Most Overrated NBA Players of All Time

Potential only counts for so much. Usually millions of dollars.

Most Overrated NBA Players of All Time

Carmelo Anthony is one of the most overrated nba players — Carmelo Anthony has made over $259 million in his NBA career and has no rings.

Any great NBA career begins with flashes of potential. Even brilliance. Things we see in players that make us think they’re capable of something more. But sometimes they don't live up to all the hype.

In the history of the NBA, plenty of players didn’t live up to expectations. Or they are held in higher regard than they should be, despite contrary evidence. How does this happen? It’s a unique combination of groupthink from fans, media and teams (and their multimillion contracts) that creates players who become overvalued. It doesn't mean they're bad players. Just overrated.

These are the most overrated players in NBA history.

50. James Harden

Career: 14 seasons (2009-present)

Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder (2009-2012), Houston Rockets (2012-21), Brooklyn Nets (2021-22), Philadelphia 76ers (2022-present)

Stats: 1,000 G, 24.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 7.0 APG, 44.2 FG%

NBA titles: None

Note: All stats are through the 2022-23 NBA season.

Bottom Line: James Harden

You aren’t going to find a lot of former NBA Most Valuable Players on an overrated list, but James Harden earned it.

No stat line in the history of basketball has come at the sacrifice of so many other important parts of the game as Harden’s has. His aversion to playing defense is well-known and well-documented, but it doesn’t make him different than other top scorers of year’s past.

What makes him different is setting the NBA record, twice, for most turnovers in a season. And never winning an NBA title — his abject playoff failures added a new chapter with his meltdown in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics.

49. Vlade Divac

Career: 16 seasons (1989-2005)

Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1989-96, 2004-05), Charlotte Hornets (1996-98), Sacramento Kings (1998-2004)

Stats: 1,134 G, 11.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, 49.5 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Vlade Divac

Vlade Divac jumped onto the NBA scene as a "rookie" in 1991 — after playing professional basketball overseas for six years — and helped Magic Johnson lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals.

Traded to the Hornets for Kobe Bryant on draft day in 1996, Divac still had a few solid seasons left with the Kings in the late 1990s. In the end, his career became more defined by the Kobe trade and his incessant flopping than his talent.

Divac's career scoring average of 11.8 points is pedestrian, and somehow he’s still in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

48. DeMar DeRozan

Career: 14 seasons (2009-present)

Teams: Toronto Raptors (2009-18), San Antonio Spurs (2018-21), Chicago Bulls (2021-present)

Stats: 1,031 G, 21.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.0 APG, 46.8 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: DeMar DeRozan

Overrated is a tough tag to put on DeMar DeRozan, but it’s a fact that came into sharp focus over the 2018-19 season.

DeRozan was traded, essentially straight up, from the Raptors to the Spurs for Kawhi Leonard — two players essentially the same age, same size and playing the same position. The results spoke volumes.

Leonard led the Raptors to the NBA title in his one season in Toronto while DeRozan bowed out in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2015. He's been with the Chicago Bulls since 2021, where he's yet to win a playoff series.

47. Shawn Kemp

Career: 14 seasons (1989-2003)

Teams: Seattle Supersonics (1989-97), Cleveland Cavaliers (1997-2000), Portland Trailblazers (2000-02), Orlando Magic (2002-03)

Stats: 1,051 G, 14.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 48.8 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Shawn Kemp

Shawn Kemp is overrated — Shawn Kemp during a playoff game against the Houston Rockets in 1993.

Shawn Kemp was a full-blown NBA superstar by his second season with the Sonics, grabbing headlines with his freakish athleticism and dunking ability. His career peaked when he teamed with Gary Payton in 1996, and they led the Sonics to the NBA Finals.

After losing to the Bulls in six games that year, things went downhill quickly. Kemp parlayed his early success into huge contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers.

His weight ballooned, numbers dipped and questions about cocaine and alcohol abuse dogged him the rest of his career.

46. Zach Randolph

Career: 18 seasons (2001-18)

Teams: Portland Trail Blazers (2001-07), New York Knicks (2007-08), Los Angeles Clippers (2008-09), Memphis Grizzlies (2009-17), Sacramento Kings (2017-18)

Stats: 1,116 G, 16.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 47.1 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Zach Randolph

It’s tough to label a guy who played in the NBA for 18 seasons as overrated, but Zach Randolph managed it.

Over the course of those 18 seasons, Randolph played in the playoffs just nine times. And in those nine playoff appearances, six of them ended in first-round exits.

The other three playoff appearances resulted in zero NBA Finals and one conference finals loss, all for a hefty price tag of $199.1 million in career earnings.

45. Paul Pierce

Overrated Paul Pierce — Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, left, drives to the basket against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000.

Career: 19 seasons (1998-2017)

Teams: Boston Celtics (1998-2013), Brooklyn Nets (2013-14), Washington Wizards (2014-15), Los Angeles Clippers (2015-17)

Stats: 1,343 G, 19.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 44.5 FG%

NBA titles: 1 (2008)

Bottom Line: Paul Pierce

Basketball purists will tell you Paul Pierce was an elite NBA player for almost two decades. They’re not wrong. "The Truth" could always light up scoreboards with the best of them. But consider a different take.

Pierce didn’t make the playoffs for his first four seasons with the Celtics. He missed the playoffs for the two seasons before the franchise acquired the two other components to their "Big Three" with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Then, they all won the NBA title together in 2008.

Pierce was never more gassed up than after he won Finals MVP and declared himself a better player than Kobe Bryant.

44. Joakim Noah

Career: 12 seasons (2007-19)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (2007-16), New York Knicks (2016-18), Memphis Grizzlies (2018-19)

Stats: 667 G, 8.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 49.1 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Joakim Noah

Joakim Noah is overrated — Joakim Noah played two seasons with the Knicks.

One great season does not make a career, and that’s what Joakim Noah had in 2014, when he somehow made the All-NBA team and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

His career cratered just one year later, and over his last four seasons, he played barely over 15 games per season. Right around the time he joined the Knicks, which seems to be a common theme for a lot of grossly overrated players.

The moral of the story? Don’t play for the Knicks. It will ruin you.

43. Dwight Howard

Career: 16 seasons (2004-present)

Teams: Orlando Magic (2004-12), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13, 2019-20, 2021-22), Houston Rockets (2013-16), Atlanta Hawks (2016-17), Charlotte Hornets (2017-18), Washington Wizards (2018-19), Philadelphia 76ers (2020-21)

Stats: 1,242 G, 15.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 58.7 FG%

NBA titles: 1 (2020)

Bottom Line: Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard took the NBA by storm after being selected straight out of high school by the Magic with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft. His steady improvement led Orlando to the NBA Finals in 2009, where the team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

Then, the wheels came off. He gave the Magic a "him-or-me" ultimatum with coach Stan Van Gundy, who was fired. Howard demanded a trade, got shipped to the Lakers, and seven seasons and five teams later, he went back to the Lakers and won an NBA championship in 2020.

Howard, who has made almost $200 million in career earnings, has played in Taiwan since 2022.

42. Josh Smith

Josh Smith is overrated in NBA history — Josh Smith played 105 games with the Detroit Pistons.

Career: 13 seasons (2004-17)

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (2004-13), Detroit Pistons (2013-14), Houston Rockets (2014-15, 2016), Los Angeles Clippers (2015-16), New Orleans Pelicans (2017)

Stats: 894 G, 14.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 45.2 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Josh Smith

Josh Smith was in this kind of stasis his entire career — always thought of as one of the league’s most talented players, but never as one of its best.

His signature windmill dunks put him on plenty of highlight reels, but the place you couldn’t find Smith was deep in the playoffs. He never played in the conference finals, much less the NBA Finals.

But he still banked an eye-popping $116.2 million in career earnings. That money also bought zero All-Star appearances.

41. Ben Simmons

Career: 7 seasons (2016-present)

Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (2016-22), Brooklyn Nets (2022-present)

Stats: 317 G, 14.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 7.5 APG, 56.0 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Ben Simmons

It's tough to gauge the damage done to Ben Simmons' reputation as a basketball player since he passed up an open shot that led to the Philadelphia 76ers' losing in the 2021 Eastern Conference playoffs. Simmons, once an All-NBA pick, is now regarded as one of the biggest quitters in NBA history after he refused to play most of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, which included a trade from Philly to the Brooklyn Nets.

Simmons isn't just overrated — he's quickly become one of the most hated players in NBA history as well.

40. Latrell Sprewell

Career: 13 seasons (1992-2005)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1992-98), New York Knicks (1998-2003), Minnesota Timberwolves (2003-05)

Stats: 913 G, 18.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, 42.5 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Latrell Sprewell

How talented was Latrell Sprewell? He once choked out Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo and still somehow kept his job.

How overrated was Sprewell? He was either the best or second-best player on every team he played on, made four All-Star teams, and missed the playoffs eight out of 13 seasons.

Sprewell famously ended his career by refusing to take a paycut from $7 million to $5 million, adding that it would be "an insult to stoop to that level."

39. Christian Laettner

Career: 13 seasons (1992-2005)

Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (1992-96), Atlanta Hawks (1996-99), Detroit Pistons (1999-2000), Dallas Mavericks (2000-01), Washington Wizards (2001-04), Miami Heat (2004-05)

Stats: 868 G, 12.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 48.0 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Christian Laettner

Arguably the greatest college basketball player of all time, Christian Laettner’s success didn’t translate well to the NBA.

One of two players, along with Stephon Marbury, who couldn’t find a way to co-exist with a young Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. It wasn't because of KG, but because they wanted the spotlight.

Laettner spent the biggest portion of his career as a transient on crappy teams, getting traded six times before he hung it up after the 2004-05 season with the Heat. If he’d stayed one more season in Miami, he would’ve won an NBA title.

38. Ricky Davis

Career: 12 seasons (1998-2010)

Teams: Charlotte Hornets (1998-2000), Miami Heat (2000-01), Cleveland Cavaliers (2001-03), Boston Celtics (2003-06), Minnesota Timberwolves (2006-07), Miami Heat (2007-08), Los Angeles Clippers (2008-10)

Stats: 736 G, 13.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 44.6 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Ricky Davis

Ricky Davis put together a career that is the definition of an NBA wasteland — a talented, aimless player who bounces from team to team and never finds the right fit. Davis did himself zero favors in 2003 when he tried to bounce the ball off his own rim to get a rebound and complete a triple-double.

At 6-foot-7, he was a matchup nightmare at shooting guard, but continually playing with zero heart does little to strike fear in opponents.

He made the playoffs twice and lost in the first round both times.

37. Solomon Hill

Career: 7 seasons (2013-present)

Teams: Indiana Pacers (2013-16), New Orleans Pelicans (2016-19), Memphis Grizzlies (2019-2020), Miami Heat (2020), Atlanta Hawks (2020-22)

Stats: 448 G, 5.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 38.8 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Solomon Hill

Solomon Lee — Solomon Hill, left, played for four teams in his first seven NBA seasons.

Barely removed from getting demoted to the G-League, Solomon Hill parlayed one decent playoff performance in 2016 with the Pacers and turned it into a four-year, $48 million contract with the Pelicans.

Hill responded to his big payday by averaging less than six points per game on 38 percent shooting over the next three seasons. He was shipped to the Atlanta Hawks after the 2018-19 season, then traded again to the Memphis Grizzlies, who dealt him to the Heat.

Hill was out of the NBA after the 2021-22 season with a whopping career 38.8 field-goal percentage.

36. Olden Polynice

Career: 15 seasons (1987-2001, 2003)

Teams: Seattle Supersonics (1987-91, 1999), Los Angeles Clippers (1991-92), Detroit Pistons (1992-94), Sacramento Kings (1994-98), Utah Jazz (1999-2001), Los Angeles Clippers (2003)

Stats: 1,058 G, 7.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 0.7 APG, 50.5 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Olden Polynice

Sometimes a player’s career ends up defined by what happened on the day they were drafted. Such is the case with Olden Polynice.

Drafted No. 8 overall by the Chicago Bulls, Polynice was traded to the Sonics in exchange for Scottie Pippen, the No. 5 overall pick and a future pick. Pippen carved out a career as one of the NBA’s all-time greats while Polynice was a journeyman who did one thing really well, get offensive rebounds.

For his career, Polynice played in the playoffs six times and advanced past the first round just twice.

35. Jimmer Fredette

Career: 6 seasons (2011-2016, 2019)

Teams: Sacramento Kings (2011-14), Chicago Bulls (2014), New Orleans Pelicans (2014-15), New York Knicks (2016), Phoenix Suns (2019)

Stats: 241 G, 6.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 40.9 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Jimmer Fredette

It’s easy to label Jimmer Fredette a draft bust. What we all need to understand is that you can be a draft bust and be overrated. The two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

Only a truly overrated player would get chances with four different teams over five years despite having a statline akin to a dying man’s pulse.

Then, somehow, after three years in the wilderness playing basketball in China, he got another NBA chance with the Phoenix Suns in 2019. Now, he's playing in Greece.

34. Jon Koncak

Career: 11 seasons (1985-96)

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (1985-95), Orlando Magic (1995-96)

Stats: 784 G, 4.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, 47.0 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Jon Koncak

Most sports fans' introduction to Jon Koncak came in 1989 in the form of "Can you believe how much they’re paying this guy?"

The reason was the original Worst Contract of All Time after the Hawks, thinking the defending NBA champion Pistons wanted Koncak, panicked and gifted him with an unheard of six-year, $13.1 million deal.

The career backup center was given the name "Jon Contract," and while he was a serviceable backup because he played good defense, he never came close to being worth what Atlanta shelled out.

33. Paul Millsap

Career: 16 seasons (2006-present)

Teams: Utah Jazz (2006-13), Atlanta Hawks (2013-17), Denver Nuggets (2017-21), Brooklyn Nets (2021-22), Philadelphia 76ers (2022)

Stats: 1,085 G, 13.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 48.9 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Paul Millsap

You have to love a league where a role player like Paul Millsap can bank $181.2 million in his career.

Millsap, to his credit, has been a steady force at power forward for all three teams he’s played for and was selected for four consecutive All-Star games from 2014 to 2017.

But here’s the rub. Like a lot of other overrated players, he’s been a bust in the playoffs, where he’s lost in the first round five times and advanced to the conference finals once, as a rookie in 2007.

32. Austin Rivers

Career: 11 seasons (2012-present)

Teams: New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2012-15), Los Angeles Clippers (2015-18), Washington Wizards (2018), Houston Rockets (2018-20), New York Knicks (2020-21), Never Nuggets (2021-22), Minnesota Timberwolves (2022-present)

Stats: 707 G, 8.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 43.5 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers parlayed a pretty mediocre career (by Duke standards, at least) into an NBA lottery pick selection in 2012.

In no universe except for the one in which we’re living — where Rivers is the son of an actual NBA head coach who can dictate roster spots — does he last as long as he has in the league. The 27-year-old guard does nothing substantial to add to the game but somehow keeps a job.

His career rebounding and assist numbers are embarrassing, sure, but so is the fact that he seems to get worse in the playoffs.

31. Joe Smith

Career: 16 seasons (1995-2011)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1995-98), Philadelphia 76ers (1998, 2006-07), Minnesota Timberwolves (1999-2000, 2001-03), Detroit Pistons (2000-01), Milwaukee Bucks (2003-06), Denver Nuggets (2006), Chicago Bulls (2007-08), Cleveland Cavaliers (2008, 2009), Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-09), Atlanta Hawks (2009-10), New Jersey Nets (2010), Los Angeles Lakers (2010-11)

Stats: 1,030 G, 10.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 45.5 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Joe Smith

Joe Smith seemed like a sure thing as the No.1 overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft by the Warriors. It wasn’t to be, but not because NBA teams didn’t try their damndest to be the team that fixed whatever was wrong with Smith’s game.

He became one of the most-traded players in NBA history and played for 12 teams in 16 seasons. In that stretch, he never once made the NBA Finals and only made it past the first round of the playoffs twice, in two seasons playing with LeBron James in Cleveland.

30. Jerome James

Career: 9 seasons (1999, 2001-09)

Teams: Sacramento Kings (1999), Seattle Supersonics (2001-05), New York Knicks (2005-09)

Stats: 358 G, 4.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.3 APG, 48.5 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Jerome James

NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is also in the pantheon of the worst general managers in NBA history for his time running the New York Knicks. Nothing defined that time more than the faith he put in Jerome James and the free-agent contract he signed him to in 2005.

Thomas fell in love with James’ game in the 2005 playoffs, when he averaged an uninspiring 12.8 points with the Sonics, and gifted him with a five-year, $30 million contract.

James wound up playing a total of 90 games for the Knicks.

29. Marvin Williams

Career: 15 seasons (2005-present)

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (2005-12), Utah Jazz (2012-14), Charlotte Hornets (2014-2020), Milwaukee Bucks (2020)

Stats: 1,066 G, 10.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 44.3 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Marvin Williams

Perhaps no player in NBA history has done less with 1,000-plus career games than Marvin Williams, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft.

Entering the 2019-20 NBA season, he has made $109.1 million in career salary earnings and produced a grand total of zero All-Star appearances, zero NBA Finals appearances, six playoff appearances in 15 seasons and four first-round exits.

Williams' career average of 5.4 rebounds is embarrassing for a 6-foot-9 power forward who has been paid that much money.

28. Allan Houston

Career: 12 seasons (1993-2005)

Teams: Detroit Pistons (1993-96), New York Knicks (1996-2005)

Stats: 839 G, 17.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 44.4 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Allan Houston

Allan Houston was a slick-shooting guard who could do little more than score, as evidenced by his anemic career numbers for rebounds and assists.

Houston did have some team success with the Knicks, helping lead them to the 1999 NBA Finals, but he didn’t make the playoffs in his last four seasons.

Houston’s six-year, $100.4 million contract signed in 2001 was notable in how horrid it turned out for the Knicks and led to a change in the NBA’s next collective bargaining agreement that allowed teams to dump one player’s salary with no luxury tax implications.

27. Joe Barry Carroll

Career: 11 seasons (1980-91)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1980-87), Houston Rockets (1987-88), New Jersey Nets (1990), Phoenix Suns (1991)

Stats: 705 G, 18.9 PPG, 17.7 RPG, 7.7 APG, 47.4 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Joe Barry Carroll

It’s hard to imagine another player with numbers like Joe Barry Carroll, whose career is looked at with so much contempt.

Carroll’s path was set the day he was drafted in 1980. The Warriors traded forward Robert Parrish and the No. 3 pick to the Celtics to get the No. 1 pick. The Celtics picked Kevin McHale at No. 3 and had a frontcourt in place that won three NBA titles over the next decade.

Carroll was defined by his indifference on the court — earning the nickname "Joe Barely Cares" — and he quietly retired after 11 seasons with four teams.

26. DeMarcus Cousins

Career: 12 seasons (2010-22)

Teams: Sacramento Kings (2010-17), New Orleans Pelicans (2017-18), Golden State Warriors (2018-19), Los Angeles Lakers (2019-20), Houston Rockets (2020-21), Los Angeles Clippers (2021), Milwaukee Bucks (2021-22), Denver Nuggets (2022)

Stats: 654 G, 19.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 46.0 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: DeMarcus Cousins

DeMarcus Cousins has a resume that says he shouldn’t be considered overrated — four All-Star nods and All-NBA second-team selections.

Cousins' utter disdain for being any resemblance of a team player at any point in his career, pre-Achilles tear, is shameful. History will say Cousins missed out on a big career payday because of a devastating injury in his prime. They’ll be wrong. It was his attitude.

25. Amar'e Stoudemire

Position: Center and power forward

Career: 14 seasons (2002-16)

Teams: Phoenix Suns (2002-10), New York Knicks (2010-15), Dallas Mavericks (2015), Miami Heat (2015-16)

Stats: 846 G, 18.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 53.7 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Amar'e Stoudemire

Amar'e Stoudemire might be higher on this list if he hadn’t had the good fortune of playing with two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash, who distributed the ball as well as almost anyone ever did.

Before that, Stoudemire was a middling big man who couldn’t always get right. After Nash, Stoudemire had one good year with the Knicks as his already fragile knees were going kaput and made it past the first round of the playoffs only once, with the Miami Heat in 2016.

He’s been playing basketball in Jerusalem since he retired from the NBA.

24. Bob Cousy

Position: Point guard

Career: 14 seasons (1950-1963, 1969-70)

Teams: Boston Celtics (1950-63), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70)

Stats: 924 G, 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5 APG, 37.5 FG%

NBA titles: 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963)

Bottom Line: Bob Cousy

Not to knock Bob Cousy’s six NBA titles with the Boston Celtics, but he didn’t even have one until the team pulled off a draft-day miracle and picked Bill Russell in 1956. Then, they got one right away.

Cousy’s dink-and-dash style could have been replaced by any decent guard of that era, and if the Celtics had a guard who could hit better than 37.5 percent of his shots, they may have even won a few more titles.

There was a reason legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach didn’t want to draft Cousy in the first place.

23. Jerry Stackhouse

Position: Shooting guard and small forward

Career: 18 seasons (1995-2013)

Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (1995-98), Detroit Pistons (1998-2002), Washington Wizards (2002-04), Dallas Mavericks (2004-09), Milwaukee Bucks (2010), Miami Heat (2010), Atlanta Hawks (2011-12), Brooklyn Nets (2012-13)

Stats: 970 G, 16.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 40.9 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Jerry Stackhouse

Jerry Stackhouse had a lengthy career that didn’t include a lot of games.

Even though he played 18 seasons, Stackhouse didn’t manage to clear 1,000 career games because he hardly ever played a full season — all while trying to be the player that carried the load for his team by himself.

In fact, from 2003 on, he never played in more than 70 games in a regular season and never averaged more than 15 points per game. In his last five seasons in the NBA, Stackhouse played in just 126 regular-season games.

22. Antonio McDyess

Position: Center and power forward

Career: 16 seasons (1995-2011)

Teams: Denver Nuggets (1995-97, 1998-2002), Phoenix Suns (1997-98, 2004), New York Knicks (2002-04), Detroit Pistons (2004-09), San Antonio Spurs (2009-11)

Stats: 1,015 G, 12.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 49.7 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Antonio McDyess

There’s one surefire way to determine if a player is overrated — how do they perform in the postseason?

Antonio McDyess took the NBA by storm with his athleticism and thunderous dunks after being selected No. 2 overall in 1995. He was an All-NBA pick in 1999 and made his first All-Star team in 2001.

And in the first decade of his career, he made one playoff appearance, with the Phoenix Suns in 1998, and was bounced in the first round.

He wouldn’t make it back to the playoffs until 2005, when he made it all the way to the NBA Finals with the Detroit Pistons, who lost to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.

21. Andrew Bynum

Position: Center

Career: 9 seasons (2005-14)

Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (2005-12), Cleveland Cavaliers (2013-14), Indiana Pacers (2014)

Stats: 418 G, 11.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 55.6 FG%

NBA titles: 2 (2009, 2010)

Bottom Line: Andrew Bynum

In 2005, at just 17 years old, Andrew Bynum became the youngest player drafted in NBA history when the Lakers picked him No. 10 overall. Bynum made an All-Star appearance in 2012, but more than anything, his career was defined by his potential than his actual performance.

The biggest example of his inability to comprehend how to handle anything was in 2010. After being told he needed surgery to repair his knee, Bynum postponed the surgery and was out two extra months because he wanted to attend the World Cup that summer and go on several vacations.

20. Kyrie Irving

Position: Point guard

Career: 12 seasons (2011-present)

Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (2011-17), Boston Celtics (2017-19), Brooklyn Nets (2019-22), Dallas Mavericks (2022-present)

Stats: 671 G, 23.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.57 APG, 47.2 FG%

NBA titles: 1 (2016)

Bottom Line: Kyrie Irving

There is no denying Kyrie Irving’s talent — there’s little on a basketball court that the six-time All-Star can’t do. It’s what he does to teams outside of the games that makes him so overrated.

Irving on the roster seems like a guaranteed way to wreck chemistry. Even in the one season when he won a title, in 2016, while playing a supporting role to LeBron James on the Cavaliers, Irving couldn’t take not being the unquestioned star and forced his way out one year later.

With the Celtics, he alienated teammates and coaches alike in just two seasons and wore out his welcome before doing the same in Brooklyn, where he was suspended indefinitely in 2022 for promoting an anti-semitic film on Twitter. Irving was ultimately shipped to the Dallas Mavericks, where he led the team out of the playoffs and into the NBA Draft lottery in just a half a season. Amazing!

19. Dominique Wilkins

Position: Small forward

Career: 16 seasons (1982-97, 1999)

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (1982-94), Los Angeles Clippers (1994), Boston Celtics (1994-95), San Antonio Spurs (1996-97), Orlando Magic (1999)

Stats: 1,074 G, 24.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 46.1 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Dominique Wilkins

It’s easy to make a "bad luck" argument for Dominique Wilkins, an electric dunker who hit his prime at the same time as Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and the "Bad Boy" Pistons were all in their prime in the Eastern Conference.

But results are results, and it wasn’t just those players that dogged Wilkins throughout his career. It was the playoffs in general.

In 10 playoff appearances, Wilkins' teams bowed out in the first round seven times and never even made it to the conference finals, peaking with the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1988.

18. Andrew Wiggins

Position: Small forward

Career: 9 seasons (2014-present)

Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (2014-2020), Golden State Warriors (2020-present)

Stats: 635 G, 19.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 44.9 FG%

NBA titles: 1 (2022)

Bottom Line: Andrew Wiggins

The Timberwolves made the unfortunate decision to give Andrew Wiggins’ a five-year, $148 million contract extension after the 2017 season.

That’s big money for a player who led the team to just one playoff appearance in five seasons — a first-round exit in 2018 in which he saw his scoring average drop several points from the regular season.

Since coming into the NBA, Wiggins has been anointed as one of the league’s next big stars but had done little to back it up until helping the Golden State Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship, followed by his bizarre, late-season disappearance (literally) as he left the team and only played in 27 regular-season games in 2022-23.

17. Derrick Rose

Position: Point guard

Career: 15 seasons (2008-present)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (2008-16), New York Knicks (2016-17, 2021-present), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18), Minnesota Timberwolves (2018-19), Detroit Pistons (2019-21)

Stats: 699 G, 17.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 45.6 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Derrick Rose

Following the 2011 season, when Derrick Rose won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, he was on the precipice of being an international star and also was the youngest player to ever win MVP.

The next season, he signed a five-year, $98 million contract extension with the Bulls. Then, he tore his left ACL in the first round of the playoffs. Rose played just 10 games in the two seasons following the ACL tear, and he hasn’t played anything close to resembling a full season since — including no more than 50 games in a regular season since 2019.

16. Chris Paul

Position: Point guard

Career: 18 seasons (2005-present)

Teams: New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-present)

Stats: 1,214 G, 17.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 47.2 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Chris Paul

Chris Paul will have made close to $500 million in career earnings when his career finally comes to an end. Which is just phenomenal. unless you’re one of the teams that had to pay him. Because he never delivers when it counts.

In his prime, he was a great player who couldn’t win the big game and never made the NBA Finals. In the twilight of his career, he’s an average player who can’t win the big game and has made it to the NBA Finals just once, when he and the Phoenix Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. It doesn't matter what superstars you pair him with — he always comes up short.

15. Deron Williams

Position: Point guard

Career: 12 seasons (2005-17)

Teams: Utah Jazz (2005-11), New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets (2011-15), Dallas Mavericks (2015-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017)

Stats: 845 G, 16.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 8.1 APG, 44.5 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Deron Williams

It seems crazy to today’s NBA fans that at one point in the last decade Deron Williams was in the conversation as one of the NBA’s top point guards.

That’s because, for all of Williams’ early success in the NBA, his stats started a precipitous decline once he signed a five-year, $98 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets following the 2012-2013 season.

Within one season, Wiliams’ points per game average dropped from 18.9 to 14.3, and by his final season in 2017, he was averaging just 3.5 assists per game against an 8.1 career average.

14. Antoine Walker

Position: Power forward

Career: 1996-2008 (12 seasons)

Teams: Boston Celtics (1996-2003, 2005), Dallas Mavericks (2003-04), Atlanta Hawks (2004-05), Miami Heat (2005-07), Minnesota Timberwolves (2007-08)

Stats: 893 G, 17.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, 41.4 FG%

NBA titles: 1 (2006)

Bottom Line: Antoine Walker

Antoine Walker is well-known for blowing his entire, $108 million NBA fortune, which has overshadowed a lot of what he did during his NBA career. And maybe that’s a good thing.

It took six seasons before Walker was able to lead his first team, the Boston Celtics, to the playoffs. And that came with Walker taking on a lesser role on the team to Paul Pierce.

Walker did manage to win an NBA title in 2006 with the Miami Heat, when took a backseat to Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal and averaged a career-low 12.2 points.

13. Glenn Robinson

Position: Small forward

Career: 11 seasons (1994-2005)

Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1994-2002), Atlanta Hawks (2002-03), Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04), San Antonio Spurs (2005)

Stats: 688 G, 20.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 45.9 FG%

NBA titles: 1 (2005)

Bottom Line: Glenn Robinson

Picked No. 1 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1994 NBA draft, Glenn Robinson may have finished his career with some pretty decent offensive numbers, but it doesn’t negate that he was a black hole when you passed the ball to him.

He never saw a shot he didn’t like, whether it hurt his team or not, and his 10-year, $68 million rookie contract was the impetus for the NBA’s rookie salary cap still in place today.

In 11 seasons, Baker only made the playoffs four times and made the Eastern Conference finals once with the Bucks in 2001, when he was paired with team-first guys Ray Allen and Sam Cassell.

12. Tracy McGrady

Position: Shooting guard and small forward

Career: 16 seasons (1997-2013)

Teams: Toronto Raptors (1997-2000), Orlando Magic (2000-04), Houston Rockets (2004-10), New York Knicks (2010), Detroit Pistons (2010-11), Atlanta Hawks (2011-12), San Antonio Spurs (2013)

Stats: 938 G, 19.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, 43.5 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Tracy McGrady

It’s hard to understand how Tracy McGrady found his way to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017, if you’re willing to take an objective look at his career.

Consider that McGrady banked $162.4 million in NBA earnings over his career — and he never made it past the second round of the playoffs. That’s not a very good return on investment.

Nothing defined McGrady’s career more than the 2003 postseason, when he said "it feels good to get to the second round," after the Magic went up 3-1 on the Detroit Pistons. The Magic fell in seven games.

11. Blake Griffin

Position: Power forward

Career: 14 seasons (2009-present)

Teams: Los Angeles Clippers (2009-18), Detroit Pistons (2018-21), Brooklyn Nets (2021-22), Boston Celtics (2022-present)

Stats: 765 G, 19.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 49.3 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin has been one of the NBA’s dominant post players over the last decade, and his numbers back that up. He fills up the stat line as well as anyone who has played his position in recent memory.

What doesn’t add up are the results he gets from those numbers — Griffin has never even played in the NBA Finals.

Injuries have been a constant bugaboo for Griffin. He’s missed big parts of four seasons because of them, including almost three months in 2016 after he punched the Clippers' equipment manager and broke his hand. Griffin has settled into a backup role late in his career and was on his third team in three seasons in 2022-23 with the Boston Celtics.

10. Steve Francis

Position: Shooting guard and point guard

Career: 9 seasons (1999-2008)

Teams: Houston Rockets (1999-2004, 2007-08), Orlando Magic (2004-06), New York Knicks (2006-07)

Stats: 576 G, 18.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.0 APG, 42.9 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Steve Francis

With a nickname like "Stevie Franchise," how could Steve Francis not succeed? In a lot of different ways, actually.

Francis tore up the NBA in his first five seasons with the Rockets, making three All-Star teams before he was traded to the Magic after butting heads with coach Jeff Van Gundy.

In Orlando, it wasn’t even two seasons before he was suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team," before being traded to the Knicks.

The once-promising star was out of the NBA not long after that and was out of the league after less than a decade — making $103.3 million in career salary.

9. Stephon Marbury

Position: Point guard

Career: 13 seasons (1996-2009)

Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (1996-99), New Jersey Nets (1999-2001), Phoenix Suns (2001-04), New York Knicks (2004-09), Boston Celtics (2009)

Stats: 846 G, 19.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 7.6 APG, 43.3 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Stephon Marbury

Stephon Marbury was a basketball wunderkind who also ended up being just as good at killing the chemistry on teams he played for as he was at scoring points.

Marbury couldn’t co-exist with another NBA up-and-comer, Kevin Garnett, during his first few years in Minnesota. So Marbury was traded to the Nets, where couldn’t get the team to the playoffs in two seasons.

So he was traded to the Suns, where he couldn’t get past the first round of the playoffs.

So he was traded to the Knicks, where the New York Daily News called him "the most reviled athlete in New York," in 2006.

Fun times.

8. Eddy Curry

Position: Power forward and center

Career: 11 seasons (2001-2012)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (2001-05), New York Knicks (2005-11), Miami Heat (2011-12), Dallas Mavericks (2012)

Stats: 527 G, 12.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.5 APG, 54.5 FG%

NBA titles: 1 (2012)

Bottom Line: Eddy Curry

In 2003, former Chicago Bulls head coach Scott Skiles was asked what Eddy Curry needed to do in order to be a better rebounder. "Jump," Skiles said. And with that, Curry’s career was summed up in a single word.

Curry went straight from high school to the NBA in 2001 and would end up banking just over $69 million in 11 seasons.

Upon being traded to the New York Knicks, he continually showed up to camp out of shape despite banking around $10 million each year.

In the only year that Curry won an NBA title, in 2012 with the Heat, he was active for just one playoff game.

7. Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway

Position: Small forward, shooting guard and point guard

Career: 14 seasons (1993-2007)

Teams: Orlando Magic (1993-99), Phoenix Suns (1999-2004), New York Knicks (2004-06), Miami Heat (2007)

Stats: 704 G, 15.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 45.8 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway

Few careers in NBA history have started with the locomotive steam Penny Hardaway’s did.

Coming off All-American honors at the University of Memphis, Hardaway was a four-time All-Star, Olympic gold medalist and played in the NBA Finals all within his first five seasons. And that’s where he ran into some trouble.

In 14 NBA seasons, Hardaway missed 496 regular-season games. That’s the equivalent of just a little more than six full seasons.

He also never made another All-Star team after 1998, which was around the same time he signed his first massive free-agent deal with the Suns.

6. Carmelo Anthony

Position: Small forward and power forward

Career: 19 seasons (2003-present)

Teams: Denver Nuggets (2003-11), New York Knicks (2011-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-18), Houston Rockets (2018-19), Portland Trail Blazers (2019-21), Los Angeles Lakers (2021-22)

Stats: 1,260 G, 22.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, 44.7 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony, in one season of college basketball, established himself as one of the best to ever play for Syracuse, winning the 2003 national title. His three Olympic gold medals also make him a legend.

His NBA career has been a different story. Anthony has underperformed at every stop along the way and done so in dramatic fashion.

In 17 seasons, Anthony has only made it past the first round of the playoffs twice and never made the NBA Finals.

No failure was more pronounced than his time with the Knicks, where he missed the playoffs in each of his last four seasons while banking a cool $91 million in that same stretch.

5. Derrick Coleman

Position: Center and power forward

Career: 15 seasons (1990-2005)

Teams: New Jersey Nets (1990-2005), Philadelphia 76ers (1995-99, 2001-04), Charlotte Hornets (1999-2001), Detroit Pistons (2004-05)

Stats: 781 G, 16.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 44.7 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Derrick Coleman

Derrick Coleman brought home Rookie of the Year honors in 1991 and made one All-Star game in his career, and despite regularly being one of the league’s highest-paid players was able to produce little in the way of wins.

In 15 NBA seasons, teams Coleman played on made the playoffs seven times and advanced past the first round just once, when he was playing with the Allen Iverson-led 76ers in 2003.

Coleman went out ignominiously, cut by the Pistons while facing a suspension for the infamous 2004 "Malice at the Palace" brawl.

4. Mitch Richmond

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 14 seasons (1988-2002)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1988-91), Sacramento Kings (1991-98), Washington Wizards (1998-2001), Los Angeles Lakers (2001-02)

Stats: 976 G, 21.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 45.5 FG%

NBA titles: 1 (2002)

Bottom Line: Mitch Richmond

We can all take a look at Mitch Richmond’s Hall of Fame career and wonder — how is this dude in the Hall of Fame?

He spent the bulk of his best years on some awful Kings teams in the 1990s, where he boosted his scoring numbers but somehow managed to do little else on the floor in the way of rebounds or assists, although he was pretty durable.

In 14 seasons, Richmond played in the playoffs just four times. One of those was his final season, 2002, when he won his lone NBA title with the Lakers and averaged just 4.0 minutes per game.

3. Pete Maravich

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 10 seasons (1970-80)

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (1970-74), New Orleans/Utah Jazz (1974-80), Boston Celtics (1980)

Stats: 658 G, 24.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 44.1 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Pete Maravich

If you’re capable of looking past Pete Maravich’s gaudy stats, then you can understand that no player ever got more credit for getting buckets without the accompanying wins than "Pistol Pete."

And that goes back to college, where he averaged 44.2 points per game playing for his dad at LSU — but never made an NCAA tournament.

In 10 NBA seasons, Maravich only made the playoffs twice and only played on teams with winning records twice, including his final season in 1980 with the Boston Celtics and star Larry Bird, when Maravich came off the bench.

2. Joe Johnson

Position: Shooting guard and small forward

Career: 18 seasons (2001-18, 2021-22)

Teams: Boston Celtics (2001-02, 2021-22), Phoenix Suns (2002-05), Atlanta Hawks (2005-12), Brooklyn Nets (2012-16), Miami Heat (2016), Utah Jazz (2016-18), Houston Rockets (2018)

Stats: 1,277 G, 16.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 44.1 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson’s career is defined by one bad (for the team, not him) contract — the six-year, $123.7 million deal he signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2010 that made him the highest-paid player in NBA history. Which wasn’t bad for a guy who had never even made the conference finals.

It was in the playoffs where Johnson’s numbers really dipped, seeing his numbers cut in half several times.

His inability to get teammates involved — see his 3.9 career assists per game — was a fatal flaw and came to define his game.

1. Ralph Sampson

Position: Power forward and center

Career: 8 seasons (1983-91)

Teams: Houston Rockets (1983-87), Golden State Warriors (1987-89), Sacramento Kings (1989-90), Washington Bullets (1991)

Stats: 456 G, 15.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 48.6 FG%

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Ralph Sampson

Ralph Sampson was a 7-foot-4 phenom who was supposed to change basketball after a celebrated prep career and three consecutive National Player of the Year awards at the University of Virginia. The standard was no less than WIlt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar numbers.

Sampson was the No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Rockets in 1983, but he only played eight seasons in the NBA. The Rockets grew tired of his inability to co-exist in the frontcourt with Hakeem Olajuwon and traded Sampson after four seasons.

He spent the remainder of his career bouncing between three teams and never averaged double-digit scoring in that time.