Through the Phog
Fansided

Ranking the 10 biggest Kansas basketball NBA Draft busts of all-time

By Joshua Schulman

ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 25: Thomas Robinson #0 of the Kansas Jayhawks looks on against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Midwest Regional Final at Edward Jones Dome on March 25, 2012 in St Louis, Missouri. Kansas won 80-67. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 25: Thomas Robinson #0 of the Kansas Jayhawks looks on against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Midwest Regional Final at Edward Jones Dome on March 25, 2012 in St Louis, Missouri. Kansas won 80-67. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Nov 10, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; A detailed view of the Kansas Jayhawks logo on a basketball prior to a game against the North Dakota State Bison at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

1972 NBA Draft, selected 7th overall

Seattle SuperSonics, 1972-1974
New Orleans Jazz, 1974-1977

Isaac “Bud” Stallworth is likely one of the lesser-known names on this list. Stallworth is best known for dropping 50 points against arch-rival Missouri during his final game in Allen Fieldhouse. It is the second-highest single-game scoring total of any Kansas player, only trailing Wilt Chamberlain’s 52-point game.

He was the leading scorer on one of the worst KU teams ever in 1971-72 when the school won eleven games. Nonetheless, his 25.3 points per game average were enough for him to be taken as a top-ten pick in the draft.

Taken by the Seattle SuperSonics, Stallworth could have formed a top-notch tandem with young star Spencer Haywood. Instead, he spent just two years with Seattle and five seasons in the NBA. His resume in the league is not all that impressive:

  • 313 games played
  • 7.7 points
  • 2.8 rebounds
  • 41.4% FG

Stallworth was not a bad player in the pros, but as is the case for Aldrich, he did not do enough in the NBA when taking his expectations into account. It also does not help his case that Dr. Julius Erving was taken a few picks after him.

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