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• All players who make it to the NBA are, in theory, extremely talented, and they proved that by playing in college. But there were some players who didn't need to show their skills in college to be drafted by an NBA team. These players were phenomenal from the time they were in high school, so they were given the opportunity to make the immediate jump to the NBA, and they had the guts to do it. The following players met, and even exceeded, expectations and made their mark in the NBA. These phenoms are seen once in a lifetime.

The NBA is considering ending their age mandate where players usually must attend college or play professional basketball for a year after high school. This rule was enforced after a couple of dozen players joined the league straight out of high school with mixed results. More names struggled to last and showed the risks involved.

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20 Great NBA Players Who Never Won A Championship

There have been some incredible NBA players over the years who won a lot of games, but couldn't win a Championship.

However, there was a select group of names of All-Stars, Hall of Famers, and all-time great names to prove they didn’t need college. The league saw the youngsters joining and learning how to play against older names stronger and more experienced. Each of the following basketball stars was the best to come straight out of college and thrive.

UPDATE: 2024/03/12 21:00 EST BY ROBERTH PEREZ

All players who make it to the NBA are, in theory, extremely talented, and they proved that by playing in college. But there were some players who didn't need to show their skills in college to be drafted by an NBA team. These players were phenomenal from the time they were in high school, so they were given the opportunity to make the immediate jump to the NBA, and they had the guts to do it. The following players met, and even exceeded, expectations and made their mark in the NBA. These phenoms are seen once in a lifetime.

13 Andrew Bynum Was Drafted By The Los Angeles Lakers

Bynum Played 8 Years In The NBA

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
8 years	Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers.	2-time NBA Champion, All-NBA, All-Star.	37.4	19.6

The Los Angeles Lakers invested in Andrew Bynum as their center of the future shortly after trading Shaquille O’Neal and getting a top-ten draft pick. Bynum skipping college made him a tempting prospect for NBA teams due to his raw talent.

The career of Bynum didn’t pan out as hoped due to injuries, but he accomplished a lot in a short time. Bynum made two All-Star games and even had one All-NBA selection as the second-best center of 2012. The Lakers winning two NBA Championships with Bynum as their center was the ultimate success for him.

12 J.R. Smith Was Drafted By The New Orleans Hornets

J.R. Smith Was A Two-Time NBA Champion

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
16 years	Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, New Orleans Hornets.	2-time NBA Champion, Sixth Man.	46.3	13.9

Smith was picked up as the 18th overall pick from the New Orleans Hornets, a team he stayed with for two seasons after having some issues with the head coach at the time. Some time with the Nuggets saw the first hint of what Smith could do, but it ended with him leaving and playing in Zhejiang for a season.

Upon his return to the NBA, Smith seemed to come back with a vengeance and put on some of his best work with the New York Knicks. Smith's career ended with 12,148 points, a two-time championship, and Sixth Man of the Year in 2013.

11 Monta Ellis Was Drafted From Lanier High School

The Golden State Warriors Selected Ellis As The 40th Overall Pick In 2005

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
12 years	Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks.	Most Improved Player.	41.9	16.0

Monta Ellis was drafted straight from Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi in 2005. He was selected 40th overall in the second round by the Golden State Warriors and quickly proved to be a great pick for the team. Ellis stayed with the Warriors until 2012 and, during his time with the team, was one of the best scorers in the league, putting up 40-point games.

Ellis ended his career playing with the Indiana Pacers with his final games coming in 2017. His accolades include 14,858 points over his career and being the Most Improved Player in 2007. Many fans believe he deserved an All-Star appearance for his 2010-2011 season.

10 Lou Williams Was Drafted From South Gwinnett High School

Lou Williams Was One Of The Best Sixth Men In NBA History

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
17 years	Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets.	3-time Sixth Man.	65.7	18.0

Lou Williams decided to retire from the NBA after playing for 17 years with teams like the 76ers, Lakers, and Clippers. After all was said and done, Williams scored 13,396 points off the bench, an active NBA record. Williams also holds achievements such as three-time Sixth Man of the Year and Naismith Prep Player of the Year in 2005.

Williams came from South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Georgia, and made plans to play for the University of Georgia before declaring for the NBA Draft instead. He was selected in the 2nd round after a few disappointing workout performances.

9 Rashard Lewis Was Drafted By The Seattle Supersonics In 1998

Rashard Lewis Averaged 14.9 Points Per Game In The NBA

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
16 years	Seattle Supersonics, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards.	NBA Champion, 2-time All-Star.	90.9	16.8

Rashard Lewis is another name who felt going straight to the NBA was the right move for his career. The Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic had the best years of Lewis’ underrated peak. Lewis’s best season saw him averaging over 22 points per game.

The two All-Star appearances for Lewis prove that he was among the better players at his position for a short time. Lewis was arguably the second-best player on the 2009 Magic team that made the NBA Finals. However, it wasn’t until his later seasons that he won a ring with the Miami Heat as a role player.

8 Jermaine O'Neal Came From Eau Claire In Columbia

Jermaine O'Neal Was One Of The Most Underrated Players Of The 2000s

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
18 years	Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors.	6-time All-Star, 3-time All-NBA, Most Improved Player.	66.0	17.9

Jermaine O'Neal is arguably the most underrated player from the 2000s when looking at his accolades. The former Indiana Pacers All-Star rarely gets talked about today due to his run feeling shorter than most other top talents of the time.

O’Neal made six All-Star appearances and three All-NBA teams as a top big man of the era. Indiana built a title contender around him that never got over the hump. Many pundits believed that the Pacers had a chance to win it all with Jermaine as their best player the year Ron Artest’s Malice at the Palace suspension ruined it.

7 Tyson Chandler Was The Second Overall Pick In The 2001 NBA Draft

Tyson Chandler Was A Tremendous Defender

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
19 years	Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets.	NBA Champion, Defensive Player Of The Year, 3-time All-Defensive, All-NBA, All-Star.	102.1	16.1

The NBA career of Tyson Chandler showed both the ups and downs of someone joining the league out of high school. Chandler was drafted to a young Chicago Bulls team that failed with their plan of rebuilding with young pieces.

It took Chandler a few years to find his ideal role in the NBA as a winning player. The Dallas Mavericks 2011 NBA Championship would not have happened without Chandler as their starting center. Chandler’s other biggest accolade was winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award as a dominant defender.

6 Amar'e Stoudemire Was Drafted By The Phoenix Suns In 2002

Stoudemire Was The 2002-03 NBA Rookie Of The Year

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
14 years	New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat.	Rookie Of The Year, 5-time All-NBA, 6-time All-Star.	92.5	21.8

The Phoenix Suns took a risk drafting Amar'e Stoudemire out of high school when they wanted to contend shortly. Stoudemire rewarded them by instantly becoming a player winning the Rookie of the Year Award.

Steve Nash's signing with Phoenix took Amar'e to the next level as the dynamic duo remained a top threat in the West for years. Stoudemire made four All-Star teams, received five all-NBA selections, and he was considered one of the best power forwards of his era.

5 Dwight Howard Was The First Overall Pick Of The 2004 NBA Draft

Dwight Howard Had A Great 18-Year Career

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
18 years	Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards.	NBA Champion, 3-time Defensive Player Of The Year, 5-time Rebounding Champion, 2-time Block Champion, 5-time All-Defensive, 8-time All-Star.	141.7	21.3

Dwight Howard was the last great player out of high school before the NBA changed the rules with an age limit. The Orlando Magic made the right call, drafting Howard with the first overall pick of his draft class over successful college players like Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon.

Howard was the best center in the league for a few years and dominated on defense. Eight All-Star appearances and eight all-NBA selections showed how much the league respected him. Howard even made history as the first player to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award three rows in a row.

4 Tracy McGrady Was Drafted By The Toronto Raptors In 1997

Tracy McGrady Is An NBA Hall Of Famer

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
15 years	Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets.	Hall of fame, 2-time Scoring Champion, Most Improved Player, 7-time All-NBA, 7-time All-Star.	97.3	22.1

Any NBA fan of the early 2000s will remember just how spectacular Tracy McGrady was during his peak. McGrady’s run ended faster than expected and never had much postseason success causing a lot of media personalities to overlook him.

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The seven consecutive All-Star appearances and eight consecutive all-NBA selections showed how great he was during the decade. McGrady was a two-time scoring champion and joined the select list of elite scorers to average over 30 points in a single season.

3 Kevin Garnett Was The Fifth Overall Pick In 1995

Kevin Garnett Became One Of The Greatest Players Of His Generation

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
21 years	Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets.	Hall of Fame, NBA Champion, MVP, Defensive Player Of The Year, 4-time Rebounding Champion, 15-time All-Star, 12-time All-Defensive, 9-time All-NBA.	191.4	22.7

Kevin Garnett became one of the all-time great NBA power forwards coming straight out of high school. The Minnesota Timberwolves took the risk of drafting Garnett, and it paid off with him becoming the greatest player in franchise history, even winning the MVP Award.

Boston Celtics fans also adore Garnett for his epic run there as an NBA Champion and Defensive Player of the Year. Garnett dominated for so long with 15 All-Star appearances and nine all-NBA selections. The competition of power forwards like Tim Duncan, Chris Webber, and Amar'e Stoudemire saw KG always in the conversation for the best each season.

2 Kobe Bryant Was Drafted From Lower Merion in Ardmore

Kobe Bryant Was One Of The Best Players In NBA History

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
20 years	Los Angeles Lakers	Hall of Fame, 5-time NBA Champion, MVP, 2-time Scoring Champion, 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA.	172.7	22.9

The confidence of Kobe Bryant started at a young age when he declared for the NBA Draft out of high school and made it clear he wanted to face the top stars from the start. Bryant was tempting enough for the Los Angeles Lakers to trade for him on draft night. The Lakers had Kobe on the roster for his entire career, with many fans viewing him as the best player in franchise history.

Bryant had an iconic career with rare achievements, like five NBA Championships, an MVP Award, and the memory of scoring 81 points in a game. A total of 18 All-Star appearances and 15 all-NBA selections showed how much he dominated for almost two full decades.

1 LeBron James Came From St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron

LeBron James Is The NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer

NBA Career Length	Teams	Awards & Honors	Win Shares	Player Efficiency Rating
21 years	Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers.	4-time NBA Champion, 4-time MVP, 4-time Finals MVP, Rookie Of The Year, Scoring Champion, Assists Champion, 20-time All-Star, 19-time All-NBA.	261.2	27.1

LeBron James had by far the most hype of any NBA talent coming out of high school and perhaps more hype than any talent entering any sports league. His freak athleticism and basketball intelligence made LeBron a relevant figure in basketball before he was an adult.

Fans are still in awe of James today after almost two decades in the sport with both 20 All-Star appearances and 19 all-NBA selections. LeBron winning four NBA Championships for three different franchises and having four MVP Awards remind us just how great he’s been. The wildest thing about James is that his career is still going. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, and the only player to score 40,000 points.