The 2025 NBA Draft is fast approaching, with all eyes on the top of the class with Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. While not every draft has a "generational" prospect at the top, the expectation for most classes is that someone will pop at an All-Star or even Hall of Fame level. It may not be Flagg or Harper in 2025, though they would have the best chance based on history, but star power is one important measuring stick for looking back at previous classes.
With that in mind, we will highlight five of the most disappointing classes in NBA history based on star power, or a lack thereof. Of note, this ranking will not include the 2024 class, even with the consensus evaluation still that the 2024 draft had a dearth of high-end prospects at the top. That belief was largely backed up by the early returns during the first year but, simply put, it is far too early to close the book on the star power of a draft that happened only 12 months ago.
At any rate, here are the five worst classes when it comes to star power, arriving in chronological order.
1973 NBA Draft
The NBA was far different in 1973, which makes this a challenging inclusion. At the same time, only ona player drafted in 1973 (George McGinnis) is in the Hall of Fame for his on-court contributions. McGinnis did have a wonderful career, but four of his eleven professional seasons happened in the ABA, which throws things for a loop in some historical queries.
Beyond McGinnis, No. 1 overall pick Doug Collins is in the Hall of Fame, but he is there as an overall contributor, rather than as a player. Collins did have a very nice playing career, averaging 17.9 points per game across eight NBA seasons, but there is a clear lack of star power in this group. After McGinnis and Collins, the most prominent names are Kermit Washington, Caldwell Jones, M.L. Carr, and Swen Nater.
1990 NBA Draft
The 1990 draft does have one clear standout, and it is Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton. Payton was one of the best defensive guards in history, and he also scored more than 21,000 points while dishing out nearly 9,000 assists. Obviously, that is impressive in its own right but, outside of Payton, this class didn't have incredible upside.
Toni Kukoc is in the Hall of Fame, which is worth noting, but he was not an NBA star in the traditional sense, making his mark as a supporting piece for the Bulls and leaning on his tremendous interntional career for Hall of Fame purposes. After that, players like Derrick Coleman (the No. 1 pick), Kendall Gill, Elden Campbell, Antonio Davis, Cedric Ceballos, Dennis Scott, and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf had strong careers.
2000 NBA Draft
The most widely held answer to the question of "What is the worst NBA Draft class ever?" is probably the 2000 class. The group produced only three All-Stars (Michael Redd, Kenyon Martin, Jamaal Magloire) and zero Hall of Fame inductions.
The 2000 class is a good reminder that even the worst classes do produce strong players, with this one boasting those All-Stars in addition to Jamal Crawford, Mike Miller, and others. Still, it is a very, very rough draft on the whole, and it's pretty clear from every angle.
2002 NBA Draft
Compared to the 2000 class, the 2002 class looks amazing, but that isn't the baseline here. The 2002 group does have a player (Yao Ming) who has already been inducted to the Hall of Fame, but Ming played only eight NBA seasons due to injury. He was still a legitimate superstar in his prime, and that distinction also applies to Amar'e Stoudemire.
However, that is pretty much it for actual star power. The 2002 draft does have some bold names with Caron Butler, Carlos Boozer, Luis Scola, and Nene, but many lottery picks like Jay Williams, Nikoloz Tskitishvilli, and Dajuan Wagner ended up missing.
2013 NBA Draft
The presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo saves the 2013 class from direct comparisons to the 2000 class. Antetokounmpo didn't come off the board until the No. 15 pick, but he is already an inner-circle Hall of Famer before retirement. That helps with the perception.
After Antetokounmpo, though, the 2013 group is very choppy. Rudy Gobert is perhaps on his way to the Hall of Fame as well, and he is easily the No. 2 player in the class, even from the No. 27 pick. Victor Oladipo made an All-Star team, but the rest of the list is comprised of some very good players (CJ McCollum, Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Otto Porter, Steven Adams), but no more true stars.