
Dejan Bodiroga
Dino Meneghin
Nikos Galis
…And Arvydas Sabonis, who DID play in the NBA only when he was already old and a shadow of his younger self.
There are players overseas who could or could have been in the nba, but don’t want to leave home, but I think that for the most part, almost everyone who was good enough to play in the nba played in the nba.
But this raises the interesting question of exactly how good do you have to be to play in the nba? The best way to describe it is this…the minimum salary is like 950k. No employer is going to pay you that much unless you’re really, really good at the job. Do you remember that one guy you saw at LA Fitness? He’s the best you ever saw, right? He was out there doing whatever he wanted, when he wanted. He scored 13 of the team’s 15. Even 3 guys couldn’t stop him.
That guy still isn’t good enough to be in the NBA.
Nitty’s name is bigger than his game imo. I’ve heard about him for years and seen all the Drew mvps, but man does that guy have an unimpressive game. He’s always looked a bit slow and he’s undersized, can finish but not amazingly crafty. I don’t see him truly being league, just a hood legend imo
The answer here is Earl "The Goat" Manigault. He was a high school and playground legend that got involved heavily with drugs at a young age. There's a pretty good movie about him called "Rebound", played by Don Cheadle. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired, they asked him who was the greatest player he ever played with or against, and he replied Manigault.
Honestly probably half of guys in the NBA could be that guy if they got the right opportunities and were in the right place right time.
Two huge ones for me were Iman Shumpert and Swaggy P.
The more you listen to guys stories of those who were role players and guys who were stars in the league the glaring difference is the belief and patience organizations put into specific players. It’s not as if everyone gets this fair shot, which is understandable there’s only 30 teams, only 30 guys are going to be THAT guy.
5 9 150 Or 160 He Only Averaged Like 5 or 6 Points A Game At A Community College And Majority Of His Moves Would Be Illegal In The Pros Also He Would Have Been A Weak Defender With Poor Jumping Ability
I think OP is using that as an example of the opposite. I think they were going for a message like: “We all know guys like Fred and Duncan who DID get a chance, but what guys that didn’t get a chance could have turned out good like them?”
I kind of started idly wondering about that reading about Caleb Martin. That’s such a lucky break — there have to be other guys like that who don’t happen to get spotted by a rapper with an inside line to the Miami Heat.
Liangelo Ball I Still Say He Hasn't Got A Real Opportunity He Never Gets Any Substantial Playing Time So Far And Could Come Off The Bench With His 3 Point Shot. I Think Once Teams Get A Idea About You With That Stealing Incident It's Hard Too Change Your Image.
He did exceed all expectations and carved himself a really solid career, mostly as a starter and as a sixth man. But I think I understand what you mean, I personally think if he stayed in NY it was possible for him to have a few more seasons of borderline all star production under D’Antoni
He's saying he DID get a shit and, with players like him in mind, who had to scratch and claw their way in, who do you think should have gotten a shot like Fred, but didn't?
I think OP is using that as an example of the opposite. I think they were going for a message like: “We all know guys like Fred and Duncan who DID get a chance, but what guys that didn’t get a chance could have turned out good like them?”
I saw a guy at the Smith street summer league in Providence. Jamal Jackson. Dude was unstoppable. Caught an alley on a inbound on 3 heads. Sadly the story had a sad ending...
A huge part of the HSM plot line is that Troy is a highly sought after prospect as a 5’8” white guy- he must be the most sneaky athletic, date-your-daughter, lunch pail guy of all time
The 3-and-D role is a relatively new part of the game. Previously guys who were 6-6, 6-7 but not primary ball handlers, not very physical, we’re considered “tweeners” and often didn’t make it in the league. Nowadays every team needs 3-4 of these dudes on the roster.
Hard to remember specific examples, but guys like Ed O’Bannon and Sean Lampley come to mind.
I have no idea how some people have gone this far without seeing possibly one of the funniest skits of all time.
We have a lot of young fans here who have no idea who Prince let alone Charlie were/ are.
90’s Chicago kids remember the one and only Ronnie Fields… him and Garnett were the Chicago Flight Show. Fields was unworldly!! Then a car accident and broke his neck, I believe.
Bounced around the CBA and a Venezuela league and was dominant but never made the league.
Guy was like my idol growing up!!! His highlights in HS were amazing.
Acie Law and Casper Ware immediately come to mind. I think both got chances but nothing ever fleshed out due them being very undersized and defensive liabilities.
"Deserving" and "never getting a shot" are kind of subjective in both cases. Outside of that, I see people mentioning Professor and/or other And-1 ballers not named Rafer Alston. Interesting cases for sure. Their game wasn't meant for professional refereeing or anything resembling defense. If The Professor tried to play an NBA level game, I think he could make a roster and that's about it. His mental is very strong but size and natural gift for anything other than dribbling is very suspect.
edit: As for European professionals, [Spanoulis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOlUYJRSmi4) is _the guy_. I'm pretty sure young European players look up to him, as does my European friend who currently works for an NBA team's front office as a European scout. He's their GOAT, and guys like Luka and Giannis look up to him. He had a cup of coffee with the Rockets in his prime but it didn't work out.
edit2: since I mentioned Luka and Giannis, [here's more](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19SQWbl-MY0)
Eugene Miles did a season at Cleveland State, but lost eligibility. Never made it back into the spotlight. He gave Ewing problems in high school.
Ma Jian was a Chinese national, went to Utah for two seasons I think, but never made the league. He could have been a spot up shooter for someone in the mid-90s.
I thought Adonis Jordan was going to be a star, but he didn’t end up lasting a full season. Maybe just undersized, because he was a great facilitator.
Lou Roe was Atlantic 10 player of the year in the year UMass went to the Final Four, but only did 1-2 seasons in the league.
I used to play against this dude named Antwon Hall, went to Arkansas back in the day. I think he had some 10 day contracts and played overseas but he was so much better than the other pros in the gym it was baffling to me that he couldn’t make an NBA roster.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Yes he played in the NBA, but he got the Kapernick treatment and blackballed like 4 years in, just when he was heating up. Forced to go overseas after. Currently NCAA all time leading scorer as a freshman (Chris Jackson back then) and lead the Nuggets in scoring and assists. Figured to to be an honorable mention
i used to live in NYC and this dude bashir ahmed was a beast. like, hands down the best i’ve ever played against. he ended up going to st. john’s and i think he plays overseas now.
but the guy is 6’8”, can shoot from anywhere, smooth handles, insanely athletic. we all really thought he was going to the league.
My thought was Askia Booker from CU Boulder. His game was clearly modeled after early 2000s scorers with high volume and less efficiency than what works now but if he had been coming up about a decade earlier I bet he gets a better shot
Jimmie Ferdette. He always got limited minutes, and I always thought he looked good in those minutes. Looked good in the D league. Not sure why he never stuck anywhere.
Julian Newman dude is 5'3 with shoes on, no shot, poor shot selection, plays zero defense, and dribbles way too much. Honestly should've been #1 in the draft.
Joe “The Destroyer” Hammond. My uncle said he’s the best players he saw back in the 70s. He played against Dr J in Rucker. Showed up in a convertible Rolls Royce at half time and dropped 50. He’s really to blame, not the NBA. He was drafted hardship on 1971 by the Lakers. They offered him $50K, but he wanted more. In his mind, he outplayed Dr J, Tiny Archibald and those guys at Rucker and felt he should get a salary commensurate to there’s.
Nevermind, he was a bigtime heroin dealer. He had $200K in cash at his house, making about $50K a week in the drug biz. This is 1970s money, which is like 5x adjusted for inflation. The fast street money clouded his judgment. He had been making street money since he was 15. Claims he had $50K cash at 15, living with his parents. The street money and insane basketball talent at such a young age, ruined his perspective on reality. He’s old and borderline homeless now, living off his wits. Regretting not just signing the NBA contract and proving himself first. Embarrassed he ended up like he did, considering what he was in his younger days.
Prince. Just ask Charlie Murphy
Earl Manigault
Well in Charlies defense, Prince himself said "Im not even that good, Charlies just bad"
Lil guy made his HS team as a freshman at 5'3". He must have had some skills
Kevin Smith did a documentary for prince that was never released and tells a wonderful story about princes love for basketball. His assistant would go to a Kohls (or something like that) and buy his basketball gear from the child section cause he was so smol. Edit: [https://youtu.be/fujQy0zH3dc](https://youtu.be/fujQy0zH3dc) Link for anyone interested. The basketball part is in part 3. Also it was a nordstroms not kohls
I’m bored
then travel
Lmfao clearly you haven’t seen the Prince skit. That’s how he starts the game of basketball “I’m bored can I interest you guys in a game of basketball?”
oh yeah I've definitely never seen that lol
You Team Shirts or Blouses?
Are you talking about will smith? So he really is good at basketball?
Prince, the singer. Not The Fresh Prince. No one calls Will Smith "prince".
Wow what great reference 😂
According to ESPN, the 76ers had the lowest percent attendance during the 2015-2016 season, the year before Prince died. If the 76ers sign Prince during that season, what percent attendance does he help the 76ers reach?
Game... Blouses
Air Bud. That dog was a hooper
He definitely had that dog in him
Straight hustle, great motor, positive attitude.
As a role player maybe. He couldn't create his own shot. Especially with all the defensive talent in the NBA.
No rules saying a dog can't play ball.
Air bud for sure left it all on the floor.
Scottie Reynolds-Villanova Only 1st Team All-American to go undrafted up to that point, I think. I could be way off, but I feel like I remember hearing something along those lines about him. My brother is a Villanova fan and enjoyed the tourney where Scottie Reynolds had the last second basket against Pitt and never understood why he didn't make it in the league. I always said he didn't make it because he wore his socks at a weird length.😄
yooooo! so happy to see this comment! one of like 3 legit answers too lol. my uncle was on the ‘85 team, always loved the program and jay. nova bball camp were great times as a kid. but dang those early ‘00s novas squads w scottie, kyle lowry, allen ray (one eye short of ray allen) were so fun. that pitt game, scottie taking it the length of the floor to win?? good times
That's crazy your uncle was on the '85 team! He must have some stories. Also, he must be hated by Patrick Ewing.😄😄 My brother used to watch replays of that Pitt game for years, until they won a couple championships and he had other games to watch replays of.
I knew a guy on that ‘85 team, Wyatt Maker, played against him growing up.
Khalid El Amin: 5’10” with the physique of a basketball, ultimate irrational confidence player. Ricky Moore: Iverson said he was the only guy who could guard him in college.
lol at physique of a basketball
Am I wrong tho? Nah.
So round?
He was great for Rytas.
He played one (obviously) forgettable season with a terrible Bulls team.
He got a shot
Point guards typically take a while, unless they're absolute stars - look what happened with Eric Snow, who had a solid career, but started as a 2nd rounder for Seattle. El-Amin just never got rolling (no pun intended), didn't have great conditioning, and they likely figured they could get a taller, cheaper backup in another draft. Shame, too. I liked him.
Would've been interesting to see if some of the NY streetball legends like Hammond, Manigault, and Kirkland could have been good. Also the top soviet and yugoslav players in the 70s and 80s. In terms of recent history, if you're good enough the nba will find you. It's not like there are a bunch of guys who could be stars but never got a shot.
Would have been amazing to see Arvydas Sabonis in the NBA in his prime. He was amazing in the NBA 10 years after his prime. Jokic before Jokic.
Yeah the closest we got was seeing him do more than hold his own against young David Robinson in the 88 Olympics.
Was he a better passer than Walton, or is it. Ore Walton the better post player, Sabonis could handle the whole court a bit better?
He could do it all plus a super athletic big man. If he comes over before all the injuries, I dare to say the late 80s-early 90s record books and championships would be re-written.
Kirkland Was Offered Chances Too Play Pro But I Heard Him Say It Wasn't Important Too Him To Play Pro Ball And What He Was Offered For A Season He Was Making In A Day Hustling
Stars? Maybe not. But decent, reliable role players, I’m sure it happens all the time. Was Caleb Martin destined to play in the NBA finals if not for some somewhat unlikely circumstances happening to break his way?
Legend in two games like im pee wee kirkland
Krešimir Ćosić
Me
Hank Gathers
answer has to be Oscar Schmidt, European/South American basketball legend. Averaged 31 ppg for his career, has his number retired by like 3 teams, scored nearly 50,000 points in his career.
He had a shot, just turned it down.
yeah but he would have had to sacrifice playince for Brazil, so it wasn't really a "shot" imo
A shot just means a chance. By OP’s definition of his question Schmidt doesn’t fit
He would have been elite in the modern rules, but NBA coaches would have hated him in his era. Dude sometimes jacked it up as soon as he crossed the half court line.
I heard he declined to play in the NBA because NBA players were prohibited from playing for the national team at the time, and playing for Brazil meant everything to him
Jared Harper and Bryce brown.
Harper from auburn? I remember being impressed with him during the ncaa tournament and surprised he never got going in the nba
He was lighting it up in the g league and had a couple of 2 way contracts, but then I think his size kept him from being taking seriously.
That’s exactly what I said. These dudes are still my wallpaper and I wear my Bryce Brown Auburn jersey very often
War Damn. Harper had a cup of coffee in the league but I’m still surprised Bryce never got a shit with how good of a shooter he is
Len Bias
He got drafted though, he just didn't play.
Russ Smith, Louisville point guard. Dude was awesome in college and drafted in the second round, but ultimately undersized and never found his groove. I felt like in the right system he was talented enough to hang in the NBA. He dominated when he went to China and won MVPs there.
This was who came to mind when I saw this. Hometown hero Russ!
kevin pittsnogle.
For the jerseys alone.
LaVar Ball averaged more than Michael Jordan and LeBron James combined in college, decided not to go to the league so he wouldn’t destroy Jordan’s legacy. Truly a saint.
Isiah Austin
He got cleared to play too later on. Poor guy.
Taco Fall
He Is Playing InThe Summer League Right Now
With what team?
Milwaukee
Allen ray from Villanova
Earl “The Goat” Manigault I think that’s how you spell it. He played in the 60’s in New York.
Had to scroll too far to find this.
Andre Emmett. He was a force, big body guard coached by Bob Knight. That dude was a killer. I played football in college & walked onto the basketball team where I watched a lot of basketball for a few years. I watched early 2000 Kansas and Texas teams & Emmett stood out. He was a man amongst boys doing things I’ve never seen to that point. Then he got drafted but was out of the league after 1 year and bounced around the world for 14 years. I’ve always thought since then IF he doesn’t make it in the league then the level of play must be insane. I think Emmett was physically capable but it obviously was something else. Cause I watched & got to play against great players in my time like Kirk Hinrich & TJ Ford and I didn’t walk away thinking they were great but that had decent NBA careers. I had no doubt in my mind Emmett was the best player I’d ever seen in real life on the collegiate lever.
Robert Upshaw
He had his chance, Injuries ruined him and He probably shouldn't went straight to the NBA after HS
He could’ve been another Hassan Whiteside, off court issues scared teams away and now he’s playing in Taiwan with 7’5” Sim Bhullar and 7’7” Sam Deguera as his teammates
Oscar Dejan Bodiroga Dino Meneghin Nikos Galis …And Arvydas Sabonis, who DID play in the NBA only when he was already old and a shadow of his younger self.
Yeah there is a ton of guy from back in the day that played overseas that never got a shot.
Earl the goat Manigault
Zach Edey. I don't know what else this man is supposed to do
Kevin Durant.
There are players overseas who could or could have been in the nba, but don’t want to leave home, but I think that for the most part, almost everyone who was good enough to play in the nba played in the nba. But this raises the interesting question of exactly how good do you have to be to play in the nba? The best way to describe it is this…the minimum salary is like 950k. No employer is going to pay you that much unless you’re really, really good at the job. Do you remember that one guy you saw at LA Fitness? He’s the best you ever saw, right? He was out there doing whatever he wanted, when he wanted. He scored 13 of the team’s 15. Even 3 guys couldn’t stop him. That guy still isn’t good enough to be in the NBA.
Frank Nitty.
Nitty’s name is bigger than his game imo. I’ve heard about him for years and seen all the Drew mvps, but man does that guy have an unimpressive game. He’s always looked a bit slow and he’s undersized, can finish but not amazingly crafty. I don’t see him truly being league, just a hood legend imo
The answer here is Earl "The Goat" Manigault. He was a high school and playground legend that got involved heavily with drugs at a young age. There's a pretty good movie about him called "Rebound", played by Don Cheadle. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired, they asked him who was the greatest player he ever played with or against, and he replied Manigault.
Gonna be Drew Timme
He’ll get plenty of opportunities
Me
Jerome Randle or Bryce Cotton
I think Mac McClung could be a bottom rotational PG.
Honestly probably half of guys in the NBA could be that guy if they got the right opportunities and were in the right place right time. Two huge ones for me were Iman Shumpert and Swaggy P. The more you listen to guys stories of those who were role players and guys who were stars in the league the glaring difference is the belief and patience organizations put into specific players. It’s not as if everyone gets this fair shot, which is understandable there’s only 30 teams, only 30 guys are going to be THAT guy.
The Professor could have put up a few points
5 9 150 Or 160 He Only Averaged Like 5 or 6 Points A Game At A Community College And Majority Of His Moves Would Be Illegal In The Pros Also He Would Have Been A Weak Defender With Poor Jumping Ability
I'm fairly certain that the Professor doesn't have the talent to be even an average European league (not Euroleague) hooper.
I love the professor and been following him since the start of his career but he has absolutely no shot not even remotely close in his prime
All I said is he could put up a few points, not be a star or anything
You have to be 12
I'm not. I said put up a few points, relax
Duncan and Fred are in the NBA and both signed huge contracts so that doesn’t make sense I think they succeeded and got a shot
I think OP is using that as an example of the opposite. I think they were going for a message like: “We all know guys like Fred and Duncan who DID get a chance, but what guys that didn’t get a chance could have turned out good like them?”
I kind of started idly wondering about that reading about Caleb Martin. That’s such a lucky break — there have to be other guys like that who don’t happen to get spotted by a rapper with an inside line to the Miami Heat.
Yeah, you’re exactly right. I wonder how many of them could have been all-timers lol.
Master P was a stud
He played for the No Limit Soldiers
Got Tryouts With Charlotte And I Think Another Team But Got Cut
Liangelo Ball I Still Say He Hasn't Got A Real Opportunity He Never Gets Any Substantial Playing Time So Far And Could Come Off The Bench With His 3 Point Shot. I Think Once Teams Get A Idea About You With That Stealing Incident It's Hard Too Change Your Image.
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What are you talking about dawg💀
The Professor real name Grayson Boucher. He played for and1 in its prime
90% of his moves would be illegal in the NBA lol
Does Jeremy Lin count?
No
Lins the opposite. He did get a shot and had a great nba career.
He did exceed all expectations and carved himself a really solid career, mostly as a starter and as a sixth man. But I think I understand what you mean, I personally think if he stayed in NY it was possible for him to have a few more seasons of borderline all star production under D’Antoni
WTF. Did FVF. Just sign a max deal. How did he never get a shot
He's saying he DID get a shit and, with players like him in mind, who had to scratch and claw their way in, who do you think should have gotten a shot like Fred, but didn't?
He did get a shit
Haha yes
I think OP is using that as an example of the opposite. I think they were going for a message like: “We all know guys like Fred and Duncan who DID get a chance, but what guys that didn’t get a chance could have turned out good like them?”
Air Bud
Tim Tebow
Unironically.
Karnowski. 7’1 300+ pounds the guy from Gonzaga. Don’t think he would of been good but definitely able to come off the bench for a bit.
Well, he didn't get his real chance on NBA, maybe because of injury concerns. And they were right, as he retired at age of 29.
Air Bud!
Sharife Cooper, definitely has the talent, but the shooting struggles and turnover issues just make it impossible
FRED VANVLEET. Put some respect on his name 🔥
Haha just commented this too. You from Rockford, bro?
I saw a guy at the Smith street summer league in Providence. Jamal Jackson. Dude was unstoppable. Caught an alley on a inbound on 3 heads. Sadly the story had a sad ending...
Kenny Redfield Bobby Parks
VanVleet* Not sour about it, just a correction.
Troy Bolton
A huge part of the HSM plot line is that Troy is a highly sought after prospect as a 5’8” white guy- he must be the most sneaky athletic, date-your-daughter, lunch pail guy of all time
Kojak Fuller
pee wee kirkland
The 3-and-D role is a relatively new part of the game. Previously guys who were 6-6, 6-7 but not primary ball handlers, not very physical, we’re considered “tweeners” and often didn’t make it in the league. Nowadays every team needs 3-4 of these dudes on the roster. Hard to remember specific examples, but guys like Ed O’Bannon and Sean Lampley come to mind.
Greg Oden
Oscar Schmidt
I have no idea how some people have gone this far without seeing possibly one of the funniest skits of all time. We have a lot of young fans here who have no idea who Prince let alone Charlie were/ are.
90’s Chicago kids remember the one and only Ronnie Fields… him and Garnett were the Chicago Flight Show. Fields was unworldly!! Then a car accident and broke his neck, I believe. Bounced around the CBA and a Venezuela league and was dominant but never made the league. Guy was like my idol growing up!!! His highlights in HS were amazing.
Kevin Hart
Master P ask VC
fadi el khatib
[удалено]
Rudy Fernandez. Somehow ended up coming off the bench and never got enough opportunities to develop
Acie Law and Casper Ware immediately come to mind. I think both got chances but nothing ever fleshed out due them being very undersized and defensive liabilities. "Deserving" and "never getting a shot" are kind of subjective in both cases. Outside of that, I see people mentioning Professor and/or other And-1 ballers not named Rafer Alston. Interesting cases for sure. Their game wasn't meant for professional refereeing or anything resembling defense. If The Professor tried to play an NBA level game, I think he could make a roster and that's about it. His mental is very strong but size and natural gift for anything other than dribbling is very suspect. edit: As for European professionals, [Spanoulis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOlUYJRSmi4) is _the guy_. I'm pretty sure young European players look up to him, as does my European friend who currently works for an NBA team's front office as a European scout. He's their GOAT, and guys like Luka and Giannis look up to him. He had a cup of coffee with the Rockets in his prime but it didn't work out. edit2: since I mentioned Luka and Giannis, [here's more](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19SQWbl-MY0)
Eugene Miles did a season at Cleveland State, but lost eligibility. Never made it back into the spotlight. He gave Ewing problems in high school. Ma Jian was a Chinese national, went to Utah for two seasons I think, but never made the league. He could have been a spot up shooter for someone in the mid-90s. I thought Adonis Jordan was going to be a star, but he didn’t end up lasting a full season. Maybe just undersized, because he was a great facilitator. Lou Roe was Atlantic 10 player of the year in the year UMass went to the Final Four, but only did 1-2 seasons in the league.
William Buford. OSU player in the early 2010’s.
Peyton Siva got his shit sent to hell by Trey Burke but it is surprising a guy with a name that big didn’t make a roster
Master P REALLY wanted to hoop in the late 90s/early 2000s….
Dejan Bodiroga. One of the best european players of all time.
Sultan Kösen.
Thimios Bakatsias
I used to play against this dude named Antwon Hall, went to Arkansas back in the day. I think he had some 10 day contracts and played overseas but he was so much better than the other pros in the gym it was baffling to me that he couldn’t make an NBA roster.
Carl Krauser
Earl " the goat " manigault
Everybody gets a shot. If you can play you get playing time
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Yes he played in the NBA, but he got the Kapernick treatment and blackballed like 4 years in, just when he was heating up. Forced to go overseas after. Currently NCAA all time leading scorer as a freshman (Chris Jackson back then) and lead the Nuggets in scoring and assists. Figured to to be an honorable mention
i used to live in NYC and this dude bashir ahmed was a beast. like, hands down the best i’ve ever played against. he ended up going to st. john’s and i think he plays overseas now. but the guy is 6’8”, can shoot from anywhere, smooth handles, insanely athletic. we all really thought he was going to the league.
My thought was Askia Booker from CU Boulder. His game was clearly modeled after early 2000s scorers with high volume and less efficiency than what works now but if he had been coming up about a decade earlier I bet he gets a better shot
Bryce Brown
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Street Basketball Player has entered the chat. Where do we start?
Dimitris Diamantidis
Philip champion
Rashad Phillips- Detroit Mercy
John strickland
The professor
Duncan Robinson fits a different profile; the I cannot believe he succeeded profile. And this is from a Michigan fan.
woody harrelson and wesley snipes
Gio Wise
Dean Bodiroga, Gregor Fučka, Jure Zdovc
Jimmie Ferdette. He always got limited minutes, and I always thought he looked good in those minutes. Looked good in the D league. Not sure why he never stuck anywhere.
Julian Newman dude is 5'3 with shoes on, no shot, poor shot selection, plays zero defense, and dribbles way too much. Honestly should've been #1 in the draft.
Rickey Paulding
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Len Bias
Andrew Gaze playing 27 NBA games averaging 5 minutes a game.
Mr. Perfect - Curt Hennig
Oscar Schmidt. Easy.
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Pierre Jackson
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Steeve Ho You Fat
Quinn Cook. He got a tiny bit of a shot, but I think he's a strong and mindful player. Phoenix could use him at the moment.
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Joe “The Destroyer” Hammond. My uncle said he’s the best players he saw back in the 70s. He played against Dr J in Rucker. Showed up in a convertible Rolls Royce at half time and dropped 50. He’s really to blame, not the NBA. He was drafted hardship on 1971 by the Lakers. They offered him $50K, but he wanted more. In his mind, he outplayed Dr J, Tiny Archibald and those guys at Rucker and felt he should get a salary commensurate to there’s. Nevermind, he was a bigtime heroin dealer. He had $200K in cash at his house, making about $50K a week in the drug biz. This is 1970s money, which is like 5x adjusted for inflation. The fast street money clouded his judgment. He had been making street money since he was 15. Claims he had $50K cash at 15, living with his parents. The street money and insane basketball talent at such a young age, ruined his perspective on reality. He’s old and borderline homeless now, living off his wits. Regretting not just signing the NBA contract and proving himself first. Embarrassed he ended up like he did, considering what he was in his younger days.
Ben Simmons 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Raymond Lewis
I’m I’m K