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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16 Mar 2000: Mateen Cleaves #12 of Michigan State University is all smiles as Michigan State defeats Valparaiso University 65-38 during the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regionals at the Goodman Arena at Cleveland State University Convocation Center in Cleveland, Ohio. X <> Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger/ALLSPORT
16 Mar 2000: Mateen Cleaves #12 of Michigan State University is all smiles as Michigan State defeats Valparaiso University 65-38 during the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regionals at the Goodman Arena at Cleveland State University Convocation Center in Cleveland, Ohio. X <> Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger/ALLSPORT /

17. College basketball stars who flamed out in NBA: Mateen Cleaves

A lot of players have been dominant collegians who simply didn’t have the superior athletic traits necessary to thrive in the NBA. A prominent example of that type of flame out is Mateen Cleaves, who was the most recognizable player in the rise of Michigan State in the late 1990s and is one of the most decorated Spartans in school history.

Cleaves did it all for the Spartans, winning the Big Ten Player of the Year award twice and guiding Michigan State to a pair of Final Fours, including the school’s last national championship in 2000. That team was led by Cleaves, a senior, who also took home the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award for his excellent performance on the biggest stage of college basketball.

There was plenty of hype for Cleaves to star in the NBA, especially when the hometown Detroit Pistons took him with the 14th overall pick in the 2000 draft. The pressure of playing in Detroit certainly had to weigh on Cleaves, whose style of leadership and selfless basketball didn’t make him a great skill fit for the NBA at the time.

Cleaves started just 10 games in a six-year NBA career, failing to crack the rotation after his rookie season in Detroit. This is not a knock against Cleaves, who is still one of the greatest college basketball players of all time, but his physical skills simply didn’t measure up to pro ball.