This isn't a list of the top 10 busts. I just want to make that clear. This is a list of the top 10 athletes who I feel could of been so much more than they ended up being. Whether it was due to injury, drugs, booze, baby-mamas, etc. these guys just never shaped out to be the players they had the potential of becoming. Some of the guys on this list did end up becoming major busts but trust me that still isn't the point of this lists. Not busts! Just "coulda-shoulda-beens".10. Marcus Vick. Yeah, the little brother. While Michael Vick was becoming a household name and a staple in those low-quality Powerade commercials that you and all your boys swore were real; his little brother was exploding onto the seen at Virginia Tech. He had all the running ability of his big bro, yet seemed like he was years ahead of Michael as a passer. Marcus was destined to be literally the next Vick. Then he flicked off the crowd, stomped on a players leg, got kicked out of school after a bunch of suspensions. Got a DUI, got arrested for pulling a gun on some kids at McDonalds (I'm not joking) and before you knew it everyone was calling him "The bad Vick" (How little we all knew). Where's Marcus now? Nowhere. The Dolphins were the only NFL team to give him a shot, but they let him go once his legal problems persisted. It's a real shame, the kid had a chance to be like Mike.
9. The Head-Bangin' Baby Clippers (L.O, Q-Rich, D-Miles). Remember them? Seriously... The Clippers young trio of Lamar Odom, Quentin Richardon and Darius Miles were supposed to be the future of the Clippers. They were exciting, cool and mad fun to watch. Their fast-break dunks were always followed by their signature "two fists beating on their own foreheads" which was mimicked by kids on playgrounds everywhere. They had the potential to make the other basketball team in L.A relevant. What happened? Weed, basically. And the fact that it was the Clippers.
8. Stevie Franchise. This dude was soooooooooo nice. Iverson like handles with Vince like hops, and stupid amounts of swag to go with it. Steve Francis was the man early on. Severe and chronic migraines brought his promising career to a premature hault. A lot of people thought he was destined to become a shot-chucking ball-hog on a bad team, other's thought he'd become a perennial all-star... we'll never get the chance to find out.
7. Michelle Wei. The fact that we all know who she is, is an accomplishment in itself. I remember her being a 14-year-old girl trying out for the PGA tour. Maybe it was the hype machine, or the stress on her young mind/body but she only materialized into a below-average LPGA tour player. Whateva.
6. Grant Hill. Beast at Duke. Crowned next Jordan on Pistons. Signs with Magic. Injury. Injury. Injury. 10 years later, resurrects career with Suns as a pretty good role player. Damn.
5. Ricky Williams. Heisman winner at Texas. Saints trade all 7 draft picks, team bus, 6 cheerleaders and stock in Apple to acquire him. Traded to Dolphins, beast-mode. Retires. Whaaattt? Comes back. Get's suspended for weed. Plays in Canada. Gets Hurt. Comes back. Rushes for a stack. Oldest running back ever to do it. A little less weed and he could of been the best ever.
4. Dajuan Wagner. Maybe he shouldn't be so high on this list, but the fact that he was as good as he was, disappeared as quickly as he did, and was forgotten for the reason he was; lands him at number 4 on my list. Dajuan Wagner was a stud, he dropped a 100 in a h.s game and was on his way to becoming the main attraction for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Early on his career was hampered by reoccurring health problems. He developed a condition that required his colon to be removed. The Cavs went in a separate direction and drafted LeBron James (you might of heard of him) and people instantly forgot about D-Wag. The kid got dealt a tough hand, it's crazy how quickly things can come to a halt. He could of been the face of that franchise.
3. Tracy McGrady. We're officially at the point where the list gets pretty predictable. I mean T-Mac was the best player in the NBA. Period. His ceiling didn't exist and he had the NBA in the palm of his hands. But just like the story has gone for so many others, injuries began to slow down his seemingly unstoppable rise to prominence. McGrady became ridiculously fragile and unable to sustain any type of comeback, he was basically Samuel L. Jackson's character from unbreakable. Some people think that his $20million plus annual salary kept him from working as hard as he could to return to the court. I just think he had some bad luck. Either way it sucks, because at one point people were saying Kobe and T-Mac were neck and neck for best player in the league, now T-Mac comes off the bench for the Pistons and Kobe... well, he doesn't.
2. "Junior". Ken Griffey Jr. made baseball fans out of casual sport watchers. Not only was he a lock to become the greatest overall baseball player of all-time. He united cultures. An American born black baseball player who dominated the home run lists and won gold glove after gold glove gave the African American culture something to be proud of on the diamond. His swing was literally perfect. Literally. But much like the reoccurring theme, injuries shot this career dead in its tracks. Griffey will still easily go down as a hall-a-famer and one of the best ever, but he could of been so much more than that. He should of been the best baseball player ever, but it wasn't meant to be.
1. Michael Vick. In 2005 Michael Vick was the most exciting player in the NFL. He was the face of football and gave all neutral fans a reason to anxiously tune into Falcons games. His game went beyond statistics, he was just plain better than everyone else and his dynamic game was the first of its kind in the history of the NFL. Mike Vick crossed over the racial boundaries by becoming a black franchise quarterback in a city known for its large affluent black community. He had awards, accolades, admiration and a $100 million contract. He threw it all away. He let us all down. He let me down. He broke the hearts of every kid who imitated his throwing motion and his scrambling ability, every proud old black man who thought he'd never see a black quarterback become the best in the league. It's much more than just race and sports. It's humanity and responsibility. His heinous crime was disgusting, and he deserved the time he received, but his blatant disregard for the people who would be affected by his actions were equally disgusting. Mike Vick is my favorite player of all-time but he robbed all of his fans of more than just football. He robbed himself of a respectable name. He might win MVP this season which would instantly restore him to the on the field status he held before his incarceration, but he won't ever be able to become the legend he was destined to be. Michael Vick could of gone down as the best player in NFL history, instead his legacy will always be accompanied by controversy, shame, and thoughts of what could of been.
Disclaimer: When I discuss/blog sports/music/life. I keep it relevant to my generation. I tend to have a very narrow focus on sports just because I wasn't around to appreciate the players before my time. I might lean towards Kobe instead of Magic or Moss instead of Rice, but that's what I grew up on. Sue me.
