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Who are the top undrafted players in NBA history? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Jeremy Lin: best-known for his burst of “Linsanity” with the New York Knicks in 2011-2012, Lin averaged double-digit scoring for six different NBA teams and won a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2018-2019 before continuing his basketball career overseas in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
9. Raja Bell: a 2x All-Defensive selection, Bell was one of the league’s best three-point shooters during his prime in the mid-2000s with the Phoenix Suns (career 40.6%), averaging a career-high 14.7 points per game in consecutive seasons.
8. Udonis Haslem: the longtime “enforcer” for the Miami Heat, Haslem has played his entire career with the team and won three titles with the Heat while averaging 7+ rebounds per game for eight consecutive seasons in his prime.
7. Darrell Armstrong: spending the majority of his career with the Orlando Magic, Armstrong evolved from Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year in 1998-1999 to being the team’s starting point guard for nearly a half-decade.
6. David Wesley: a starting shooting guard in the NBA for over a decade, Wesley shot 36.8% from the three-point line and averaged 12.5 points per game for his career, including a career-high 17.2 points per game for the Charlotte Hornets in 2000-2001.
5. Bruce Bowen: a defensive stalwart for three San Antonio Spurs championship teams, Bowen was an 8x All-Defensive selection consistently called upon to lock down the opposing team’s top scorer.
4. John Starks: the 1996-1997 Sixth Man of the Year, Starks was also an All-Star and All-Defensive selection who averaged double-digit scoring figures for a decade with the New York Knicks (including a career-high 19.0 points per game in 1993-1994) and helped lead the team to the NBA Finals.
3. Brad Miller: known for his passing skills as a big man, Miller played for six NBA teams during his 14 years in the league and was an All-Star with two different teams (Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings).
2. Avery Johnson: the starting point guard for the Spurs in the 1990s, Johnson helped guide the team to its first NBA title and retired as the all-time games played leader for an undrafted player (later surpassed by Ben Wallace).
1. Ben Wallace: the career record-holder for most NBA games played by an undrafted player, Wallace was a defensive force for the Detroit Pistons in the early 2000s: a record-tying 4x Defensive Player of the Year, 6x All-Defensive, 2x rebounding champion, 5x All-NBA, and 4x All-Star who helped Detroit win the 2003-2004 championship.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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Countdown 44: Top 10 Closers in MLB History
