10 Athletes Who Were Wrongly Labeled as 'Busts'
Ted Ginn Jr. was a major draft bust—until he wasn't.
That's not to say the Carolina Panthers wide receiver lived up to the meteoric hype that comes with being a top-10 draft pick, but Ginn has salvaged his career and found redemption as a top target for an MVP quarterback.
These 10 current athletes have had similar paths.
On one hand, one could say a "bust" is a player who failed to live up to expectations in any way. But in that case, a lot of athletes would have to be included here. Not every No. 1 pick is going to turn into LeBron James.
Here, "bust" is equated with something closer to failure—a top-10 draft pick who flopped out of the league after two seasons or a mega-hyped athlete who crashed and burned.
These players have all been called busts at one time or another, but their careers were not failures. Even Blaine Gabbert is making a comeback!
Maybe it's time to retire the "bust" label in general—or at minimum, reserve it until a career has seen its finish.
Michael Beasley (Maybe)
1 of 10
Drafted: 2008, No. 2 overall by the Miami Heat
Michael Beasley might still be an NBA bust, but he has had a different type of career resurrection.
After dealing with all the hype that comes with a top draft pick, the former Kansas State standout has spent eight underwhelming years in the NBA. Playing for four teams, Beasley has averaged 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 24.4 minutes per game and has also dealt with several off-court issues.
In 2014, Colin McGowan of Sports on Earth called Beasley a "giggling washout" and wrote, "... he's gone through the stages of bust-dom at an accelerated rate."
Beasley has also spent time playing overseas, however. Most recently, he excelled in the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 31.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the Shandong Golden Stars and earning MVP honors as the league's best foreign player.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Beasley received several offers to play overseas. Instead, he parlayed the success into a contract with the Houston Rockets to play out the remainder of the 2015-16 season, and he's also been named to the team's summer roster, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Reggie Bush
2 of 10
Drafted: 2006, No. 2 overall by the New Orleans Saints
Reggie Bush ran for 3,169 yards during his three years at USC, was a consensus All-American twice and won a Heisman Trophy in 2005 (that was later vacated). His hype was off the charts.
Despite that, Bush's NFL career got off to an underwhelming start. Used as more of a dual-threat back, Bush ran for 565 yards and caught 742 more in his rookie season. His highest rushing total in five years in New Orleans was 581 in 2007.
In 2009, Chris Chase of Yahoo Sports' Shutdown Corner named Bush one of the "10 biggest NFL draft busts of the decade."
Bush signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2011 and promptly posted his first 1,000-yard season (1,086). He followed that up with a 986-yard campaign in 2012 and another 1,006 with the Detroit Lions in 2013. His numbers weren't what New Orleans had hoped for when it drafted him, but Bush became a productive back.
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports wrote in 2015, "Although Bush never reached the astronomical expectations the masses set for him in the NFL, he's enjoyed a long, productive career on three teams ... and he owns a Super Bowl ring."
Erik Lamela
3 of 10
Tottenham Debut: September 2013
Argentinian footballer Erik Lamela started his club career with stints at River Plate and Roma before a £25.7 million transfer sent him to the Premier League. The forward had scored 21 goals in 67 appearances for Roma.
But almost immediately, Lamela sputtered with the Hotspur. He made nine appearances in league play in 2013-14. In 2014-15, he appeared in 33 games but scored just two goals in league competition.
In August, Simon Jones of MailOnline called him "Tottenham's £30 million flop."
After a shaky start that left many wondering if Tottenham had made a mistake signing the young forward, Lamela has appeared to find his footing under Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino. He netted 11 goals in 44 appearances in the 2015-16 domestic season and also played for the Argentinian national team in its run to the Copa America final.
In April, Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Independent wrote, "Two years ago Lamela looked daunted by the physicality of the Premier League. Not any more."
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Derrick Williams
4 of 10
Drafted: 2011, No. 2 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Derrick Williams was an All-American at Arizona. He averaged 17.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game over his two-year college career.
But his NBA career got off to a disappointing start relative to the expectations of a second overall pick. In his first four seasons—first with Minnesota and later with the Sacramento Kings—Williams averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Many were surprised when Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks chose to sign him to a two-year, $10 million deal in 2015.
In fact, Marc Berman of the New York Post called Williams a "draft bust" at the time and openly wondered why the Knicks had signed him for anything above league minimum.
Williams' numbers didn't explode—9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game in 2015-16—but he did become an important resource off the bench.
In January, Michael Salfino of the Wall Street Journal wrote, "The former No. 2 overall pick has become one of the NBA's best sixth men with New York."
Alistair Overeem
5 of 10
UFC Debut: December 2011
Alistair Overeem is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight Champion and K-1 World Grand Prix Champion.
He made his UFC debut in dramatic fashion by defeating Brock Lesnar via first-round TKO at UFC 141 in December 2011.
It was downhill from there, however. Overeem went on to lose three out of his next four fights.
By 2014, RJ Gardner of the MMA Corner had labeled Overeem the "biggest bust in UFC history." Gardner added, "Not only has Overeem not lived up to the hype since joining the UFC, but he has firmly established himself as the biggest disappointment in UFC history. Outside of the beating he put on Brock Lesnar, his Octagon performances have been atrocious."
In the space of just one year, Overeem turned it all around. He knocked out former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos in December 2015, did the same to Andrei Arlovski in May and lined himself up for a title fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 203.
Rickie Weeks
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Drafted: 2003, No. 2 overall by the Milwaukee Brewers
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Rickie Weeks made his MLB debut the same year he was drafted, but he didn't become a full-time player until 2005. That year, he hit .239/.333/.394 and finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting.
But for someone who was once hyped to be a significant threat for both power and speed, Weeks never soared to the heights one might expect of a No. 2 pick.
He averaged .249/.347/.424 in 11 seasons in Milwaukee, made one All-Star team (2011) and stole over 20 bases just once (25 in 2007). In 2012, Matt Snyder of CBS Sports put Weeks on his "National League All-Bust" team.
One could argue "bust" is a bit harsh.
In 2013, Jonah Keri—then with Grantland—wrote, "Rickie Weeks hasn't quite lived up to the superstar expectations thrust on him when he went No. 2 overall in 2003, but he has been a solid regular for years in Milwaukee."
Blaine Gabbert
7 of 10
Drafted: 2011, No. 10 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars
To say Blaine Gabbert fell short of top-10 draft expectations would be an understatement. In three years in Jacksonville, the quarterback threw 22 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions and completed just 53.3 percent of his passes.
In 2015, ESPN Stats & Information named him one of its "top 10 NFL draft busts of the past 10 years." Will Leitch of Sports on Earth wrote he was the "worst" of all the "terrible quarterbacks."
It's true—Gabbert was bad, but he has miraculously forged a turnaround with a new team.
In 2014, the Jags traded Gabbert to the San Francisco 49ers. He backed up Colin Kaepernick at first but took over as the starter in 2015—and he did surprisingly well. In eight starts, Gabbert threw for 2,031 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com wrote, "Blaine Gabbert is a vastly improved player from the young gunslinger who struggled in Jacksonville. He is a more confident player after putting together a solid 2015 campaign where he completed 63.1 percent of his passes and compiled an 86.2 passer rating."
Headed into the 2016 season, it appears Gabbert is in the hunt for the starting job under new Niners coach Chip Kelly.
Dylan McIlrath
8 of 10
Drafted: 2010, No. 10 overall by the New York Rangers
Defenseman Dylan McIlrath faced an uphill battle from the start. New York passed on Vladimir Tarasenko—a right winger who would go on to become an All-Star with the St. Louis Blues—to take McIlrath at No. 10.
Before 2015-16, McIlrath had played in just three NHL games and spent much of his time in the minors.
His failure to turn into a major player left many calling him a bust. Quite literally, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News wrote, "... former first-round pick Dylan McIlrath is a bust."
However, it now appears McIlrath just needed time to develop. McIlrath became an NHL rookie in 2015-16 and averaged over 14 minutes of ice time in 34 games.
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said, "You have to give a lot of credit to the Hartford coaches who coached Dylan. They really improved his skill level," per Allan Kreda of the New York Times.
Rangers alternate captain Marc Staal said, "He's been solid all year long. Every time he's gotten an opportunity to play, he's played great," per Sean Hartnett of CBS New York.
Shaun Livingston
9 of 10
Drafted: 2004, No. 4 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers
Shaun Livingston was named Illinois' Mr. Basketball in 2004 and was drafted when he was 18 years old.
The guard struggled to stay healthy throughout his NBA beginnings, though, and suffered a gruesome knee injury that caused him to miss the entire 2007-08 season. He started just 60 games those first four years. He has played for a total of nine NBA teams and has been waived four times.
Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post wrote Livingston would "double qualify" as a bust because of relatively low win shares and playing time.
Later, Livingston began a resurgence with the Brooklyn Nets—averaging 8.3 points and 26.0 minutes per game in the 2013-14 regular season. He signed a three-year, $16.3 million deal with the Golden State Warriors in 2014.
He became an integral part of that Warriors championship team, averaging 18.8 minutes per game in the 2014-15 regular season while backing up Stephen Curry. Livingston had another productive year in 2015-16, averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 assists in the playoffs.
Livingston has overcome years of injury struggles to find his niche as a vital contributor to a championship team.
Ted Ginn Jr.
10 of 10
Drafted: 2007, No. 9 overall by the Miami Dolphins
Ted Ginn Jr. was a talented wide receiver and kick returner at Ohio State, and the Dolphins drafted him high in 2007 with the hopes of using him in the same role.
James Brady of SB Nation wrote, "Ginn was an explosive return man, but he never made it to 800 receiving yards with the Dolphins despite very high expectations. Worse, he developed a reputation as a player who dropped too many passes."
Later, in three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Ginn failed to reach 220 receiving yards in any given year.
In 2014, Andrew Goldberg of Fox Sports Florida listed Ginn as the No. 1 draft bust in Dolphins history.
Ginn played one lackluster year with the Carolina Panthers in 2013 (556 receiving yards and five touchdowns) but returned in 2015 a different player.
Ginn became the No. 1 wide receiver on a Super Bowl contender. The Panthers went 15-1, and Ginn caught 44 balls for 739 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 16.8 yards per reception in the regular season and was targeted 10 times in the Panthers' Super Bowl loss to the Denver Broncos.
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