How BAD Was Hasheem Thabeet Actually?

[@swishcountyproductions]

Yes I know I pronounced Tanzania wrong lol

[@nelsontan8178]

😶

[@mtotowamidiri]

Tanzanian here, I did cringe a bit but great video!

[@MeritoriousLee]

Lol. I know the name from watching a lot of nature documentaries in Africa from an interest in Lions. Probably unknown to most people I guess.

[@EyeOfThePhi]

do u also know this video feels racist af to those of us whom are black?

[@AspireGMD]

@@EyeOfThePhi How the hell is this racist?

[@GrindHouseProductions]

Might not have lived up to expectations, but he won in life. 16 mil in a few years vs what he came from? HE WON

[@swishcountyproductions]

No doubt

[@matthewsmiley3630]

Definitely true!

[@Peakfreud]

Pretty Much.

[@Opium64]

Everyone in the nba wins even Karl Malone 😂

[@jamesmacker]

​@@Opium64 Delonte West Lamar Odom also won? 😂 I guess it was also the culture that failed them

[@duaneam]

hasheem is a great guy. I was 12 at a thunder game and he took his time to acknowledge me and took a picture with me. I will never forget that memory

[@14isoldenough]

Thats cool.

[@l0z28]

I love you n mo

[@victorvolkaski7152]

A great busted ass buster maybe

[@l0z28]

@@victorvolkaski7152 whoa

[@johnvelino]

@@l0z28 I’ll f u till u love me no mo ❤

[@MarbSteton]

This guy had the nerve to challenge me to an assist duel on NBA 2k13….

[@sibhonikealiko]

I'm a Tanzanian. What I can (in Swahili my language) is mtu yeyote anaweza kuwekewa pressure kubwa na expectations kubwa kuhusu kitu anachoweza kufikia. Hata hivyo, sote ni binadamu na wakati mwingine vitu haviendi vile ambavyo tungependa. Hata hivyo alipata nafasi ya kucheza NBA na kutengeneza mamilioni huku akituwakilisha waTanzania. Yaani kitendo cha hii video kutengenezwa tu, it's a big big W for Tanzania. Thanks! 😊

[@AdamKlownzinger]

One of those cases where the fault of his bust of a career lies not on the player but on the people that drafted him. All of his flaws were widely available and even acknowledged at the time he was drafted, and they chose to ignore them anyways. I don’t buy that “after 10 minutes we knew he was a bust”. Because nothing changed. Nothing about Thabeet as a player actually changed. He was always a stand in the paint, block shots, maybe grab rebounds kind of guy. The fault is with you and only you, Memphis.

[@stevenbrown508]

I went to UConn at the same time as Thabeet and honenstly, he didn't even impress at the school. Raw is an understatement, he was one of the most frustrating players to watch. Dude was every bit as advertised defensively though, but was still getting easily pushed around and offensively...wow. That said, one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and remembered where he came from - always read about him helping his homeland.

[@AEMoreira81]

You could say the same about Anthony Bennett too. There was no consensus number 1 that year and mock drafts had him going between 1 and 8.

[@gavinwinkler1147]

@@AEMoreira81 mock drafts actually had him somewhere in the 7-12 range and no one predicted he'd go first. You can even hear the shock in the crowd as he was announced first overall

[@mvgsports]

​@@AEMoreira81 Fair, but in hindsight if he's taken at #8 he's still a huge bust/wasted pick....guy suuuuuuuucks lol

[@luther1546]

The "knew in ten minutes" thing is obnoxious. If this guy was such a sharp talent analyst, why didn't he clue in the team before they wasted a number 2 on the kid?

[@glswenson]

I won Blazers court-side tickets against the Thunder from a contest and Thabeet gave me a fist bump during warm ups. Dude was huge seeing him up close like that.

[@Pissgremlin5964]

I saw him at the mall when he was in college. I'm 6'3 so it was weird having to look up at someone. I wasn't used to that. Haha

[@brooksorlando4881]

@@Pissgremlin5964 Yeah jeez, he's 7'3 right? My best friend is also 6'3 and generally the tallest guy in the room. I'm 5'9, so he would look like a monstar in my eyes lol

[@willygraphics360]

​@@brooksorlando4881just imagine me 6'6 would still look at him like that during a game 😂

[@amarb.]

Went from not being able to afford shoes to making millions… hardly a “failure”

[@matthewsmiley3630]

Very true!!

[@atomsk1972]

@Deez You're saying he is using agricultural rationale?!

[@TheMichaelJordanofGambling]

Eh, in terms of an NBA career, failure is an apt description.In terms of real life accomplishments, the man is immensely successful. Failing at one thing doesn’t mean you fail at all things however.

[@swishcountyproductions]

In the grand scheme of things it’s a pretty cool story. I’m sure he’s still in the man in his community

[@alienbotfarm187]

Except he talking about basketball not how big his bank is... If he was a great player he would have even more money so isnt that a failure looking at the bigger picture??

[@gmwdim]

He worked hard and had a good attitude, he just didn't have the ability apart from being tall.

[@Peakfreud]

That's a Rare, Fair, and good perspective

[@swishcountyproductions]

He was raw man, he’d been playing for a fraction of the time of everyone else

[@Zaghzackio]

He honestly accomplished his goal of making the nba and making millions. He saw the NBA as $$$

[@swishcountyproductions]

It’s a dope story through that lens

[@craigbfolksinger]

We shouldn't celebrate great players we should just celebrate people who just made the league

[@willygraphics360]

​@@craigbfolksinger people forget that is an achievement too!

[@LibraLee88]

He was 7'3 of course somebody drafted him I'm celebrating him for that shit

[@bro_1337]

That was nice to see. This feels like a major success story even though he might have been a bust and never really had the skills to play in the NBA. To go from not being able to afford shoes growing up to becoming a multi-millionaire while staying humble, working hard, and giving back to the community, that's a major win.

[@swishcountyproductions]

That’s why I like to show the whole story of how get where they are rather than just their fall in the literal top of the industry

[@willygraphics360]

​@@swishcountyproductionsGood work man! Just subscribed!

[@into_play3226]

Even though his career in the NBA didn’t pan out, I still liked him as a player. I’m a fan of the old-school big men as well as players with defensive prowess (something that’s completely under-appreciated in today’s modern, scoring-heavy NBA).

[@cfor450]

Great video, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Love this type of content. Keep up the good work buddy

[@swishcountyproductions]

Means a lot man thank you 🤘

[@lilv3966]

I think I was his only fan. When he visited much music in Canada he told the interviewer that his fav part about being an nba player was that he was on a basketball card.

[@gamble777888]

You can dominate in college and not have what it takes for the NBA such a wide gulf of quality in the two leagues.

[@therealdarrell282]

College is a boys game. The NBA you are playing against grown men that are not going to let you do whatever you want on the floor.

[@matthewsmiley3630]

Yup. It happens quite a bit

[@mornathan1200]

Ya but he didn't even dominate in the NCAA

[@__1201]

Well, for one, there's a big size gap when you compare the NBA and college. Yes, Thabeet was huge, but pretty much every NBA team has a 7 footer and can at least match up with him.

[@__1201]

@@mornathan1200 Well he did get picked as #2 in the draft. So he did enough to convince teams he could be significant threat in the NBA.

[@TouchSoToxic]

I remember hasheem thatbeet was broken on the thunder in 2k12 or 13 Somehow they gave that man 99 3pt when the game first came out

[@Alejochavez918]

When he was in my team (the thunder) my first thought was positive energy but man as the season went on it turned out to be a wasted roster spot.

[@victorbravo1859]

Your team? 😂😂😂😂😂

[@swishcountyproductions]

Yeah I remember his time there pretty well. Thought he’d figure it out if they’re running Kendrick Perkins and shit lol, just wasn’t meant for the nba and that’s alright

[@ariesthagemini6526]

Some top 75 players could learn a thing or two from this man’s dedication

[@swishcountyproductions]

Everyone could prolly learn something, not the worst story he could’ve had

[@lagosfury5142]

Most top 75 players are on the list BECAUSE of their dedication my guy

[@Jukeboxster]

what? Did the top 75 players get there by not being dedicated?

[@ariesthagemini6526]

@@lagosfury5142 that's why I said SOME my guy

[@GracieKiller]

Amusingly, I think Thabeet benefited a lot from being African instead of European in terms of his draft placement. Raw, stiff, slow, 7' 3" European white guys? Those were known to be a bad gamble by 2009, with there being many such busts for over a decade at that point. But a raw, stiff, slow, 7' 3" African black guy? They were probably hoping that meant he could become quicker, more agile, and learn the game, similar to Olajuwon or Mutombo. Alas, that was pure wishful thinking.

[@ScottParisi]

I was in a plane with him once. Really humble, friendly guy. Talked to me the whole time. Great dude.

[@joshuadillen3095]

Thabeet is ballin out overseas. Good for him fr

[@swishcountyproductions]

Not a bad way to make a living

[@darrenbernard1548]

He was the goat coming off the bench in 2K12 and 2k13 on okc days

[@ronjeffery12345]

I’m still on my road to my first mill. Been 18 years na. Bro did good getting to where he did. GENERATIONAL💯

[@bigtimetimmyjim6486]

I was a huge fan of UConn BBall, so I knew that Thabeet had zero offensive awareness and would probably flop as the 2nd overall pick. He was great for us though, especially as a defensive monster under the rim.

[@greggpoppabich9281]

I wanted Hasheem 2 work out in tha NBA bcuz he wuz "raw" & I wanted 2 c anutha success story frum Africa like Olajuwon in tha NBA...I guess he wuz uh lil 2 "raw:...I wish him & his family tha best, he seem like uh good dude. ✌🏽😐❤🏀

[@brendan3106]

hasheem thabeet is one of the most legendary, iconic, athletic, historic & talented NBA players of all time. arguably the greatest center of all time.

[@ruso3122]

I love how the nba labels you a scrub or a bust as if getting into the league is the equivalence to job Corp 😂😂

[@swishcountyproductions]

Lol

[@christopherhawkins7388]

I don't feel comfortable describing players as bust and the title is a good way of not using that word. When you realize how hard it is just to make it to that level and seeing people that will never be that good consistently throwing shade I'm glad you dig deeper to show there's so much more to these people lives. Thank you sir!!!!

[@swishcountyproductions]

Glad you enjoyed man! Trying to be realistic and respectful is not always easy in a ten minute video but I’m glad you got some good out of it!

[@user-di7df8ln8y]

Gotta respect him though seems like a genuinely good dude and he actually tried to improve. Much love to Thabeet

[@stampscapes]

I knew he'd be terrible. I used to follow the projected lottery guys in the box scores and there were some college games where he played a lot of minutes but would score something like 5 points for the entire game. I figured if he couldn't score against college competition he'd never make it in the pros.

[@crushedscouter9522]

this. if you watched him play in college, it was not hard to see how overvalued he was in the draft.

[@that6thgen_2ss35]

I coached one of his sons, Ethan in AAU. Kid is in 6th grade and is already about 6'4. One thing I will say is he was completely absent as a father and clearly spent no time help develop his son. For that alone I have little respect for him.

[@swishcountyproductions]

That’s interesting man, wouldn’t have expected him to be that dad given what he’s done for his community

[@ThatBoyAFreak]

Why would we just believe you with no proof???

[@that6thgen_2ss35]

@GlutenFree I honestly could care less if you believe me or not lol. I have his mother's number in my phone and pictures with him and myself but do you think I'm going to go release private information to satisfy some random person on KZbin?

[@that6thgen_2ss35]

@Swish County Me either but I'm just telling you my first hand experience. I don't know what his relationship might be with his other kid(s) and I also don't know what role the mother might have in the situation to be transparent. I do know the mom isn't living in luxury like you might expect from someone getting support from a millionaire. Once my kid got of age to play ball, I stopped my basketball career to focus on his development and started coaching for Gtown AAU organization (which is where I met Ethan Thabeet, his son). It was fairly obvious from watching/training his son that he received ZERO instruction from anyone outside of our organization up to that point. I haven't seen Ethan in over a year, so things could have changed since I last trained him.

[@rockosfoodtv]

@@that6thgen_2ss35you have pictures with the son or the father

[@IraFowler3]

And then number 1 pick Anthony Bennett goes to the D League….I think that’s the next video

[@mambamentalityforever7643]

There’s nobody in this comment section that can make sense of, or explain how a basketball player can be 7’3 and average single digit points…..the basket is literally right there bro

[@swishcountyproductions]

Lmao

[@RGT85]

Memphis shouldn't have drafted him so high and put those expectations on him. If he goes middle or end of the 1st round, he has more time to develop and isn't shoved out there as a top pick who HAS to produce immediately. But hey, he gave it his all, it didn't work out, he got paid. All is well that ends well.

[@swishcountyproductions]

It's hard to say, maybe he just wasn't NBA talent to begin with, or maybe the lights were a lil too bright for him. Preciate you commenting man, that's really cool!!!

[@danielcundiff290]

Theres no bigger transition than NCAA to NFL but to NBA is quite the difference as well.

[@ajatathemu]

That Dejuan Blair match up showed me all i needed to know

[@terryjones662]

I remember he had some of the littlest arms for someone his height...

[@alexandermendez4653]

7'6" wingspan

[@terryjones662]

@@alexandermendez4653 at the draft they said something entirely different...

[@Mystery_Man84]

He’s only a bust if u expected him to develop some kind of elite offensive game. He’s not that. But neither was Dennis Rodman. He could have been like that…

[@stevenhaas9622]

Thabeet got dominated by a 6'7 Draymond Green in the final-4 when green was an overweight freshman.

[@maelguiraud3568]

that explains his nba career then.

[@K_Revival2]

Hope you get more subscribers and views your videos have quality that demand moe of both

[@swishcountyproductions]

Preciate you brotha🤘

[@knowntalmbout]

This channel gone blow

[@swishcountyproductions]

Preciate ya g

[@ASVP5]

I saw him walk through a target once. Seeing a 7”3 person in a Target… he can look over the aisle.

[@GinkgoPete]

The two voice cracks when his pick was announced were a sign

[@benwilson2119]

I remember watching when he played for the dakota wizards when i was young. That was a long time ago and i had no idea how high his expectations were before that

[@KT-mc4lp]

Hasheem reminds me a certain someone who was taken with the 2nd pick in the 2020 nba draft

[@AJS2095]

Can't compared the two. Wiseman has crazy potential.

[@Alphanumeric69]

*2003

[@mcat71090]

this is why you NEVER draft for need in the NBA. who cares if you already have mayo and conley? harden was clearly the best prospect at the time after blake

[@101marketplace4]

I agree you need to always draft by talent and not by needs. I remember my draft board.... lol I had Blake, Harden, Flynn, Derozan, Tyreke and I remember thinking thabeet was going to be a bust and I thought Curry was gonna be a jj reddick player at best. I remember being high on Eric Maynor too lol.

[@nail1255]

Im a day one Grizzly fan... Boy the draft hurts lol seen him live it was rough.

[@turtlehead2]

This should be called….How bad are NBA talent scouts and GMs?

[@de132]

Some GMs overvalue boom-or-bust potential. It's basically people scout for what the player will be rather than what it'll take for the player to get there or their ability to be built up (some guys can't handle being a project for example)

[@alfredoarevalo725]

Has any Scout ever been held accountable for some those terrible player comparisons over the years?

[@justinbeard2024]

He would have been great as a late first rounder, scouting dept and managers must not have looked closely enough?

[@swishcountyproductions]

Imagine taking the pressure of his shoulders would’ve helped, who knows man. Preciate ya watching!

[@OK-yy6qz]

@@swishcountyproductions the pressure low 1st round and 2nd round picks is actually much higher. Sure they don't have the publicity of lottery picks but they have a lot of pressure to perform immediately for their team or else they'll get waved to make space for another prospect.

[@Wallyworld30]

If I was the Owner of the Memphis Grizzlies and my scouts and GM picked Hasheem Thabeet over Jrue, Harden, Derozan, and Steph... Everyone is getting fired! How could any scout think this giant uncoordinated guy was going to be good in the NBA? Better than 2 HOF'ers and bunch of AllStars?

[@geesehoward357]

Slim was so bad he was on IR on the old O5 NBA Live jont.....no playin time at all.

[@marcusmiller7138]

"And Thabeet Goes on!" -me trying to create more hype with the grit and grind grizz

[@injusticeanywherethreatens265]

There are so few unskilled bigs ij the league today. This is why Boban and Robin Lopez are phantoms

[@Imaf2020]

you make really well edited videos - I hope you get some eyeballs!

[@swishcountyproductions]

Preciate that man, thanks for watching!

[@monkeymoo87]

Just shows you how good Embiid is lol

[@glennhalila8279]

I really thought that he was going to learn more and step up his game just by association with great NBA talent. I'm sure that I'm not the only person disappointed that he wasn't able to elevate the level of his game. It's just flat out disappointing. 😂

[@PartTimePimpn]

Kwame Brown played 12 years n put up 6 n 6 for about every team this guy couldn’t see the floor

[@gavinwinkler1147]

That's because they're two different stories. Kwame Brown had all the NBA talent and athleticism, but I'm a firm believer that MJ ruined Brown's career out of the gate. Imagine looking up to this dude for your whole life, then you get to meet him and he calls you soft and trash. It's devastating. Kwame had the skills, but not the mentality. If you combined Thabeet's work ethic and drive with Kwame's pure talent and athletic ability, you'd probably get an all-star level player

[@chuboasshippo2181]

@Gavin Winkler mj saw he wasn't working hard and tried to encourage him but got angry at his repeated laziness and finally lost his temper. Mj is a dick but he also wasn't wrong kobe and lebron were both super talented out of HS and still worked extremely hard to get better

[@Willrich202000]

10 minutes??? They couldn’t find this out by scouting?

[@swishcountyproductions]

Who knows man

[@croke835]

He was a 2k legend, loved him at UConn too!

[@zebrahking2466]

Hasheem seems like such a nice guy but honestly man he’s probably one of if not the worst player to ever be in the league for a while I think Anthony Bennett had more skill than him

[@swishcountyproductions]

I’m sure he’s not the worst he was just taken second overall. Yeah I’d agree, Anthony Bennett was prolly a lil better at least skill wise

[@hb-robo]

Bennett was unbelievable in college, dunking on people, hitting pullups, blocking shots. Definitely more skilled despite the reputation.

[@grantrmoore]

He was what he was. In the NBA his blocks per minute average is actually very good. But he lacked the lateral quickness for the modern NBA

[@meinardsl]

I can't be mad at somebody trying to make the best out of his opportunities. He might have not been a NBA level player but he most definitely tried to be one and he never forgot where he came from.

[@n5gus]

That’s a wild ass title 😂

[@swishcountyproductions]

Gotta pay the bills somehow

[@dread.8110]

This goes to show how irrelevant the college game is to the league. This guy was basically an anomaly to college hoops but none of his game translated to the nba. He was guarding and scoring on ppl with no post game.

[@LawrenceHackett-e5n]

What's crazy about him, is that he is one of the most gifted athlete to ever play for uconn. The guy was a phenom But I think once it became a job, with pressure & expectations it made it not fun anymore. I think hasheem could be a perennial all star if he got the right system in the nba. But yea he won in life man.

[@kaeltaylor430]

A beast on 2k . Then he became a dud on 2k . Still won in life that’s what counts

[@Noname-ns2md]

As important as everyone says defense is, if you're not a good scorer you are at a very big disadvantage and will have a limited shelf life in the NBA, especially today

[@mattbronsil6336]

He is back in Taiwan now. He left the p league with the Lioneers and ended up now in T1. Not sure he can compete in that league as well as he did in the p league. But we’ll see.

[@boston312]

Cant be mad at the man if he put in a 110 percent effort to his craft. Sometimes we are just limited in our natural skills in what we can do.

[@dallastx3322]

Thabeet wasn’t that bad, this was when centers didn’t need a bag . If u averaged a double double u would get 100 mil

[@johnsmith-ko8vq]

Think you got wrong era. They give out 100 mil contracts now for that Rudy gobert. This era bigs are non existent besides jokic and embid.

[@Peakfreud]

Good enough to collect a check. That's actually some athletes goal.

[@cofferrichardsonjr1341]

He Would Done Well In The 80s When The Post Game Was Value More Than 3 Point Shooting

[@kelvinkaesa5803]

If you made it to the NBA you have already won. Championships, Hall of fame, records.. etc are just a bonus. Chances of making it to a G league roster are extremely low. Imagine how hard the NBA is.

[@shawn657]

Awesome video bro and just for the record it's pronounced tan za nea. Lol

[@swishcountyproductions]

Lol thanks man

[@ASalv188]

Man, I saw him in college and I honestly thought he'd be decent, I don't know why he didn't take the leap but he was so damn underwhelming in the pros...

[@johnnyboyya734]

I feel like his heart wasn’t in the game. The nba was more of a job and a can’t miss opportunity for him. He wanted to succeed at it though which is why he continued to work hard. But he doesn’t really love basketball or else I don’t see how he doesn’t develop offensively at all.

[@swishcountyproductions]

I mean he got into the game as a means to an end rather than being passionate about it so u could be very right. Either way it’s commendable that he stuck with it like he did

[@jaydell4039]

They made a big mistake picking him so high. If it was the later in the round that would’ve been fine. The issue is he had one decent season in college and came out of nowhere.

[@mantid83]

He won at life though. He also never gave up and continued balling. Gotta give him props for that.

[@DrtyALGreen]

He used to drive me nuts in the Big East tourney as Pitt fan.

[@freemoney9041]

"negative touch around the basket" lmao

[@jpeters1734]

good for him! He made the most of it

[@dscwac396]

I think they should have let him develop into being a defensive specialist not trying to make him play offense.

[@Kalinbuggs]

At the age that I’m at… bust isn’t as bad as long as you take that money and use it wisely. Sucks that you can’t be as good as you thought but man that money is life changing and a blessing. We all wish we could be a bust tbh

[@nonamewillbegiven1217]

Yawn

[@johncrane1594]

When your coach gives up on you after 10 min how can you ever expect to be a contributer? I've heard of coaches giving up after a season or even a bad stretch of games, but 10 min? This dude never had a chance

[@honeychicken1216]

great vid bro just rq that is not how you say Tanzania 😂

[@swishcountyproductions]

Lol whatever, thanks for watching

[@stevelau7694]

Doesn't usually work well for getting someone that big started in basketball by the time he's already high school age since all the skills that other kids would find as routine are just not ingrained at all. If he started basketball 10 years younger, would probably of ended up as an NBA all-star since there would of been time to develop his talent growing up.

[@Stoneygreat]

When Dejuan Blair at 6'6 killed him in the post in college I knew then he wasn't good enough. He struggled bad that game to score against a player way shorter than him. Even worse he was thrown around like a rag doll.

[@WijoSaySo]

3:40 was a meannnnnnn double/carry

[@TJ543345]

To me, Thabeet was a predictable bust. He just didn’t have any qualities beyond his size that would translate to the NBA. So I don’t think he underperformed, because he never showed any signs of being some dominant force (besides shot blocking). He was a massive project all along. Not sure why teams considered him a top prospect. It’s their fault that Thabeet was a bust

[@SavingSoulsMinistries]

I would always pick up hasheem in nba 2k11 playing fantasy draft dynasty

[@wishtheworldwasdifferent8235]

This guy is a legend. He got PAID! Hopefully, he hasn't blown it all. Dude straight up fooled them all and got a bag for it.

[@justinf401]

He randomly came to the outback I worked at in mass. Tall is an understatement

[@lezvisuals9646]

TO make it to nba and make money is a blessing 😂 definitely A W none of us can’t knock him

[@smoothjb2384]

Fire man

[@PaulSman123]

Ya it really was not that he was a bust but more of that he was just drafted WAY higher then he ever should have been with much higher expectations. Most people who knew basketball said a ton about how bad his offensive game was and how slow he was compared to NBA players.

[@medassistph]

Hearing David Stern hitting puberty late in his life by breaking voice during the draft just shows how awful a draft Thabeet was.

[@Shinobi33]

When Dajuan Blair just flipped him over and almost broke his arm it looked horrible. He also looked like a boy versus a man. Toughness questioned

[@uttermanbo]

Size is something that will always buy a player more opportunities . Not a lot of 7 foot plus guys roaming this planet.

[@Itsyaboymike10]

How do you draft him 2nd without doing some sort of workout with him if you genuinely knew within 10 minutes of watching him practice he was a bust

[@anthonymaslow798]

Right? That's showing your own fucking ass as a complete dipshit organization and scouting department. So they didn't work him out? Ofc they did. That assistant coach sounds like a total moron. Lol