30 forgotten college basketball stars who flamed out in the NBA

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

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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DETROIT – APRIL 04: Hasheem Thabeet #34 of the Connecticut Huskies walks off the court to the locker room after the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

3. College basketball stars who flamed out in NBA: Hasheem Thabeet

There are some players who you can just look at and project potential superstardom for. One of those guys was Hasheem Thabeet, who looked like a defensive menace at UConn with the talent to develop into a star at both ends of the floor.

Thabeet was a bit raw at UConn since he got a late start playing basketball in Tanzania but head coach Jim Calhoun did a good job putting Thabeet in a position to succeed. The anchor of the Huskies’ defense, Thabeet was a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and was the Big East’s Co-Player of the Year in 2009, when he helped UConn reach the Final Four before falling to Michigan State.

Scouts were drooling over Thabeet’s potential in the NBA Draft, where he was taken with the second overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. Unfortunately for them, Thabeet failed to develop his offensive game at the NBA level, making him borderline unplayable as a non-threat on that end of the floor.

Thabeet hasn’t played in the NBA since 2014, splitting time between the G-League and international leagues since being let go by the Detroit Pistons prior to the start of the 2014 campaign. The story of Thabeet is a cautionary tale of what can happen to a prospect who enters the NBA before he is ready to play at that level, one that Memphis paid the price for by passing on both James Harden and Stephen Curry to select Thabeet.