The reputation has receded over the last decade or so, but it still stands as common knowledge that a star career at Duke does not lead to NBA success, and these are the top 18 examples
Though Christian Laettner had left for the NBA, Duke still boasted a balanced lineup for the '92-'93 season, centered around Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, and a quixotic big man from Huntington Beach, California called Cherokee. Named in honor of his mother's Native American ancestry, Parks filled in admirably for the legendary Laettner but his reputation was certainly hampered by following so directly in his footsteps. After a second round loss in the 1993 NCAA Tournament, and surprise run to the National Final in 1994, the Blue Devils fell apart in Parks' senior year, which is still the only losing season under Coach K. Though his overall game seemed short of spectacular, Parks was drafted #12 overall by the Mavericks in 1995. He bounced around the league for the better part of eight seasons, spending some time starting at center for the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and the Clippers. Once clean-cut while playing at Duke, Parks also amassed a large number of tattoos and edgy haircuts while playing professionally, and often sported a fearsome Rip Hamilton-style face mask. He is currently working for the NBA league office in New York.
17) Roshown McLeod, drafted in 1998
It had been a two-year drought for Dukies being selected in the first round when McLeod went #20 overall to the Hawks in 1998. A graduate of the famous St. Anthony High School in Jersey City that also produced Bobby Hurley, McLeod started his college career locally at St. John's before becoming Coach K's first ever transfer student in 1995. After sitting a season due to the transfer, McLeod was solid in his senior year, leading the team in scoring as they reached the Elite Eight. Though he was athletic and had solid court sense, it was still surprising to see McLeod wind up in the first 20 picks of the draft when he was scheduled to turn 23 years old just two weeks into his rookie NBA season. But 1998 was still the early days of high school talent proving immediate NBA worth, so the Hawks went with old guard veteran NCAA experience. It didn't turn out too well, as McLeod made only minor contributions in a three-year career that ended with a devastating Achilles tear. He quickly became a coach after his playing career ended, and eventually returned to St. Anthony, where in 2010 he took over the head coaching position from his fellow alumnus, Hurley.
16) Gary Melchionni, drafted in 1973
One of the final recruits of coach Vic Bubas in the late '60s, Melchionni eventually played under Bubas' replacement, Bucky Waters, and became the first Duke player to be named captain for two straight seasons. He was drafted late in the second round by the Suns in 1973, and put up decent numbers coming off the bench for two seasons as a combo guard, with 7.8 points per game. But the in summer of 1975 the Suns loaded up their back court depth chart by trading for Paul Westphal and drafting Ricky Sobers, and Melchionni soon found himself waived. After playing one season in the CBA and one in Italy, he retired from basketball to return to Duke and earn his law degree. His older brother, Bill, fared much better in the pro ranks, playing seven seasons in the ABA and twice leading the league in assists per game. Gary's son, Lee, would eventually also suit up for Duke, spending most of his four seasons on the bench and never reaching the NBA.
15) Bobby Hurley, drafted in 1993
Though his teammates Christian Laettner and Grant Hill may have been the bigger stars, there was no player from the '90s that more exemplified the Duke ideal - for better or worse - than Hurley. Coach's son? Check. Hard working to overcome his athletic deficiencies? Check. Astute? Check. Upper middle class white guy? Check (OK, the white part is only partially fair). Armed with a keen play making sense, Hurley was Duke's on-court leader for all four seasons he attended, and he still holds the NCAA record for career assists. After back-to-back national titles in 1991 and 1992 were followed by Laettner leaving school, Hurley struggled to carry the offense in his senior season, and ultimately Duke were upset by Jason Kidd and Cal in the second round of that year's tournament. This hardly damaged Hurley's draft stock, and he was taken seventh overall by Sacramento in 1993, the second point guard off the board behind Memphis' Penny Hardaway. His rookie season started quietly and ended quickly, when a tragic car accident that December left Hurley (who wasn't wearing a seat belt) fighting for his life. He managed to fully recover and eventually return to the NBA for the '94-'95 season, but never blossomed into anything beyond a marginal role player. It's difficult to say whether Hurley was destined to become a better NBA player, but still disappointing that a traffic wreck probably cost him the chance to really find out. After retiring in 1998, he took several scouting jobs before following his father and brother into the coaching ranks, eventually landing the head job at Arizona State.
14) Dick Groat, drafted in 1952
This is hardly an indictment of Groat as an overall athlete. An All-American at Duke in both basketball and baseball, immediately after graduation he was offered a contract by his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates. Rather than concentrate on his baseball career, Groat made an effort to play both sports, also signing with the Fort Wayne Pistons, who drafted him third overall in 1952. After a solid rookie season in both sports, Groat took a break for a stint in the Army and upon returning decided to play just baseball. It turned out to be a solid decision, as Groat became an eight-time MLB All-Star, and MVP in 1960 while leading the Pirates to a World Series title (he won another title four years later with St. Louis). Groat's accomplishments in NCAA basketball can't be discounted though. He was Duke's first big star, back when they played in the Southern Conference, and when he left school he became the Blue Devils' first player to have his jersey retired (he was also the school's first player ever drafted into the NBA, and remained their only first round pick for over a decade). It's safe to say that Groat could have been a good-to-great NBA player if he had stuck with the sport, but he chose the diamond over the hardwood and thus ends up on this list.
13) Trajan Langdon, drafted in 1999
In 1999 Duke became the first school in NBA history to have four players drafted in the first round, and each of them were amongst the first 14 selections. Elton Brand (#1 pick), Corey Maggette (#13), and William Avery (#14) drew headlines as the first underclassmen Duke stars to be drafted. Langdon was a more traditional selection, drafted 11th by the Cavaliers after five seasons at Duke (including a redshirted year). One of the most popular players in school history, he earned the nickname "Alaskan Assassin" by setting the school's career three-pointers record, but soon was exposed as lacking any other pro-level skills. He failed to make any impact with Cleveland in his three seasons there, and ultimately was just one of many terrible draft decisions by the franchise during that decade. Langdon did eventually become a basketball star again in Russia, where he helped CSKA Moscow to two Euroleague titles and won league MVP in 2008. Now an assistant general manager with the Brooklyn Nets, Langdon does hold the distinction of being the first NBA player that played high school basketball in Alaska.
13) Shavlik Randolph, un-drafted in 2005
Talented but injury-riddled during his time at Duke, Randolph was a surprise early entry in the 2005 NBA Draft, forgoing his senior season in Durham. Though he was a key piece of Duke's 2004 Final Four run, he averaged just 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in his collegiate career, and sure enough went un-drafted. Philadelphia signed him that summer, and he was starting to shape up into a usable NBA role player in '06-'07 until a broken ankle cost him most of the season. Randolph never fully recovered from the injury, playing just 76 games over six further NBA seasons with the 76ers, Trail Blazers, Heat, Celtics, and Suns. In between, he also spent some time playing pro ball in Puerto Rico and China, where he's currently a member of the Liaoning Flying Leopards. Growing up in Raleigh, Randolph was actually once a ball boy for N.C. State where his grandfather, Ronnie, had been an All-American in the '50s.
12) Jay Williams, drafted in 2002
It's hard to say whether his placing this low on the list is a testament to how solid his one-and-only NBA season was, or an indictment of how bad the 11 players in front of him were in the pro ranks. Whereas Dick Groat was the most incidental part of this list, Williams is arguably the most tragic. An All-Star level talent, Williams survived a tough rookie campaign on a terrible Bulls team and was showing serious improvement late in the season. Soon after the season ended he crashed his motorcycle, suffering injuries that required a complete knee reconstruction. It was a swift end to a career that started so promisingly in his native New Jersey, where Williams was not just an All-American in high school, but also an academic standout. He led Duke to the 2001 National Final, and won both the Wooden and Naismith awards. After being waived by the Bulls, Williams attempted a comeback with his hometown Nets in 2006 to no avail. The former second overall pick is now an analyst for ESPN, and in 2016 released an autobiography titled Life Is Not an Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention.
11) William Avery, drafted in 1999
The '97-'98 season was a real "times-they-are-a-changin'" moment for Coach Krzyzewski. Though his team still had upperclassmen leadership, led by Roshown McLeod and Trajan Langdon, he recruited three high profile freshmen that all played major roles in the rotation, including Avery. Six of the top eight scorers in Duke's lineup by '98-'99 were underclassmen, a concept that would have been nay unthinkable five years prior. Despite his younger age, Avery seemed wise beyond his years, and for much of the season was Duke's anchor from the point guard position. After the Blue Devils were upset in the National Final, Avery's declaration of NBA draft eligibility was a major surprise and the real tipping point in realizing that Duke basketball would never be the same. The concept of needing "one more year" became trite around the turn of the millennium, but it still rings true in Avery's case, who probably could have benefitted from one more season as Duke's leader. Instead he was drafted #14 overall by the Timberwolves, and after three mediocre NBA seasons spent the rest of his career in Europe until retiring in 2012. Avery's early departure did open the door for freshman sensation Jay Williams to take over the point for Duke in '99-'00.
10) Tate Armstrong, drafted in 1977
A rare bright spot on the notoriously weak early '70s Duke squads and a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, Armstrong was lauded for his two-way game and drafted #13 overall by the Bulls in 1977. He probably could have gone even higher in the draft if not for a wrist injury that cost him most of his senior season in Durham. Perhaps due to lingering complications from that broken wrist, he failed to thrive with the Bulls, averaging just 4.3 points per game in his rookie campaign. After his stats dropped precipitously from there in his second season, Armstrong was out of the league permanently by age 24, one in a long line of Bulls draft busts from the late '70s and early '80s. He has since moved on to a much more successful second career as a business developer in the D.C. area.
9) Kenny Dennard, drafted in 1981
77 players were drafted before Dennard in 1981, including his Duke teammate Gene Banks, leaving long odds that he could sustain an NBA career. Sure enough, after two seasons with the Kings team that drafted him and one with the Nuggets, Dennard was out of the league. A lanky local kid (who actually grew up as a Wake Forest fan) with impressive scoring skills and a nose for offensive rebounds, he was a fan favorite during his time in Durham. He joined the team in '77-'78 just as they were reaching the Final Four under coach Bill Foster, and led the team in rebounding in his senior season, which was Coach K's debut. The NBA was not as kind to Dennard, who averaged respectable numbers off the bench in his rookie year, but was soon diagnosed with testicular cancer. Kansas City opted to suspend him without pay during his recovery, and he was eventually forced to sue the team to try to recoup losses. After a brief stint with the Nuggets and a pro team in Italy, he retired and returned to Duke to finish his degree. Dennard remains active to this day in the Duke community and with cancer research fundraising.
8) Daniel Ewing, drafted in 2005
Teammates with T.J. Ford in the back court at Willowridge High School in Texas, Ewing (no relation to Patrick) was an All-American in 2001 when Coach Krzyzewski recruited him to Duke. He was an immediate contributor for the Blue Devils, but never a particularly spectacular one. A combo guard with several good skills but no great ones, Ewing rotated with Jay Williams and Chris Duhon his freshman season, and cracked the starting lineup consistently as a sophomore. Despite a lack of elite athleticism, Ewing seemed like a guy who could catch on in the NBA as a change-of-pace guard off the bench. He was drafted by the Clippers early in the 2005 second round, but only lasted two seasons in the league, averaging just 3.4 points per game, before departing for Russia after the Clippers waived him. Ewing has spent the rest of his (still active) pro career abroad, bouncing from Russia to Poland to Ukraine to Turkey to France to Lithuania to Israel to Argentina.
7) Antonio Lang, drafted in 1994
Something of an afterthought on the legendary early '90s Duke rosters, Lang nonetheless played a key role in three Final Four appearances, including the back-to-back NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992. Success on the court seemed to always come easy for Lang, who was also a state champion in high school in Alabama. His status as an NBA draft prospect was less assured however, as he was considered a "tweener" - too small to play power forward, too big to play small forward - and it hurt his stock. He did last six years in the league, after being drafted in the second round by Phoenix, but played less than 10 minutes per game during that time. Lang's pro apex came in Cleveland, on a free-falling mid '90s Cavaliers team that just needed warm bodies, and he averaged 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds over two seasons with them. Lang also played sparingly for the Heat, Raptors and Sixers before moving on to stints in the Philippines and Japan. He eventually retired from playing in 2006 and became a coach for his former Japan Basketball League team, the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins. Since 2014 he has served on the staff of the Utah Jazz under fellow Duke alumni Quin Snyder.
6) Nolan Smith, drafted in 2011
His father, Derek, was a star at Louisville on the 1980 championship team (where he also supposedly invented the high-five) and afterwards spent nearly a decade in the NBA. The younger Smith came to Duke in 2007, where he was a starting point guard on the 2010 championship team, and led the team in scoring in his senior year while winning the ACC Player of the Year award. Drafted in the first round by Portland, Smith lasted two seasons with the Blazers, playing only limited minutes and averaging just 3.3 points and 1.2 assists per game as he struggled to overcome his "tweener" status and settle in at either guard position. After some stints in the D-League, Summer League, Croatia, and Turkey, he retired as a player in 2016 and joined coach Krzyzewski's staff as an assistant. His father was an assistant coach for the Washington Bullets until he passed away tragically from a heart attack in 1996.
5) Dave Henderson, drafted in 1986
Along with Johnny Dawkins, Henderson was co-captain of the '85-'86 team that was the first under Coach K to reach the Final Four. Later that summer he was drafted by the Bullets in the third round, 48 spots after Dawkins went to San Antonio. Unable to secure a roster spot in Washington, Henderson spent a year with the Charleston Gunners of the CBA before getting a call-up from the 76ers late in the '87-'88 season, signing a pair of 10-day contracts. He appeared in 22 games for Philly that year, including one start, and put up decent numbers in short minutes, but not impressive enough to remain in the NBA. He eventually played pro ball in Canada, Turkey, Israel, and Switzerland before retiring in 1997 to return to Duke as an assistant coach. After two years on the bench with Coach K, Henderson got his shot as a head coach at Delaware, where he lasted six seasons. He is now a scout with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and earned a championship ring in 2016 in that capacity.
4) Vince Taylor, drafted in 1982
Taylor was the team's leading scorer during Coach K's first two years at the helm, and seemed to show some promise as a sharpshooting guard when he was drafted by the Knicks early in the second round in 1982. He failed to see much court time though, averaging just about 10 minutes per game in 31 total appearances. Traded to the Pacers in 1983 for an aging Billy Knight, Taylor was immediately waived and left the NBA to play in France, Italy, and Belgium. Like so many that played under Krzyzewski, Taylor eventually caught the coaching bug himself, and has been an assistant for several NCAA teams, including Pittsburgh, Louisville (under Rick Pitino), Minnesota (under Tubby Smith), and Texas Tech.
3) Joe Kennedy, drafted in 1968
One of the few players on this list not to play for Mike Krzyzewski, Kennedy's time at Duke was during the Vic Bubas era. They did reach the Final Four in his sophomore season, though he was barely seeing playing time at that point. Drafted in the recesses of the 10th round by the Sonics in 1968, Kennedy still inexplicably made the roster in his rookie year. After one-season-and-change in Seattle, he was selected by Portland in the 1970 expansion draft, but defected for the ABA instead. He played one season for the Pittsburgh Condors before calling it a career.
2) Brian Davis, drafted in 1992
Best friend and roommate of Christian Laettner at Duke (to the point that juvenile rumors swirled about a possible sexual relationship between the two), Davis never stood out much in the stat sheet, but Coach K himself called him the heart and soul of the team, and the greatest leader he coached at the time (and this was a team that featured Laettner, Bobby Hurley, and Grant Hill). Though he was drafted by Phoenix in the second round in 1992, Davis failed to make the roster and took a position in France, where he was a teammate of Gheorghe Muresan. He eventually signed with the Timberwolves (where he was reunited with Laettner) and appeared in 68 games during the '93-'94 season, but barely made an impact and that was the end of his NBA time. With his basketball career stalled, Davis went into business with his old friend Laettner, making good on a venture they envisioned in college, an urban community development program. It was appropriately called Blue Devil Ventures, and things seemed to be progressing well as Laettner and Davis had enough money to make a joint two million dollar donation to the Duke athletic program, and spearheaded a bid in 2006 to purchase the Grizzlies. But recently the pair have been leveled by a series of lawsuits claiming they've misappropriated funds and owe large sums of money to several corporate and individual investors, including Scottie Pippen and Johnny Dawkins.
1) Martin Nessley, drafted in 1987
Though he was the first seven-footer in school history, Nessley (who also possessed one of the greatest mustaches in Duke basketball lore) actually didn't see much playing time for the Blue Devils. This was partly because of a lingering knee injury that hampered him throughout his entire NCAA career, but also due in large part to his lack of athleticism. Despite never really impressing anyone at Duke, Nessley was a seven-footer with at least marginal skill and it was the '80s, so someone in the NBA was bound to take a chance on him. He made the Clippers roster his rookie year despite being drafted in the sixth round, but was cut before the end of a season spent mostly on the bench. He latched on with the Kings for a couple months, but that was it for Nessley in the NBA. Rather than attempt a sojourn to the CBA or Europe to get another chance at the big time, he instead concentrated on managing a series of restaurants back in the Durham, NC area. His legacy still stands secure as the worst NBA player to ever emerge from Duke.