One former NBA lottery pick appears to have fallen on some rough times.
Ex-Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Shabazz Muhammad went viral this week for embarrassing himself on a dunk attempt in a game. Muhammad, who now plays overseas in the Philippines for the San Miguel Beermen, got a breakaway, went up for the jam, … and went back down just as quickly.
Take a look at the video.
Did he get picked off by an invisible sniper while he was in the air? Or did Foghorn Leghorn drop a banana peel right where Muhammad took off?
On the bright side for Muhammad, he finished with a Chamberlain-esque 33 points, 21 rebounds, and six assists in a 104-100 victory for the Beermen over The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. But this probably isn’t how many envisioned his professional career would go.
Muhammad, who was one of the most hyped prospects coming out of UCLA, went to the Utah Jazz with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2013 draft and had his rights traded to Minnesota. He was even drafted one pick ahead of (gulp) Giannis Antetokounmpo, who went to Milwaukee at No. 15. Muhammad was always a decent scorer, but he was a turnstile on defense and passed the ball about three times a month. After the Timberwolves gave up on him in 2018, he briefly latched on with (ironically) Milwaukee but has been out of the league for over three years now.
The Beermen are one of several post-NBA stops that Muhammad has made, as he also previously played for the Shanxi Brave Dragons and the Shenzhen Aviators in China. As for that abhorrent dunk attempt, maybe Muhammad shouldn’t feel too bad. Even some of the NBA’s biggest stars have trouble getting lift overseas.
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