Fansided

Whatever happened to these 30 college basketball stars who flamed out in the NBA?

By Mike Phillips

NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 28: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (R) of the Kentucky Wildcats greets NBA Commissioner David Stern (L) after he was selected number two overall by the Charlotte Bobcats during the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft at Prudential Center on June 28, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 28: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (R) of the Kentucky Wildcats greets NBA Commissioner David Stern (L) after he was selected number two overall by the Charlotte Bobcats during the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft at Prudential Center on June 28, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 21: Jabari Parker #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Mercer Bears during the Second Round of the 2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament at PNC Arena on March 21, 2014, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mercer defeated Duke 78-71. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 21: Jabari Parker #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Mercer Bears during the Second Round of the 2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament at PNC Arena on March 21, 2014, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mercer defeated Duke 78-71. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

19. College basketball stars who flamed out in NBA: Jabari Parker

We’ll stay in Durham here with a look at another Duke star who never reached the kind of superstar potential in the NBA that he flashed in college. Jabari Parker was one of the nation’s most coveted recruits in 2014 and was the subject of lofty expectations at Duke, becoming just the second Blue Devil ever to wear No. 1 as well as earning a spot on the preseason All-American first team.

Duke saw plenty of excellent play from Parker, who averaged 19.1 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc. Parker did earn First-Team All-American status before Duke was upset in the NCAA Tournament by Mercer, a performance he parlayed into being the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

The Milwaukee Bucks were thrilled to land Parker, who was widely expected to be the star to turn the franchise’s fortunes around. Parker did flash a ton of potential in his first few years but his career was never the same after a pair of ACL injuries.

The knee issues sapped a lot of Parker’s athleticism, capping the upside he displayed at Duke. There is still an opportunity for Parker to have a second life in the NBA as a key role player but his chances of being the kind of franchise-defining superstar that the Bucks thought they were getting disappeared due to injury, leaving the role of Milwaukee hero to Giannis Antetokoumpko instead.