WS/48: 0.0938

The 1980 draft was known for Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, the third pick who was a major player in the Boston Celtics' 1980s dynasty. There was plenty of talent in this class, but injuries ended careers early. No. 8 pick Andrew Toney, whom Charles Barkley called the best player he ever played with, snagged two All-Star selections and a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers before foot injuries forced him to retire in 1988.

Fellow two-time All-Stars Kiki VanDeWeghe and Jeff Ruland followed a similar path, with injuries ending their careers by the early '90s. The No. 1 pick by the Golden State Warriors, Joe Barry Carroll, became a journeyman, failing to match his success at Purdue and ending his career in 1991.

WS/48: 0.0935

The focus of the 1995 draft was No. 5 pick Kevin Garnett, who was the first high school athlete selected in 20 years. Even though there was a plethora of talent in the class—such as Nos. 2-4 picks Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, and Rasheed Wallace—many of the top 10 couldn't perform.

No. 9 pick Ed O'Bannon played only two seasons, attributing his poor performance to a loss of confidence. No. 6 pick Bryant Reeves suffered a back injury and couldn't stay fit, and No. 8 pick Shawn Respert was diagnosed with cancer. The first pick, Joe Smith, made the All-Rookie first team but was a role player for most of his career, which he spent with 12 teams.

WS/48: 0.0929

Though this draft had one of the strongest No. 1 and No. 2 pairs of any class with Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning, the rest of the players didn't make the same impact.

Dream Team member Christian Laettner secured an All-Star spot in 1996-97, but the No. 3 pick couldn't dominate in the NBA as he did at Duke. No. 24 pick Latrell Sprewell outplayed his draft status with four All-Star selections, but he choked and punched Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo and fought with teammates. Jim Jackson and LaPhonso Ellis, Nos. 4 and 5 picks, stayed in the league for 25 combined years as rotation players.

WS/48: 0.0901

The class of 1982 produced two Hall of Famers: No. 1 pick James Worthy and No. 3 choice Dominique Wilkins. No. 2 pick Terry Cummings was the 1982-83 Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, but others weren't as notable. No. 4 pick Bill Garnett played just four seasons, averaging 5.5 points per game. No. 8 pick Clark Kellogg and No. 10 pick Keith Edmonson also exited early, lasting five and two years, respectively.

There were four All-Stars in addition to those top three selections: Fat Lever, Sleepy Floyd, Ricky Pierce, and Mark Eaton. They each played at least 11 seasons, and Eaton was the biggest standout as a powerhouse defender, winning two Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive team honors, and four blocked shot titles.

WS/48: 0.0802

Many of the top picks in the 2002 draft had their careers end early. Hall of Famer Yao Ming was the No. 1 pick and an All-Star in each of his eight seasons, but foot and leg injuries forced him to retire.

The following pick, Jay Williams, was less than a year into his tenure with the Chicago Bulls when he crashed a motorcycle, which ended his career. No. 6 pick Dajuan Wagner was with the Cleveland Cavaliers for three seasons before he was diagnosed with colitis; he played only one more game.

Nos. 3 and 4 picks Mike Dunleavy and Drew Gooden had careers of 15 and 14 years, but No. 5 pick Nikoloz Tskitishvili played just four years and retired with minus-0.039 win shares per 48 minutes—the lowest mark of any top-20 selection from this quintet of draft classes.