4. Ed O’Bannon, New Jersey Nets
Drafted: 9th Overall Pick, 1995
College: UCLA, ’95 All-American
Ed O’Bannon led his Bruins team to the National Championship in 1995, while averaging 20 points and eight rebounds per game. Want to know how good he was? He went up that season against future NBA players such as Corliss Williamson, Bryant Reeves, Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, and that was just the NCAA tournament, so his numbers were not inflated by weak competition.
He was drafted by the Nets and was to be the cornerstone of a rebuilding franchise, but it didn’t happen the way it was supposed to.
O’Bannon managed to play only three seasons in the NBA, as he dealt with knee problems, but he always said his knees weren’t the issue; he just lost his confidence. No matter the case, he was another college star that couldn’t cut it in the NBA.
Next: Terry Dehere