Kentucky Basketball: Top 10 Wildcat Stars Who Sucked in the Pros

With the NBA draft early entry deadline looming near, Wildcats fans are eagerly anticipating the decisions of some of their brightest stars as to whether or not they will be gracing the stage of Madison Square Garden in June.

Arguably college basketball's most storied program, Kentucky as seen many of its past stars make the leap to the NBA. Unfortunately, not all of them succeeded in their professional ventures.

Today we will be counting down some of Kentucky's brightest stars who ultimately fizzled out in the pros. For the sake of fairness, we will only be looking at Wildcat stars who went on to become first-round selections.

Let's get it started.

10. Nazr Mohammed

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CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 08: Teammates Tony Parker #9 and DeJuan Blair #45 of the San Antonio Spurs battle for a loose ball with Nazr Mohammed #13 of the Charlotte Bobcats during their game at Time Warner Cable Arena on November 8, 2010 in Charlotte, Nor

Nazr Mohammed won the hearts of many Wildcats fans in his three years at Kentucky. He proved to be a dominant presence down low and helped lead the Wildcats to two national championships before leaving for the NBA after his junior season.

He was selected with the last pick in the first round but struggled early on in his career, averaging no better than 3.2 points per game in his first three seasons in Philadelphia.

The one thing working in Mohammed's favor is his longevity, as he is currently in the midst of his 11th NBA season. Unfortunately, he has also been a member of six different teams during this period and has eclipsed a double-digit scoring average only twice.

Mohammed may not be the worst NBA player to come out of Kentucky, but he certainly hasn't lived up to his potential.

9. Jamaal Magloire

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MIAMI - APRIL 25: Jamaal Magloire #21 of the Miami Heat celebrates after the Heat take a 21 point lead at half-time against the Atlanta Hawks during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at American Airlines Arena on April 25, 2009 in Miami,

Jamaal Magloire secured his own spot in Kentucky basketball history by helping lead the Wildcats to the 1998 national championship. He is also known for being one of the best defenders in the program's history, as he is currently Kentucky's all-time leader in blocked shots.

Magloire was selected with the 19th pick of the first round, but like Mohammed, he struggled in his first couple of years in the league before bouncing around from team to team. He is currently in his 10th year in the NBA but has career averages of only 7.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

He has played for a total of seven teams up to this point but has never quite lived up to the expectations that caused him to be drafted in the first round.

8. Kyle Macy

Kyle Macy is one of the more decorated players in Kentucky history. He was a three-time All-American and a three-time All-SEC player, while becoming UK's first consensus SEC Player of the Year in 1980. He also led the Wildcats to the 1978 national championship.

He was selected with the 22nd pick in the NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns. He had a promising start to his career in Phoenix but struggled once he moved on to Chicago and Indiana. He retired at the age of 29 after only seven seasons in the NBA.

While Macy's professional career was not terrible, he failed to duplicate the many successes he had while at the University of Kentucky.

7. Sam Bowie

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Although he was forced to sit out two years due to injury, Sam Bowie was an outstanding collegiate player with a ton of potential. He was selected to the United States Olympic Men's Basketball team and was a two-time All-American.

Bowie is best known for being picked directly ahead of Michael Jordan with the second pick of the 1984 NBA draft. He played relatively well when he was on the court with career averages of 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Unfortunately, injuries ultimately derailed his professional career, leading many to deem him one of the biggest NBA draft busts in history.

6. Walter McCarty

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The versatile 6'10" Walter McCarty earned his place in Kentucky lore by helping lead the Wildcats to the 1996 national championship. He secured his spot by capping a 31-point comeback over LSU—the largest second-half rally in NCAA history.

McCarty was selected by the Knicks with the 19th pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He played in only 35 games for the Knicks before being traded to the Celtics. He achieved career highs in both points (9.6) and rebounds (4.4) per game.

He spent the remainder of his 10-year career as a bench player, a far cry from the expectations established by his outstanding college career.

5. Scott Padgett

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Scott Padgett finished his career at Kentucky with over 1,000 points scored while being named a first-team All-SEC player in his senior year. He was also an integral part of the UK team that won the 1998 national championship, providing good rebounding and solid inside play as well as outside shooting.

Padgett was selected with the 28th overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. He spent a total of eight years in the league, being primarily utilized as a role player off the bench. He never eclipsed more than 6.7 points or 3.3 rebounds per game in a season.

He changed teams four different times before moving on to play basketball overseas.

Padgett's star power at Kentucky did not help him in his venture in the NBA, as the game ultimately proved to be too fast for him.

4. Jack Givens

Jack Givens scored 2,038 points in his four years at Kentucky, placing him at third on the school's all-time scoring list. He was also a three-time first-team All-SEC player and a second-team All-American in 1978.

Finally, he led Kentucky to a national championship in 1978, as he scored a career-high 41 points in the final game against Duke.

Givens was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He spent only two seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.7 points per game during this span. He felt that the NBA game did not suit him very well and went on to play overseas for five years.

3. Rick Robey

Rick Robey provided a dominant inside presence for Kentucky during his tenure in college. He played alongside Jack Givens on the 1978 team that won the national championship and contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds in the final game.

Robey was selected with the third overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers. He spent only 43 games with the Pacers before being traded to the Boston Celtics. He put up two solid seasons for the Celtics before it became obvious that his career had hit its plateau.

He was relegated to the bench after the Celtics' championship season in 1981 and continued his steady descent until 1986, when he finally decided to retire from the NBA. Robey exited the league with career averages of 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. These are solid numbers for a role player, but not for a player selected with the third overall pick in the draft.

2. Melvin Turpin

Melvin Turpin is renowned in the Bluegrass as one of the most dominant big men in Kentucky's storied history. He was a two-time first-team All-SEC player and a key cog in Kentucky's Final Four team in 1984. He led the SEC in scoring his senior year and set the record for most the most field goals in SEC tournament play.

Turpin was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft by the Washington Bullets before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. His career had a promising start, as he averaged 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in just his second year in the league.

Unfortunately, he began to struggle with his weight and eventually retired after only five years. Turpin is now considered one of the biggest busts of a draft class that included stars such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton.

1. Kenny "Sky" Walker

Kenny Walker has a special place in Kentucky history because of the electrifying athleticism that led fans to refer to him as "Sky Walker." He was twice selected as an All-American in addition to being a four-time All-SEC selection. He is currently second on Kentucky's all-time career scoring list, just behind Dan Issel.

Walker was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in his first season but would never eclipse these marks.

He was relegated to a bench role by his third season, and recurring knee injuries eventually forced him to leave the NBA. He returned for the 1993 and 1994 seasons as a member of the Washington Bullets but averaged just over four points per game.