Which NBA Draft Class Truly Deserves the Title of Worst in History?
As I was reviewing some recent sports news, I stumbled upon an interesting piece about Thailand duplicating their 2025 AVC Nations Cup classification-game sweep of the Philippines from two weeks ago in Bahrain. It got me thinking about patterns of performance across different sports leagues, which naturally led me to reflect on one of my favorite basketball debates: which NBA draft class truly deserves the title of worst in history. Having followed the NBA for over two decades and analyzed countless draft outcomes, I've developed some strong opinions about what makes a draft class historically bad.
When most fans think about terrible draft classes, the 2000 NBA draft immediately comes to mind. That year, only three players made even a single All-Star appearance throughout their careers - Kenyon Martin, Michael Redd, and Jamaal Magloire. What's particularly telling is that Magloire made his lone All-Star appearance as an injury replacement, which says volumes about the overall quality of that class. I remember watching that draft unfold and feeling the disappointment radiating from team war rooms. The number one pick, Kenyon Martin, had a decent career but never became the franchise-changing superstar you hope for with the top selection. What makes this class particularly weak in my assessment is the startling lack of depth - beyond the first few picks, there were barely any rotation-level players available.
However, I've always believed the 2013 draft gives 2000 a serious run for its money. Anthony Bennett going first overall to Cleveland remains one of the most baffling decisions I've witnessed in modern draft history. He lasted just four seasons in the league, averaging a mere 4.4 points per game. The best player from that class, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was picked 15th, which speaks to how poorly teams evaluated talent that year. Only seven players from the entire first round have made an All-Star team, and many of the lottery picks were out of the league within five years. I recall having conversations with scouts who admitted they knew this class was weak but didn't realize just how historically bad it would turn out to be.
The 1986 draft presents another compelling case, though for different reasons. This class was decimated by drug scandals and the tragic death of Len Bias, who never even played an NBA game. What could have been a generation-defining class instead became a cautionary tale. Only 12 players from that entire draft lasted more than seven seasons in the league. When I look back at the historical data, the productivity metrics for this class are shockingly low compared to drafts from surrounding years.
In my analysis, what separates truly terrible draft classes from merely weak ones isn't just the lack of star power at the top, but the complete absence of quality role players in the later rounds. The 2000 draft, for instance, produced only 18 players who maintained careers of seven seasons or longer. Compare that to the celebrated 2003 class, which produced 28 such players, and you begin to understand the magnitude of the failure. From my perspective, the 2000 class edges out others for the dubious honor of worst ever because it failed on every conceivable metric - star power, depth, longevity, and overall impact on the league. While other weak classes at least produced a couple of franchise players or exceptional role players, the 2000 class offered little beyond mediocrity. It serves as a stark reminder that draft success isn't just about landing the first pick, but about finding value throughout the entire selection process.