ESPN Top 25 Unfulfilled Potential Athletes

[Remote]

I don't like that they included players who clearly suffered major injuries.

Sam Bowie is the most disrespected athlete of the last 35 years.
Dude was LEGIT in college until he got hurt and he really never recovered from it.

The fact that so many people make him the joke of the 1984 Draft by comparing him to Jordan is unfair.
And by the way, Stockton went 16th that year and nobody clowns those other teams for passing up on one of the top 5 PGs of all time.

 

[Sleepy Walker]

Ki-Jana Carter and Akili Smith

My Bungals

 

[BXKingPin82]

Not tryna be funny but...
Was Vince Young even really given a chance like that?

 

[Remote]

In fact, this list is largely bullshyt.
The bold guys all had major injuries.
Tarpley was a 6th overall pick...and it's hard to put A LOT of expectations even on that kind of a pick. How many 6th overall picks became stars? Very few, I bet.


25. Matt Leinart
24. Bo Jackson
23. Ki-Jana Carter
22. Generation K
21. Roy Tarpley
20. Tony Mandarich
19. Drew Henson
18. Tony Conigliaro
17. Aaron Hernandez
16. Vince Young
15. Todd Marinovich
14. Lawrence Phillips
13. Akili Smith
12. Matt Bush
11. Brian Bosworth
10. Jamarcus Russell
9. Brien Taylor
8. Freddy Adu
7. Maurice Clarett
6. Mark Prior
5. Jay Williams
4. Ryan Leaf
3. Marcus Dupree
2. Sam Bowie
1. Greg Oden

 

[Remote]

The Brien Taylor one pisses me off because Taylor was a potential superstar and he only got hurt because he got into a fight defending his brother. He never got off the ground.

 

[Remote]

And another thing.

25 players and not a single hockey player?
If you're gonna include injuries on this bytch, put Eric Lindros and all his concussions up on that list

 

[Megadeus]

In fact, this list is largely bullshyt.
The bold guys all had major injuries.


25. Matt Leinart
24. Bo Jackson
23. Ki-Jana Carter
22. Generation K
21. Roy Tarpley
20. Tony Mandarich
19. Drew Henson
18. Tony Conigliaro
17. Aaron Hernandez
16. Vince Young
15. Todd Marinovich
14. Lawrence Phillips
13. Akili Smith
12. Matt Bush
11. Brian Bosworth
10. Jamarcus Russell
9. Brien Taylor
8. Freddy Adu
7. Maurice Clarett
6. Mark Prior
5. Jay Williams
4. Ryan Leaf
3. Marcus Dupree
2. Sam Bowie
1. Greg Oden

So? The list is called "Most Unfulfilled Potential" not "Biggest Busts/Failures". If all those guys never got hurt there's no telling how good they could have been. I dont think the list was meant to be disrespectful, its just kinda like "wow these brehs had the brightest futures and we never got to see them go all the way in"

 

[Reggie]

Decent enough list but I don't know about the order. Guys who suffered injuries shouldn't be higher then guys who played for multiple years and just never amounted to anything.

 

[Remote]

So? The list is called "Most Unfulfilled Potential" not "Biggest Busts/Failures". If all those guys never got hurt there's no telling how good they could have been. I dont think the list was meant to be disrespectful, its just kinda like "wow these brehs had the brightest futures and we never got to see them go all the way in"

Mostly guys from the past 15 years.

What a joke, even if that is the logic behind it.
You could come up with 50 guys just from the 1970s alone.

 

[Reggie]

Decent enough list but I don't know about the order. Guys who suffered injuries shouldn't be higher then guys who played for multiple years and just never amounted to anything.

 

[G-Zeus]

I thought bo Jackson was a great. Old heads care to explain ?

Also wanna reserve a spot for Sebastian telfair and OJ Mayo. These nikkas was in EVERY SLAM magazine for like 6 straight years

Career cut short to injury

 

[Suleiman Bey]

Where's Ron Powlus? They swore he was gonna win 4 heismans.

 

[315]

What the hell is Generation K?

 

[Trip]

What the hell is Generation K?

Collection of Mets pitchers in the mid 90's if I remember correctly. Pulsipher, Isringhausen and Paul Wilson I think

 

[RhodyRum]

My breh @Raul kicking knowledge all up and down this thread ....

But yeah, I'm not convinced of the validity of this list, guys who were beasting but ran into the injury bug on the same list as outright busts like Leinart... iffy foundation at best