10 Greatest Undrafted Players in NBA History

The 79th season of the National Basketball Association has come to a close, with Oklahoma City Thunder taking home the crown against the Indiana Pacers after an enthralling seven-game series ended in a 4-3 win on Sunday night – and it’s not come without its success stories.

The main spotlight will be on stars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who rightfully took home the MVP gong as well as the Finals MVP medal along the way – and after a summer break, Thunder will look to go again to reclaim the title.

But although those in the headlines will continue to grab them, we’ve seen in the past that unsuspecting players can quickly become the most important on the roster – and that has been no different this year with a previously undrafted star taking home the spoils.

With that in mind, GIVEMESPORT takes a look at the 10 best undrafted players in NBA history, who have left their impressions on the game after rising from zero to hero.

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Ranking Factors

Many varying differences have been considered in this list, including…

• Legacy – To go from an unknown to a regular NBA player is an outstanding achievement, but for how long have these players become cult heroes, icons and more?
• Honours – Success is measured in trophies and awards, which some of these players boast in abundance.
• Rise – How far up the NBA ladder did each player climb and for how long?

10

Alex Caruso

Starting off the list with a player who is very much in the public eye at the moment, Caruso began his career undrafted after spending four years at Texas A&M, being picked up by the Oklahoma City Blue, before making his way to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017.

Four years at the Lakers saw him win the NBA Championship in 2020, featuring in 64 of their games in the Championship-winning season – before being transferred to the Chicago Bulls, where he was a mainstay over the past two seasons.

This year, however, he made his name for the Oklahoma City Thunder, returning to his post-college roots for the side that originally gave him a chance – featuring in 32 minutes of Game 7 to bring home the franchises’ second-ever Championship, after a 46-year wait.

9

Jeremy Lin

Not so much a successful career, but former journeyman Lin became an international superstar for a short period of time in 2012 after one of the most notable purple patches in sporting history.

Undrafted after leaving Harvard in 2010, he was picked up by the Golden State Warriors, before playing for other clubs such as the Lakers, Houston Rockets and more during his career.

However, it was his small amount of time at the New York Knicks where the California-born star excelled. His surprise inclusion in their starting lineup in February 2012 after being the ’12th to 15th person’ on the roster helped them to seven consecutive wins, with his debut securing career highs throughout.

Scoring a double-double and outscoring Kobe Bryant in a win over the Lakers, a game-winning three-pointer over the Toronto Raptors that led to Ron Artest to scream ‘Linsanity’ before a change in management ended that. Lin ended his career in the NBA with a Championship at the Raptors.

8

Jorge Garbajosa

Spanish-born Garbajosa came through the ranks at homeland side Taugres, but was undrafted in 1999’s NBA Draft.

It was only when he was 29 that he moved over to the Raptors after being named as the Eurobasket Player of the Year, winning the Spanish Cup double and the MBP of the Spain division – making the move to Ontario.

Garbajosa was instrumental for the Canadian outfit, and was named in the NBA All-Rookie Team at the end of the campaign – being the first player to garner such an achievement, and so late in his career, that is quite simply outstanding.

Although the 6ft 9in star never fully recovered from an injury suffered at Toronto, he will go down in history as making such an instant impact.

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7

Mike James

Back to American-born stars now, and New York native James set scoring records for players to have come into the league undrafted.

Failing to be chosen after graduating from Duquesne, he spent years in and around minnow leagues in Europe before being signed as a free agent by the Miami Heat in 2001.

That started what was a nine-year spell in the NBA, including a Championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 – but it was his spell at the Raptors where James really took off, becoming the first-ever undrafted player to score an impressive 20 points across the league season, including his most starts, most minutes per game, most rebounds and assists in a dream campaign.

James ended up with 595 appearances in the NBA, with an average of 9.9 points per game – a strong tally with all things considered, and a real trailblazer for showing the heights undrafted players can reach.

6

John Starks

Talk about trailblazers; but Starks was a pioneer by becoming the first-ever undrafted All-Star in a game.

Leaving Oklahoma State in 1988, Starks was picked up by the Warriors before moving to an eight-year career with the Knicks. However, it was midway through that stint in the Big Apple that Starks properly excelled, starting 54 of their 59 games, registering 19 points per game, 5.9 assists per game and 1.6 steals, which were all career highs for him.

Featuring alongside the likes of Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant, his side won – and he showed that you can mix it with some of the best players possible despite initial heartbreak, eventually finishing up on a 14-year career in the competition with 866 appearances.

5

Fred VanVleet

VanVleet is only 6ft tall, and the Point Guard will have had it tough to forge a career in the game since graduating undrafted from Wichita State in 2016.

However, it was the Toronto Raptors that took a chance on him – and a seven-year spell in Ontario saw him become an NBA Champion in 2019, as well as an NBA All-Star in 2022 after a superb campaign.

He equalled Mike James’ record of getting over 20 points across a season, just a year after recording a 19.6-point haul.

But perhaps most impressively, he holds the undrafted record for the single-most points in a single NBA game, registering an outstanding 54 against the Orlando Magic. Furthermore, boasting a Raptors record of the most points and assists in one game in their history, as well as the NBA Finals record with 16 three-point shots in one series.

4

Udonis Haslem

Haslem was the first undrafted star to lead a single team in rebounds throughout an entire season – but it was his franchise career that really sticks out.

The 6ft 7in star came through the 2002 NBA Draft undrafted after graduating from Florida, eventually finding a home at the Miami Heat, where he stayed for 20 years.

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Three Championships, 6,586 points and a retired jersey later, Haslem was a real star for the Heat, being one of only three players to play at least 20 years with a single team – but the individual accolade of averaging 9.1 rebounds in a season is quite the feat for someone who was just two years into his Heat career.

3

David Wesley

Wesley came through undrafted from Baylor in 1992, only entering the NBA a year later – before embarking on a 14-year career in the NBA.

But he’ll go down in history as one of the best undrafted players ever, and the best so far in terms of points.

11,842 points in his time in the competition, including a career-best 17.2 average in the 2001 season with the Charlotte Hornets, means that Wesley retired as the highest-scoring undrafted player in the modern era. Although he didn’t win a trophy, that longevity and legacy is deserving of a place on the podium.

2

Bruce Bowen

Bowen came through the ranks of Cal State Fullerton, undrafted in 1993, and it took until 1997 for him to even reach the NBA, embarking on stints with the Heat, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Heat again before finding a home with the San Antonio Spurs.

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It was his time in Texas where Bowen wrote his name in folklore.

Three Championships, five consecutive appearances in the All-Defensive First Team and another retired jersey saw him become a Spurs legend, especially given the fact that he started every possible game over a seven-year period before retiring in 2009.

1

Ben Wallace

The undisputed GOAT of undrafted players, it will be incredibly tough for anyone to match Wallace’s credentials on this list in the future.

‘Big Ben’, as he was affectionately known, left Virginia Union in 1996 undrafted, embarking on a short spell in Italy before moving to the Washington Wizards a year later.

Fleeting spells at the Wizards and Magic saw him move to the Detroit Pistons in 2000, and it was there that he became one of the best players in the league at the time.

Becoming an NBA champion in 2004, Wallace played a huge part in their success by being named an All-Star for four consecutive years from 2003-2006, being named as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006, with his jersey being retired once he ended his career with them in 2012 after his second spell, meaning that he spanned nine years at The Palace.

Averaging 15.4 rebounds in 2003, Wallace will go down in history as the best to rise from the bottom.

All stats are from Basketball Reference and are correct as of 17/05/2025