Javaris Crittenton is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence for the murder of a 22-year old (and mother of four children.) The former basketball star is a declared member of the Crips street gang in Los Angeles. Apparently, he’d signed on with the gang not long after joining the Lakers. The murder happened in 2011, and it wasn’t the only time he’d shot someone – not even that year.
It’s pretty safe to say that Javaris Crittenton isn’t the most reliable teammate. Well, not unless you’re a Crip, anyway, in which case he’s probably the best. But on the court? The only place he’ll be playing ball anytime soon is behind bars.
Lance Stephenson
“Mr. New York Basketball,” as he was nicknamed out of high school, was drafted onto the Indianapolis Pacers in 2010. But before he could even make it to the court, he was arrested, following a report that he pushed his girlfriend down a flight of stairs. That wasn’t the first time he’d been reported for abusive behavior towards women, either. In high school, one of his fellow students said he’d sexually assaulted her.
Aside from all of that, he was just an all-around “difficult” person, according to his former coach. These days, Stephenson plays for the Chinese Basketball Association, though he is currently in the U.S due to the Coronavirus.
Lazar Hayward
Lazar Hayward didn’t exactly have a super-strong start to his professional career. In 2010, he found himself picked last in the first round of the draft. Within the first two years of being in the NBA, he was traded twice. By 2012, he was moved to D-League’s Tulsa 66’ers.
During his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he averaged just 1.7 rebounds and 3.8 points per game. And after that, it seemed as though his stats just continued to drop.
Jason Collins
You may remember Jason as half of a pair of basketball-playing twin brothers; Jason and Jarron. Or, maybe you don’t. Because neither one of them had a very impressive career. At the point he was playing with the Atlanta Hawks in 2009, he was only averaging 3.9 points and 0.9 rebounds.
In comparison, his brother would average the same amount of points, but four rebounds. Collins officially retired from playing for the league in 2014.
DeSagana Diop
While DeSagana Diop may actually show up for his games and keep himself out of prison, it still doesn’t mean he’s the greatest teammate the NBA’s ever seen. The 7’0, 280-lb former Maverick basically took up more space than anything. Throughout the entire first decade of his pro career, he never averaged more than three points per game.
And, if you’ll remember – he doesn’t have the best free-throw in the league. In fact, at one point, he shot one of the worst in its history. Still, he did have some skills, which is why the Utah Jazz hired him on as a coaching associate in 2016.