6 Summer League 'Legends' Who Never Made it in the NBA

The NBA Summer League is always a great spot to get the first glimpse at the future of the NBA. Who doesn't remember when our jaws were left on the floor upon Dwight Howard's debut? From Damian Lillard to DeMar DeRozan to LaMarcus Aldridge, playing well in the summer league can be a good indicator of future success in the NBA. Unless, you're one of the six, who torched the competition in July but fizzled out when the chips were down in the regular season or never got an opportunity.

6. Glen Rice Jr.

The son of Miami Heat legend Glen Rice Sr., the former Georgia Tech star and No. 35 overall pick in 2013 looked the part in Las Vegas, averaging 24.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on 53% shooting over his six-game run. However, all of that prodigious production in the summer only equated to 2.7 points per game on 27% shooting over 16 games with the Washington Wizards. Certainly not the player his dad was, Rice Jr. has bounced around the G League, Europe and the Caribbean, last playing for Plaza Valerio in the Dominican Santiago League.

5. Von Wafer

The "Summer of Von" in 2007 was really something else. The former All-American and Florida State guard was lighting it up for the Rockets after being tossed aside by the Lakers and Clippers earlier in his career. While he did end up scoring 9.7 points per game in 63 games during the 2008-09 season, that's a far cry from the guard who was dominating the Summer League night in and night out. After falling out of favor with Rick Adelman, he made stops in Europe, China, and the G League before retiring in 2018.

4. Donte Greene

After the former Syracuse star slipped to 28th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft, Greene looked ready to exact his revenge on the league for the next decade when he dropped 40 points in his first Summer League game with the Sacramento Kings. That was the highlight of his Kings career, as four years and a 6.1 points per game average followed. Greene played overseas in the Middle East for most of the last decade, and is currently suiting up for the Killer 3's in the Big 3.

3. Nikoloz Tskitishvili

While Darko Milicic is often called the worst European draft bust ever, even he managed a better career than Georgian center Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who paid the Denver Nuggets back for selecting him fifth overall in the 2002 draft -- ahead of Amare Stoudemire, Caron Butler and Carlos Boozer. He averaged 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds over three seasons. Part of his hype stemmed from excellent Summer League play, in which he averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds in 31 minutes. All of that production never materialized to anything in the NBA, however, and Tskitishvili remains one of the biggest draft busts in league history.

2. Anthony Randolph

While his type has become commonplace in the NBA today, Randolph was a freak when he first announced his presence in the Summer League. The former LSU star and Golden State Warrior was a 6-11 forward with handles and a 3-point shot. After averaging 26.8 points and 8.5 boards per game on 63% shooting in 32 minutes per game, good for a PER of 36.5, excitement for Randolph was at a fever pitch. Sadly, despite one decent season in 2009-10, Randolph never amounted to much in the NBA and is currently playing for Real Madrid in Spain.

1. Josh Selby

The 2012 Summer League had co-MVPs. One of them was Damian Lillard, who recently signed a supermax contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. The other was Josh Selby. The former Kansas star racked up 24.2 points and 3.2 assists per game on 43% shooting and an unreal 64 percent from deep, good for a record PER of 40 that stands to this day. As prolific as the summer of 2012 was for Selby, he could only manage 38 games over two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. After the NBA, he made stops in Israel, South Korea, Croatia and Argentina. However, he has not played since the end of the 2018 season.