Ranking the Best Undrafted NBA Players of All Time (Part 2)

G'day tribe. Yesterday I posted the first part of the best undrafted NBA players of all time which you can check out here. It featured Avery Johnson, Brad Miller, Udonis Haslem, and Bruce Bowen.

Today I present the final best four. Can you guess who they are?!

best-undrafted-nba-player.jpg

4. Fred VanVleet


fred vanvleet undrafted

Fred VanVleet went undrafted in 2016 but the Raptors took a punt on him and assigned him to the G League. He then became a key player in Toronto's 2018-19 NBA championship winning team.

A 26-year old VanVleet signed the biggest deal in history for an undrafted player in 2020, a four-year, $85 million contract. In 2021 he scored a franchise and undrafted player record of 54 points and a year later became only the fourth undrafted All-Star in the modern era.

Undrafted players to earn an NBA All-Star selection

John Starks (1994) Ben Wallace (2003-2006) Brad Miller (2003-2004) Fred VanVleet (2022)#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/e7M0igS2gD — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 4, 2022

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3. Connie Hawkins


connie hawkins undrafted

Connie Hawkins went undrafted in 1964 and only played his first NBA game in 1969 after being banned because a point shaving scandal at Iowa, something he was never arrested nor indicted for it.

Hawkins was athletic, flamboyant and skilful and even spent four years with the Harlem Globetrotters. He averaged 18.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. The four-time All-Star was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.

2. John Starks


john starks undrafted

Overlooked in the 1988 draft, John Starks ended up becoming one of the greatest undrafted NBA players in history. He was heavily involved in one of the biggest NBA rivalries of all time between the Knicks and Bulls and he was one of only a few who could limit Michael Jordan’s game.

Starks scored 10,829 points, 3,085 assists and 2,129 rebounds during his career and he became an NBA All-Star in 1994. His determination to win and impact in the playoffs has many people regarding Starks as one of the best Knicks player in of all time.

“I didn’t follow him in the CBA. I didn’t know about him in college. But I know about him now.” - Michael Jordan on John Starks

pic.twitter.com/FuugrY0deL — Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 4, 2020

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1. Ben Wallace


ben wallace undrafted

In the 2000s the Detroit Pistons and Ben Wallace took the NBA by storm. The Pistons went on to compete in six consecutive Eastern Conference finals and won the 2004 NBA Finals.

Wallace is the only undrafted player to be voted to start an NBA All-Star game. He finished his career with 6,254 points, 10,482 rebounds, 2,137 blocks, and he became the first undrafted player in NBA history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.

In 2006 Wallace was crowned NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award a record equalling fourth time. He also has the distinction of being the only player to have more blocks than personal fouls, and more steals than turnovers.

It's hard to believe Wallace went undrafted in 1996 which became the best draft in NBA history. Ben Wallace is without a doubt the best undrafted NBA player of all time.

Ben Wallace, the greatest undrafted player of all time.

— 4x DPOY — 6x All-Defense — 5x All-NBA — 4x All-Star — 2004 Champion — First undrafted player in the Hall of Fame pic.twitter.com/H38WNbGkjK — StatMuse (@statmuse) June 23, 2022

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Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.



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3 comments
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I feel like I am getting to know more sports trough your posts! Next time I am watching some NBA I can shine with these kind of facts. Thank you! :)

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You're welcome. Coming from Australia it was harder especially back in the day to get a serving of American sports. A lot easier nowadays

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I never knew Ben was undrafted. Incredible.

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