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For as long as the NBA has existed, there has been an NBA blacklist. Within the past seven and a half decades, several players have dared the league to put them on this infamous NBA blacklist. From drug abuse to point shaving, let's explore 10 players who were put on this list.
10: Roger Brown - the only Hall of Famer on the NBA blacklist
Roger Brown is the only player to be inducted posthumously into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame on this list. Brown was just in a bad place at a bad time as he got involved in point-shaving along with Jack Molinas. Away from the NBA, he won three championships in the ABA, and it was enough to get him into the Hall of Fame. The NBA later reinstated Brown but chose not to play in the league.
9 & 8: Alex Groza and Ralph Beard - tandem in point-shaving
These two players were budding stars for the Indianapolis Olympians in the late 1940s. Ralph Beard averaged 15.9 points per game while Alex Groza did 22.5 points per game in their two seasons in the league. Sadly, both players worked hand-in-hand on point shaving and were immediately banned from the league.
7: John Drew: From being an NBA star to getting banned in the league
John Drew came in the NBA in 1974 as the 25h overall pick in the second round, and he surprised everyone with his scoring power. In his best scoring season in 1976-77, he had 24.2 points, along with 9.1 rebounds. But late in his career, Drew developed a cocaine addiction that made him spend eight weeks in rehab. He relapsed a few years later but was banned by Commissioner David Stern for violating again. The anti-drug policy forced him to get banned by the league.
6: OJ Mayo - Top prospect with bizarre behavior
OJ Mayo came into the NBA showing incredible potential as a highly recruited athlete in high school and college. Drafted as the third overall pick in 2008 by the Minnesota Timberwolves right behind Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, Mayo was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
He finished second in the 2009 Rookie of the Year honors, but later on, his bizarre behavior made his name part of the NBA blacklist. From coming late to practices and testing positive for substance abuse, Mayo makes this NBA blacklist. He was suspended by the NBA in 2016 but was not able to make an NBA return after being eligible for reinstatement in 2018.
5: Tyreke Evans - from former Rookie of the Year to multiple substance abuses
Tyreke Evans had a promising NBA career after winning Rookie of the Year in 2010 when he averaged 20.1 points, 5.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Injuries held him from reaching his potential in the league, and in 2019, he violated the NBA's anti-drug policies enough to put him in the NBA blacklist. This serves as a tough blow for Evans' struggling career as he was not able to make an NBA comeback after being eligible for reinstatement in 2022.
4: Jack Molinas - Betting on his own games
The former third overall pick of the 1953 NBA draft, Jack Molinas, had a very promising career ahead of him after having a huge impact in the Columbia University basketball program. Molinas played only 32 games for the Fort Wayne Pistons in the NBA and averaged 11.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Before he was set to play for the 1954 NBA All-Star Game, the NBA banned him after betting on Pistons games, and he was put on the NBA blacklist.
3: Richard Dumas - Career cut short for multiple reasons
Most remember Richard Dumas as one of those Phoenix Suns players who battled against Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals. But behind the potential of this budding star, there are multiple counts of substance abuse, and eight felony charges. Dumas only played 102 games in the NBA and was forced to go overseas to continue his basketball career. In 2013, Dumas was found to be a part of organize retail theft and was sentenced to three years of probation, thus making this NBA blacklist.
2: Chris Washburn - former third overall pick that got addicted to cocaine
Chris Washburn exhibited many red flags before entering the NBA. He was caught stealing a stereo while he was in college. Drafted as the third overall pick in 1986 by the Golden State Warriors after Brad Daugherty and Len Bias, Washburn had a hard time in the NBA due to his injuries. A year after he got drafted, his cocaine addiction forced him check into rehab, but this attempt to keep Washburn drug-free failed as he got banned from the NBA in 1989.
1: Roy Tarpley - Alcohol addiction that never went away
Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Roy Tarpley leads this NBA blacklist. His alcohol addiction resulted in a number of DUIs in two years, and he continues to violate the NBA's anti-drug policy. Suspension after suspension, Tarpley never learned from his previous mistakes and made the suspension permanent on December 1995. Tarpley passed away on January 9, 2015, at age 50 and unconfirmed reports indicated that it was due to liver failure.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
