The 25 greatest undrafted NBA players of all time

Wallace's first four seasons in the league were mostly uneventful, but then he was traded to the Pistons. There, he became one of the league's most feared defenders, leading the league in blocks and rebounds multiple times and picking up a handful of Defensive Player Of The Year awards. All of this was despite being relatively undersized as a 6'9" center.

VanVleet went unchosen in the 2016 draft and didn't make much of an immediate impact after Toronto took a chance and signed him. Over the next couple of seasons, though, he became one of the NBA's best guards off the bench, helping the team win a title in 2019. His development continued from there, and in the 2022 season, he earned his first All-Star selection.

After going undrafted and spending a bit of time playing overseas, Miller found his way to the NBA starting with the 1999 season. From there, he became one of the most memorable big men of the 2000s and even earned a pair of All-Star selections. He enjoyed a lengthy career, too, spending 14 seasons in the league.

Starks' introduction to the NBA probably didn't go as he hoped: He was undrafted, then spent one season with the Warriors before packing it up and going overseas. He quickly returned to the NBA, signing with the team for the 1991 season and quickly becoming a key contributor. He managed an All-Star selection and a Sixth Man Of The Year trophy, becoming one of the most iconic Knicks players of the '90s.

Only Dwyane Wade has played more games for the Miami Heat than Udonis Haslem. Despite going undrafted, Haslem spent an incredible 20 seasons with the team and served as a key contributor to three championship squads. His playing time waned during the final years of his career, but Miami kept him around, demonstrating how valuable he was to the organization off the court.

After a four-year college career, Reaves went unpicked in the draft and landed a deal with the Lakers. Pretty quickly, he became a major asset for the squad and averaged just under 17 points per game during the Lakers' deep 2023 postseason run. He has only gotten better from there, averaging 20 points and just under 6 assists a night so far in 2025.

Caruso was undrafted in 2016, but after paying his dues in the G League, he found himself as a bench contributor on the Lakers. His lockdown defense and heads-up decision-making were valuable, and later with the Bulls, he earned a Defensive First Team selection. He was a major factor in both the 2020 Lakers and 2025 Thunder championships.

OKC picked up Dort after he went undrafted in 2019 and the move really paid off. For years, he has been a reliable 3-and-D asset for the team. His defense has been especially impressive and he made his first All-Defense team in 2025.

Calderón was quickly thrown into the Raptors' rotation after signing with the team and quickly became a valuable playmaker. From the 2008 to 2012 seasons, he averaged 11 points and 8 assists per game. Aside from that, he also has a phenomenal place in league history: In 2009, he shot over 98 percent from the free-throw line, which is by far the best free-throw-shooting season ever.

3-and-D players have a ton of value in the NBA, and Covington was one of the best of the late 2010s. In 2018, he even made the All-Defensive First Team during his multi-year stint with Philadelphia. The season prior, he earned some minor DPOY consideration, finishing fourth in voting.

After a couple of low-key seasons, Barea became a core part of the Mavericks team and was a reliable bench presence for years, including the team's 2011 title run. He was a quick playmaker, a sparkplug off the bench who could change the tone of the game. While he's not as diminutive as Boykins, at 5'10", Barea still managed to succeed despite his below-average height.

Matthews spent a long time as one of the most reliable role players of his era. From 2011 to 2019, he averaged 14 points a game on 38 percent shooting from three-point range. He was a solid defender, too, which ultimately allowed him to enjoy a fruitful 15-season career.

Primarily playing a sixth-man role since entering the league in the 2016 season, McConnell has become one of the NBA's most reliable backup point guards. Over the years, he has earned a reputation as a capable playmaker and a pesky defender: In a 2021 game, he had a triple-double with 16 points, 13 assists, and 10 steals, a rare statistical oddity.

"Linsanity" was one of the most improbable moments in modern NBA history. Lin, on the verge of finding himself out of the NBA, became a surprise underdog star in 2012: That February, he averaged 20 points and 8 assists, including a 38-point explosion to give the Knicks a win over the Lakers. While he never became a full-blown star, he was a valuable contributor for several years after his big moment.

Teams value defense, so in the 2000s, teams valued Raja Bell. He was one of the NBA's best stoppers during the decade and made First-Team All-Defense in 2007. Kobe Bryant fans might remember Bell for giving the Black Mamba a tough time when they faced off.

After Miami gave Robinson a shot, he emerged as one of the league's best shooters. Shooting over 44 percent from range in 2020, he was just a couple of percentage points away from leading the league in three-point efficiency. Impressive, considering he started his collegiate journey playing Division III ball.

Ingles spent years cultivating an international pro career before joining the NBA in 2015, relatively late into his playing career at 27 years old. The Australian veteran experience quickly proved useful, and Ingles came to be seen as a reliable role player. He was frequently among the league's more efficient long-range shooters and has enjoyed an NBA career spanning over a decade despite his late start.

Anderson logged an impressive 15-season career in the NBA. He was one of the best shot-blockers of the 2000s, as evidenced by his 2.5 swats per contest in 2009. As a backup, he also contributed to the Heat's 2013 championship.

It's understandable that teams stayed away from Boykins in the draft, given that he stands at just 5'5", which is short even for regular-sized people, let alone NBA players. But, he was great enough to overcome that and carve out a 13-year NBA career. That includes a stretch from 2003 to 2006 when he was regularly in the conversation for Sixth Man Of The Year, finishing third in the voting one year.

Looking at the stat sheet, Dellavedova's numbers don't leap off the page. However, for about a decade, he was perhaps the league's most pesky defender. That helped the Cavs win the 2016 championship, and he's also remembered for giving Steph Curry a tough time in the 2015 Finals.

Alvarado has become known for his sneaky steals, but his defense is more than just the crowd-favorite gimmick. His quick hands make things tough for offensive players. He's solid himself with the ball in his hands and has been a good backup point guard for the Pelicans.

Despite not being drafted, Smith had about as full an NBA experience as possible, in a sense. Over his 14-year career, he played for a whopping 13 different franchises, the most for any one player in league history. Towards the end of his career, he managed to pick up a championship with the Nuggets in 2023 before hanging it up.

After working his way through the G League, Strus got his first meaningful NBA minutes with the Heat. His shooting was a significant factor in the Heat making a Finals run in the 2023 season. He has since moved on, earning a big contract with the Cavs thanks to his clutch play in Miami.

Fellow Aussie Baynes had a very similar trajectory to Ingles, playing international ball in his early 20s before reaching the NBA with considerable experience. Baynes was a key contributor for a few NBA teams, including the 2014 Spurs, for which he was the backup center on their championship run. While his NBA career was ultimately cut short due to a spinal cord injury sustained during the Tokyo Olympics, he was a solid big man option in his day.

Despite standing at just 6'8", Theis has proven to be a strong shot blocker at the center position. He has bounced around the league, but perhaps his peak came with his first team, the Celtics. There, he was an important starter as the squad made a postseason run to the conference finals.