View Full Version : which player was NOT a star in college but became a major star in the NBA?
swi7ch
09-19-2012, 09:36 AM
Can ISH name one? I'm drawing blank here.
EDIT:
* Must be a regular bench guy throughout his college career.
* Must not be a lottery pick (although a first rounder would still be pushing it).
Vertical-24
09-19-2012, 09:43 AM
Only one answer here folks....
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/371/469/27e.jpg
LeBron James :bowdown:
Overdrive
09-19-2012, 09:51 AM
Rodman if you consider him a major star. He was no top offense producer, but people who didn't know Basketball that much also knew him.
sundizz
09-19-2012, 09:56 AM
Pippen. Ben Wallace. Steve Nash. What do you mean? There are tons and tons and tons of examples. Gilbert Arenas :confusedshrug: Jeremy Lin.
magic chiongson
09-19-2012, 10:00 AM
Pippen. Ben Wallace. Steve Nash. What do you mean? There are tons and tons and tons of examples. Gilbert Arenas :confusedshrug: Jeremy Lin.
steve nash was pretty big in santa clara. he was not a top high school recruit though. same thing with jeremy lin.
you could probbaly make a case for late 2nd round picks like big ben & arenas
StateOfMind12
09-19-2012, 10:00 AM
Pippen. Ben Wallace. Steve Nash. What do you mean? There are tons and tons and tons of examples. Gilbert Arenas :confusedshrug: Jeremy Lin.
Jeremy Lin was star at Harvard, so he doesn't apply.
I think just about everyone who has been a star in the NBA was a big star or close to it in college. They would have no shot in the NBA if they weren't.
I think he means someone that wasn't the star of their own team, and went on to be a star in the NBA.
Gilbert Arenas being a prime example of this. Or pick a UCLA kid, Westbrook?
Calabis
09-19-2012, 10:07 AM
Rodman if you consider him a major star. He was no top offense producer, but people who didn't know Basketball that much also knew him.
Rodman avg 25 and 15 on 60+%, ask Karl Malone, even he has stated Rodman could score, he just sacrificed his offense and brought a flair to rebounding....hell I was thinking Scottie Pippen, but even he was a stud in college, just not the same type of exposure as today...both he and Rodman shined at pre draft workouts also.
Ben Wallace, John Starks, Bruce Bowen....not real stars, but at least guys who found there nitch on the court, but Wallace, Starks were all stars and Bowen regarded as best perimeter defender in the league:confusedshrug:
Mr Exlax
09-19-2012, 12:12 PM
I knew Dwade was good in college, but did anybody think he would end up as good as he has? If I remember right he wasn't projected to go as high as he did during his last year at Marquette, but didn't he become a beast over that summer?
GOAT24
09-19-2012, 12:15 PM
Rondo
irondarts
09-19-2012, 12:25 PM
Gilbert Arenas was a fairly big star at Arizona. In his two years there he averaged nearly 16 ppg and lead the team in scoring, steals and 3 pt% in his second year.
Just because he was second round pick doesn't mean he wasn't a star, it was actually fairly shocking he slipped to the 2nd round.
irondarts
09-19-2012, 12:33 PM
Roy Hibbert wasn't a star at Georgetown.
Jrue Holiday wasn't a star at UCLA (he's not really an NBA star but this is an example)
Zach Randolph wasn't a star at Michigan State
AlphaWolf24
09-19-2012, 12:34 PM
Pippen. Ben Wallace. Steve Nash. What do you mean? There are tons and tons and tons of examples. Gilbert Arenas :confusedshrug: Jeremy Lin.
Pippen wasn't a Fab 5 type star...but he was viewed as one of the best players in college....
Lottery Pick also...
Nash was pretty popular in the Bay Area....leading Santa Clara to the NCAA and upsetting ( was it Ariz?) was amazing....
Gilbert Arenas was a fairly big star at Arizona. In his two years there he averaged nearly 16 ppg and lead the team in scoring, steals and 3 pt% in his second year.
Just because he was second round pick doesn't mean he wasn't a star, it was actually fairly shocking he slipped to the 2nd round.
No one suggested that because he was a 2nd round pick he wasn't a star. The reason he isn't thought of as a star is because in comparison to what he did in the NBA, he wasn't a star.
16.2ppg is his high in the NCAA, in the NBA, 29.3ppg, and a career average of 20.7ppg. Jefferson and Walton had more assists per game than him, and Loren Woods came close as well. He didn't look like much of a point guard at the NBA level ,and I NEVER thought he would have been a starter. You can't honestly tell me that you thought Arenas would be an All-Star?
hawksdogsbraves
09-19-2012, 12:41 PM
I knew Dwade was good in college, but did anybody think he would end up as good as he has? If I remember right he wasn't projected to go as high as he did during his last year at Marquette, but didn't he become a beast over that summer?
He blew up in the tournament, where he carried Marquette to the Final Four and had a huge triple double against number one seeded Kentucky, and was later named first team All American. He wasn't really considered a top 5 talent before that though.
swi7ch
09-19-2012, 12:49 PM
I think he means someone that wasn't the star of their own team, and went on to be a star in the NBA.
Yeah, this. ^
Just a regular 7th or 8th or 9th guy off the bench in college and then became a star in the pros.
Carlos Boozer.
edit: i feel dirty now for calling boozer a major star now
Overdrive
09-19-2012, 12:58 PM
Yeah, this. ^
Just a regular 7th or 8th or 9th guy off the bench in college and then became a star in the pros.
Rodman avg 25 and 15 on 60+%, ask Karl Malone, even he has stated Rodman could score, he just sacrificed his offense and brought a flair to rebounding....hell I was thinking Scottie Pippen, but even he was a stud in college, just not the same type of exposure as today...both he and Rodman shined at pre draft workouts also.
Uh, I got that wrong, that it was meant as a nationwide collegestar as in Jordan, Ewing, Hakeem who went to be a surefire NBA topprospects.
LamarOdom
09-19-2012, 01:00 PM
Rodman avg 25 and 15 on 60+%, ask Karl Malone, even he has stated Rodman could score, he just sacrificed his offense and brought a flair to rebounding....hell I was thinking Scottie Pippen, but even he was a stud in college, just not the same type of exposure as today...both he and Rodman shined at pre draft workouts also.
Ben Wallace, John Starks, Bruce Bowen....not real stars, but at least guys who found there nitch on the court, but Wallace, Starks were all stars and Bowen regarded as best perimeter defender in the league:confusedshrug:
He didn't even play in the NCAA:facepalm
irondarts
09-19-2012, 01:02 PM
No one suggested that because he was a 2nd round pick he wasn't a star. The reason he isn't thought of as a star is because in comparison to what he did in the NBA, he wasn't a star.
16.2ppg is his high in the NCAA, in the NBA, 29.3ppg, and a career average of 20.7ppg. Jefferson and Walton had more assists per game than him, and Loren Woods came close as well. He didn't look like much of a point guard at the NBA level ,and I NEVER thought he would have been a starter. You can't honestly tell me that you thought Arenas would be an All-Star?
He was a very good scorer at Arizona. He was a very good scorer in the NBA.
Did I think he would average close to 30 PPG in the NBA? No. But it was clear at Arizona that he was a good scorer.
Mr Exlax
09-19-2012, 01:35 PM
He blew up in the tournament, where he carried Marquette to the Final Four and had a huge triple double against number one seeded Kentucky, and was later named first team All American. He wasn't really considered a top 5 talent before that though.
Ahh ok. I've never been big on college basketball but there was some reason I liked him. I guess I didn't see any of the tournament stuff but all I remember is how when it was around draft time they were all over him and I don't remember him getting a lot of attention his last year in college. Thanks!
He was a very good scorer at Arizona. He was a very good scorer in the NBA.
Did I think he would average close to 30 PPG in the NBA? No. But it was clear at Arizona that he was a good scorer.
A good scorer does not a superstar make. I think I messed up my Yoda.
Anyway, he did NOT look like a superstar. He looked like his ceiling would be Vinnie Johnson, not a superstar point guard..
To the OP, if this is about Quincy Miller, I can give you a quick answer....
The guy was a bum in college, and he'll be a bum in the NBA.
Nick Young
09-19-2012, 01:47 PM
Carlos Boozer.
edit: i feel dirty now for calling boozer a major star now
He was a huge star at Duke
Da KO King
09-19-2012, 01:58 PM
Gilbert Arenas was not the star at Arizona.
Russell Westbrook was not the star at UCLA.
Deron Williams was not the star at Illinois.
lilgodfather1
09-19-2012, 02:00 PM
Gilbert Arenas was not the star at Arizona.
Russell Westbrook was not the star at UCLA.
Deron Williams was not the star at Illinois.
And yet two of them were top 5 picks... Arenas qualifies, but not the other two. As a rule if the player was a lotto pick he doesn't count.
jjayfive
09-19-2012, 02:13 PM
russell westbrook was a back-up in college..... he was drafted on pure potential.. i'm not even sure if he was even a high school all-american..
deron williams is borderline because he was under the radar during the regular season but blew up during the ncaa tournament..
none of these players were the best players on their team..
He was a huge star at Duke
not really. Mike Dunleavy, Shane Battier won player of the year in 2001. and Jay Williams was the stars for those duke teams from 2000 to 2002.
lilgodfather1
09-19-2012, 02:21 PM
russell westbrook was a back-up in college..... he was drafted on pure potential.. i'm not even sure if he was even a high school all-american..
deron williams is borderline because he was under the radar during the regular season but blew up during the ncaa tournament..
none of these players were the best players on their team..
A player drafted in the lotto can't be considered for this thread.
get these NETS
09-19-2012, 02:29 PM
deron williams made all conference and at least all american honorable mention at Illinois
so he can't be counted
lakerspng
09-19-2012, 02:30 PM
A player drafted in the lotto can't be considered for this thread.
westbrook does meet the criteria though. he was not a star in college and is a big star in the pros. if he had stayed in college more than a year he probably would have been the star of the team, if not all college basketball by his senior year though.
get these NETS
09-19-2012, 02:30 PM
oh...........
not a star in college and blew up in NBA
kobe!!!
oh..wait...
Calabis
09-19-2012, 02:44 PM
He didn't even play in the NCAA:facepalm
:facepalm Neither did Pippen, yet he was a lottery pick
DJ Leon Smith
09-19-2012, 03:06 PM
Pippen wasn't a Fab 5 type star...but he was viewed as one of the best players in college....
Lottery Pick also...
Nash was pretty popular in the Bay Area....leading Santa Clara to the NCAA and upsetting ( was it Ariz?) was amazing....
Pippen went to a Div II college. The Euroleague of the NCAAs. He was traded for the HOF-bound Olden Polynice.
But no, you're right. He was viewed as one of the best players in college. He carried Michael Jordan to seven titles, held Kobe's balls while he raped that girl, cuppped your mother's breasts while she fed you as a child. He is the precursor to Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
ManlyStanley69
09-19-2012, 08:13 PM
hmmmm I would say Jimmer Fredette...nobody knew about this dude in college when he went to BY U but hes clearly the frickin man in sack town.
LamarOdom
09-19-2012, 08:28 PM
:facepalm Neither did Pippen, yet he was a lottery pick
But you can't say he averaged 25/16 as if he was a star or anything in college, he played with scrubs that's why he was able to average 25 ppg.
bdreason
09-19-2012, 08:31 PM
Wade for sure. He was good in College, but nobody expected he would be this good.
And how about Deron Williams? Good player at Illinois, but nobody thought he would be arguably the best PG in the league.
LamarOdom
09-19-2012, 08:32 PM
Wade for sure. He was good in College, but nobody expected he would be this good.
And how about Deron Williams? Good player at Illinois, but nobody thought he would be arguably the best PG in the league.
I don't really know how good he was in college but he did after all get picked 5th in that draft as a 21 year old.
He must have done something right.
DStebb716
09-19-2012, 08:35 PM
so really: NOBODY. if you're looking for a guy who was 6th 7th or 8th guys switch, it's NOBODY. EVER. not a single player. ever.
at least make the thread reasonable. guys that weren't top 10 picks and were 3rd or 4th on their team in college that became very good nba players maybe.
Rekindled
09-19-2012, 08:39 PM
Russell Westbrook
Im so nba'd out
09-19-2012, 10:10 PM
byron mullens could be the 1st if he becomes a star.........
Collie
09-19-2012, 10:49 PM
Marvin Williams was supposed to be one. Drafter second while being a sixth man on his college team.
Wade for sure. He was good in College, but nobody expected he would be this good.
And how about Deron Williams? Good player at Illinois, but nobody thought he would be arguably the best PG in the league.
Wade was very popular in college. I'm not a Marquette fan at all and I watched a ton of their games that season. Let's not forget the only people to get drafted in front of him were Lebron James, Carmello Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Darko Milicic so it's not like people were exactly sleeping on him. Everybody knew he could be huge someday.
Deron Williams was on a Illinois team that was very close to winning a national title. That team only had a couple of losses and went a large part of the season undefeated if I remember correctly. He was by far the star of that team. Williams was also the 3rd pick in the draft and definitely wasn't under rated coming out of college.
I don't think either of these guys count for this conversation. The one player that I've seen mentioned a few times is Ben Wallace. He belongs on the list.
Cliff Robinson could possibly be there too. He played at Uconn but they were in the NIT (although they won). Even he's a stretch for this question..... it's a tough one because most all NBA players were the best on their college team at some point. Nick Van Exel was the best player at his college but nobody would've heard of that place.
byron mullens could be the 1st if he becomes a star.........
Even though he was 6th man he was one of the best players at OSU. He was also the top high school recruit in the nation the year prior to that so he was a well known player.
East_Stone_Ya
09-21-2012, 05:13 AM
maybe Antonio Davis and Brad Miller:confusedshrug:
MiseryCityTexas
09-21-2012, 05:29 AM
Gilbert Arenas before the guns. D Wade.
MiseryCityTexas
09-21-2012, 05:30 AM
hmmmm I would say Jimmer Fredette...nobody knew about this dude in college when he went to BY U but hes clearly the frickin man in sack town.
he was more like the man at byu, but frickin garbage in sac-town
Just by reading the title of the thread alone and before even reading, the first player that came to my mind was Russell Westbrook.
He came off the bench behind Darren Collison. Both are in the NBA (or is Collison still in the NBA?) and Westbrook is totally having a better NBA career than Collison.
But...Westbrook doesn't fit OP's criteria.
Bandito
09-21-2012, 10:20 AM
Only one answer here folks....
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/371/469/27e.jpg
LeBron James :bowdown:
you just wanted an excuse to post that picture didn't you? Confess!!?
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.