14) Chris Andersen

Taking flight in the NBA likely seemed like a distant dream for the “Birdman” in the first 22 years of his life. Growing up poor in Texas, he didn’t even take up the sport until high school, when a coach encouraged him to try it out to chase a college scholarship. He did eventually play for Blinn Community College for three years before declaring himself eligible for the 1999 NBA Draft. It’s doubtful he would have been drafted anyway, but apparently Andersen failed to properly apply for eligibility. He instead started his professional career in China with the Jiangsu Dragons before returning to the states to play stints in the short-lived International Basketball League and Southwest Basketball League. After brief Summer League appearances for the Cavaliers and Suns, Andersen impressed enough to be the first overall pick in the inaugural D-League Draft in 2001. Soon enough he was playing limited but effective minutes for the Nuggets, then the Hornets, then back with the Nuggets after serving a two-year suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. Andersen was later an unsung hero on the ’12-’13 Heat title team, with his rebounding, alley-oop finishing, and shot blocking a key component of Miami’s playoff run.

13) Earl Boykins

Despite standing just 5’5″, Boykins was a prep legend in Cleveland and later a superstar at Eastern Michigan, whom he led to an NCAA Tournament first round upset of Duke in 1996. NBA scouts just didn’t see the next Muggsy Bogues though, and Boykins wasn’t selected in the 1998 Draft. He signed 10-day contracts late in the season with the Nets and then his hometown Cavaliers and impressed enough with his ball handling and spark plug attitude to get picked up by the Magic, Clippers, and Warriors over the next few seasons. Boykins finally had his breakout in ’03-’04 with the Nuggets, scoring 10.2 points per game and running the second unit for a high-paced offense. He wound up averaging 10+ points per game for four straight seasons in Denver before wrapping up his career with brief stops in Milwaukee, Charlotte, Washington, and Houston. In the end, Boykins played over 600 games in 14 seasons and scored nearly 6,000 points; not bad for the second-shortest player in NBA history and a guy no one wanted in the 1998 Draft.

12) J.J. Barea

Though he was named CAA Player of the Year while at Northeastern, finished third in the NCAA in assists in his senior year, and honored as MVP of the famed Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Barea went un-drafted in 2006. Teams were concerned about his size (he was listed as 6’0″ but obviously shorter), his lack of shooting, and his defensive ceiling. But he impressed in Summer League play for the Mavericks, who needed some depth at point guard and signed him to a multi-year deal before the season started. Though Barea found only limited playing time in his rookie season, and even did a brief stint in the D-League, he eventually caught on as a bench specialist in Dallas’ guard rotation, thanks to his ball handling, improved shooting, and energy. Upon taking the court for his rookie season, he became only the sixth Puerto Rican player in NBA history, and eventually became the all-time leading Puerto Rican in every major stat category.

11) Raja Bell

A year after U.S. Virgin Islands native Tim Duncan was the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, a fellow Virgin Islander in Bell had a distinctively different path to the NBA. Born in St. Croix but raised in Miami, Bell had a star turn at Florida International but didn’t draw much interest from NBA scouts and was not selected in his eligible draft in 1999. Though he lacked the distinct skills of a traditional NBA prospect, one thing Bell possessed was toughness. This was especially evident in his regular tussles with star players, most notably Kobe Bryant, and in his ability to come up big in clutch situations. After spending some time in the CBA and USBL, Bell was signed late in the ’00-’01 season by the 76ers (supposedly at the recommendation of Gregg Popovich), who needed to fill out their playoff roster due to injury woes. Just a few weeks later he was an unlikely postseason hero, providing shut down defense on Ray Allen in the Eastern Conference Finals and scoring 10 key points down the stretch in game seven of that series. This was the start of a surprisingly lengthy and successful career for Bell, who ended up playing 12 seasons for the Sixers, Mavericks, Jazz, Suns, Bobcats, and Warriors, averaging 9.9 points per game for his career and being named to the All-Defensive team twice. He eventually became an NBA executive, working in the Cavaliers front office for several seasons and influencing the decision on whether or not to draft other potential diamonds in the rough like himself.

10) Jose Calderon

A record 20 international players without NCAA experience were drafted in 2003, but Calderon was not one of them. The Spaniard would ultimately have a better career than 18 of those 20 players, by our metrics (only Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa beat him out), but scouts at the time were unmoved by his modest stats in the Liga ACB. Calderon was also an unimpressive shooter, but his play making ability was undeniable and his impressive performance for Spain at the 2004 Olympics convinced Raptors general manager Rob Babcock to sign him for the ’05-’06 season. Calderon struggled early on with the language barrier but soon found a consistent role as a backup point guard and quickly became one of the most popular players in Raptors history. Calderon averaged 10+ points and eight-plus assists per game in three different seasons for Toronto, and in ’08-’09 he set a still-standing NBA record by shooting an incredible 98.1% from the free throw line (he would also rank in the top 25 all-time for career percentage but did not take enough attempts in his career to qualify). His career ended up lasting 14 seasons before announcing his retirement in 2019. With 5,148 assists, Calderon ranks second all-time amongst un-drafted players.

9) Wesley Matthews

Though his father, Wesley, Sr., was a first round pick in 1980, the younger Wesley went un-drafted in 2009. Despite the snub, Wesley, Jr., has outpaced his father in every conceivable career stat, with the exception of championship rings (Wesley, Sr. was a two-time champ as a benchwarmer for the late ’80s Lakers). After a star turn in his senior season at Marquette, Matthews was projected by most experts as a second round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, but instead spent the night lamentably waiting for his name to be called to no avail. He used a strong Summer League showing to springboard himself into the Jazz rotation for the ’09-’10 season, then signed a sizable deal with the Blazers the next summer. In five seasons in Portland, Matthews averaged 15.4 points per game while developing into one of the league’s premier wing defenders. He had a successful two-year stint in Dallas as well, but struggled later in his career with effects from an Achilles’ tear.

8) Darrell Armstrong

He would eventually become a beloved legend in Orlando, winning Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, and even garnering some MVP votes, but Armstrong’s pro career got off to quite an inauspicious start. Initially on scholarship for football as a kicker at Fayetteville State in North Carolina, he switched to basketball in his sophomore season and eventually became the school’s first and only NBA player. That NBA career didn’t start in the 1991 NBA Draft, where Armstrong was a mere afterthought, but by building up his resume playing in the CBA and USBL, and in pro leagues in Cyprus and Spain (with a brief stop back home in Gastonia, NC in between to work part-time at a yarn factory). Impressed by his play making, defense, and hustle, the Magic signed Armstrong late in the ’94-’95 season, a full four years after his college career ended. Though Armstrong played only sparingly in his first three years in the NBA, he eventually got his big break when injuries depleted Orlando’s back court and won his two aforementioned awards in ’98-’99. He peaked in ’99-’00 as the starting point guard, with 16.2 points and 6.1 assists per game, and endeared himself to Magic fans with his spark plug style of play and his strong dunks despite standing just 6’1″.

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By the numbers: Top 10 all-time leaders amongst post-merger un-drafted players (as of July 2021)

	Career points	Career rebounds	Career assists
1	David Wesley (11,842)	Ben Wallace (10,482)	Avery Johnson (5,846)
2	Wesley Matthews (11,047)	Brad Miller (6,199)	Jose Calderon (5,148)
3	John Starks (10,829)	Udonis Haslem (5,780)	David Wesley (4,159)
4	Brad Miller (9,724)	Reggie Evans (5,765)	Darrell Armstrong (3,394)
5	Avery Johnson (8,817)	Bo Outlaw (4,437)	J.J. Barea (3,270)
6	Jose Calderon (7,921)	Scott Williams (3,506)	John Starks (3,085)
7	Darrell Armstrong (7,712)	Chris Andersen (3,493)	Ish Smith (2,799)
8	J.J. Barea (7,415)	Chuck Hayes (3,243)	Chris Childs (2,633)
9	Raja Bell (6,998)	Robert Covington (3,122)	Robert Pack (2,556)
10	Chucky Atkins (6,863)	Terry Davis (2,887)	Brad Miller (2,470)

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7) Bruce Bowen

Toiling away for second-tier French teams in the wake of being passed over completely in the 1993 NBA Draft, could Bowen have realistically imagined eventually becoming a three-time NBA champion and one of the greatest defensive specialists in league history? It was certainly an uphill battle to that point, as Bowen went un-drafted out of Cal State Fullerton, and spent some time in the CBA in addition to France. Four full years after leaving college, Bowen finally got his first NBA stint, and it lasted all of one game for the Heat in April of 1997, logging 33 seconds and recording one block. But Bowen persevered, playing his way into the Celtics rotation in ’97-’98 and eventually finding his calling after signing with the Spurs in 2001. Intelligent, humble, and playing with a chip on his shoulder, Bowen was a perfect fit on Gregg Popovich’s Spurs teams and immediately took over as the starting small forward. Over the next seven seasons he was 1st-Team All-Defensive five times, and a key component of title teams in 2003, 2005, and 2007, with his trademark ability to shut down opposing stars like Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James when it mattered most.

6) Udonis Haslem

He logged 17 seasons with the Heat, setting the franchise record for rebounds, winning three championships, and will likely eventually have his jersey retired by the team, but Haslem’s hometown franchise initially passed on him in the 2002 NBA Draft. One of the first stars at Florida under Billy Donovan, Haslem graduated as the program’s third all-time leading scorer but NBA scouts were scared off by his weight, then packing 300 pounds onto a 6’8″ frame. He eventually trained into his trademark chiseled physique and was named 2nd-Team All-Rookie for the Heat in ’03-’04. Though 58 players were selected instead of him in 2002, Haslem became the last standing player from that draft pool, by virtue of making two appearances for the Heat during the ’19-’20 season.

5) Brad Miller

The 1998 draft class at center reads like a who’s who of failed projects, from Raef LaFrentz to Vladimir Stepania to Keon Clark to Michael Olowokandi. None of those first round picks had a career that could even hold a candle to Miller, who went un-drafted that year but wound up in two NBA All-Star Games. Though he was a star at Purdue, Miller was plodding and un-athletic even by the old standards of NBA centers, and by his own admission couldn’t even dunk a basketball. He’s a rare player whose career benefitted from the 1998 lockout, as he was already playing in Italy at the time, honing his skills and catching the attention of scouts who suddenly had a lot of free time. Miller signed with the Hornets after the lockout lifted and his European-style skills of pick setting, mid-ranger jump shooting, and precision passing soon paid dividends in an increasingly up-tempo league. After short, semi-successful stints in Charlotte and Chicago, he eventually landed in two perfect offenses: Indiana, where he excelled in a pick-setting system for Reggie Miller, and Sacramento, where his European style was a pet project of coach Rick Adelman. Though his inclusion on two All-Star teams had as much to do with the paucity of center talent in the ’00s as anything else, Miller did put up respectable numbers, averaging 14.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in his four-year prime, and leading the NBA in offensive rating in ’04-’05.

4) David Wesley

Though he had proven an innate ability to score from anywhere on the floor while at Baylor, Wesley was considered too short at 6’1″ to play shooting guard in the NBA. He also lacked the play making and ball handling skills to be a point guard, so he was overlooked in the 1992 NBA Draft in the CBA. Wesley eventually proved his doubters wrong by averaging 12+ points per game for nine consecutive NBA seasons, starting with the Celtics in ’95-’96 and peaking at 17.2 per game for the Hornets in ’00-’01. It was his time in Charlotte that was Wesley’s most memorable for better or worse, as he peaked for them as a combo guard in the late ’90s and early ’00s, and it was during this time that he was involved in a street race that led to the death of his friend and teammate, Bobby Phills. In addition to his scoring prowess, Wesley’s play making also improved and he averaged over six assists per game in three different seasons. He retired in 2007 as the all-time leader in points scored by an un-drafted, post-merger player, with 11,842.

3) Avery Johnson

Not only did Johnson go un-drafted in 1988 despite setting the NCAA record for career assists per game while at Southern, he was also waived or traded eight different times by an NBA team before finally catching on with the Spurs in ’92-’93. Standing just 5’10”, Johnson was always a long shot for NBA success, but he was the unquestioned floor general for the Spurs for eight seasons, including their first title run in ’98-’99. It wasn’t David Robinson or Tim Duncan or Sean Elliott who hit the series-winning shot that spring, but rather Johnson nailing a jumper late in game five that put away the Knicks and clinched the Spurs’ championship. Though he was already 27 years old by the time he found consistent playing time in the NBA, Johnson lasted another 11 years in the league, racking up 5,846 assists, an un-drafted player record.

2) John Starks

There were some trying times for Starks during his prime with the Knicks, including moments for which many New York fans still don’t forgive him. But it was all nothing compared to what he had to endure just to land on an NBA roster in the first place. Raucous and rebellious as a youth, Starks played for four different college programs and was expelled from two of them due to off-court behavior. After no teams selected him in the 1988 NBA Draft (and this is back when there was still three rounds), Starks signed with the Warriors and had a quiet first season backing up fellow rookie Tim Hardaway. Unhappy with his playing time in Golden State, he signed with the Knicks instead and in an early practice with his new team, had a moment which was a perfect microcosm for his career. Despite being perceived as a journeyman backup, the young Starks had the chutzpah to attempt to dunk on Patrick Ewing in practice. When Ewing emphatically rejected him, Starks twisted his knee. The Knicks were not allowed to waive Starks due to the injury and by the time he recovered and started playing that December, he had impressed the team enough to keep him and slot him into the rotation. Starks held the starting shooting guard position for the better part of the ’90s in New York, contributing some of the most memorable moments in franchise history, for better or worse. He won Sixth Man of the Year in ’96-’97, was an All-Star in 1994, and led the league in three point field goals in ’94-’95.

1) Ben Wallace

Unwanted by any major NCAA program, Wallace wound up at Cuyahoga Community College and then Division II Virginia Union, then undesired by any NBA team and un-drafted in 1996. Never much of an offensive threat, Wallace instead concentrated solely on his defense and rebounding, and was driven by his toughness. After brief, unspectacular stints with the Wizards and Magic, he was traded to the Pistons in 2000 as part of the Grant Hill deal, and helped completely revitalize the franchise. In six seasons with Detroit, Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year a record-tying four times, went to four All-Star Games, led the league in rebounding twice, and in blocks once. Though he never averaged double-digit points in a season, Wallace was the anchor for the Pistons teams that reached back-to-back NBA Finals in 2004 and 2005, winning the former. Wallace is the all-time leader amongst un-drafted players in career rebounds, blocks, steals, and All-Star appearances, and in 2021 became the first un-drafted player inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.