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From tennis and boxing, to cricket and football, sports fans have been treated to some memorable performances from some truly special professional athletes over the years. In basketball, modern-day fans are lucky enough to witness the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry do their thing, while legendary former players like Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal will never be forgotten.
Not every professional player has been a joy to watch, though. In fact, in the same way fans of the aforementioned other sports have been forced to endure some performances from some frankly shocking players, basketball fans have also been exposed to players who didn’t quite live up to their billing and will be remembered as undoubted flops. Let’s take a look at some of them below.
Cherokee Parks
Cherokee Parks shone during his college days for Duke, averaging 19.0 points and 9.3 rebounds during his final season. His transition over to the NBA didn’t go smoothly, though, with Parks playing for the likes of the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors for a short period. It was during his first spell with the Mavericks where his reputation took a hit, with Cherokee Parks averaging just 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Rafael Araújo
After arriving from Brazil in 2004, big things were expected of Rafael Araújo. The eighth pick for the Toronto Raptors failed to live up to the hype, though, with Araújo offering very little during his time with the team. In fact, he averaged just 2.9 points and 3.0 rebounds on 41% shooting. It’s fair to say the Toronto Raptors went for the wrong man.
Sun Yue
Anyone remember Sun Yue? Well, that’s a shame, then. The Chinese player is a professional who clearly couldn’t believe his luck when he made it into the NBA. His performances were forgettable, despite only making ten appearances during his time with the Lakers. Sun Yue was nothing more than a bit part player, averaging an astonishingly bad 0.6 points on 27% shooting during the 2008-09 season.
Mengke Bateer
Most Denver Nuggets fans won’t remember Mengke Bateer, and it’s probably for the best. A team who are currently priced at −1100 to make the playoffs when assessing NBA odds this season, the Nuggets have plenty of talent to rely on. Previously, though, the likes of Mengke Bateer was a player on their books, with the Chinese professional failing to make a significant impact. Also turning out for the Spurs and the Raptors, the former CBA Player of the Year played just 46 times in the competition, averaging just 3.4 points.
Michael Ruffin
A player behind one of the worst plays ever seen on a basketball court, somewhat unbelievably, Michael Ruffin managed to carve out a decent nine-season career for himself in the NBA playing for the likes of the Washington Wizards, the Chicago Bulls, and the Portland Trail Blazers. It remains a mystery as to why he managed to last so long in the NBA, particularly when he finished his career averaging 0.5 points on 29% shooting with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Greg Oden
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Yet another player that fans of the NBA were initially excited about, Greg Oden, had nothing short of a disastrous spell in the best basketball competition around. Arriving into the professional game from Ohio State following the 2007 NBA Draft, Oden joined the Portland Trail Blazers and never really got going due to persistent issues with his knee. In fairness to Greg Oden, his ability was evident, and he certainly could have made his mark in the NBA, but his stop-start career due to injury really damaged his reputation.
