Going undrafted does not necessarily end a player's NBA hopes.
Hundreds of players have reached the league after not being selected
in the NBA Draft, and several have gone on to become All-Stars,
champions and major award winners.
Ben Wallace is the most decorated modern undrafted
player. Wallace became a four-time NBA All-Star, five-time All-NBA
selection, six-time All-Defensive selection, four-time Defensive
Player of the Year and 2004 NBA champion. In 2021, he became the
first undrafted NBA player of the modern era inducted into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Other notable undrafted NBA All-Stars include
John Starks, Brad Miller and Fred VanVleet.
VanVleet was not selected in the 2016 NBA Draft and later became an
NBA champion with Toronto and an All-Star in 2022.
Other notable undrafted players include Bruce Bowen,
Udonis Haslem, Avery Johnson, José Calderón, J.J. Barea,
Wesley Matthews, Jeremy Lin, Robert Covington, Seth Curry,
Alex Caruso, Duncan Robinson, Christian Wood, Naz Reid,
Lu Dort and Austin Reaves.
