5 Louisville basketball stars who deserved more time in the NBA

By Jacob Lane | Jul 1, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 12: Russ Smith #2 of the Memphis Grizzlies and teammate Jeff Green #32 walk off the court after losing to the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on March 12, 2015 in Washington, DC. 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 Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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Five former Louisville basketball players who deserved more in the NBA.

Out of the thousands and thousands of players who take the floor in the collegiate ranks, only 60 players are drafted into the NBA each season. In fact, according to the NCAA’s official website, only 1.2 percent of players from the college level will make it to the NBA. Since the year 1947, Louisville basketball has been fortunate enough to produce 75 drafted players.

Of that group, several have gone on to have notable careers such as Darrell Griffith, Pervis Ellison, Wes Unseld, Junior Bridgeman, Samaki Walker, while others have been everything from role players, to stars, to fringe-NBA players, to even draft busts.

But for every player who was an all-star or multi-time champion, there’s a guy who never got the opportunity to match or outdo his collegiate production. When looking through the list of players who were drafted into the NBA after playing at Louisville, there’s a long list of names who never really got the chance to prove themselves.

With that being said, we identified the top five players who were drafted into the NBA but didn’t get the proper time to develop.

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