Sean May
In his junior year at Chapel Hill, Sean May helped lead the Tar Heels to their fourth National Championship, defeating the University of Illinois in the final game of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. After being named a second-team All-American that season, he was also named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. But the hefty big man suffered a string of injuries he suffered shortly after arriving in the NBA couldn’t have been more disastrous.
The microfracture surgery he had on his knee caused him to miss 18 months of getting anywhere near playing shape. At one point, the Sacramento Kings even put an incentive clause in May’s contract, which would pay him $100,000 if he made it to a respectable playing weight (which he did achieve). Still, he was never the same player after that. His NBA career soon ended, and he bounced (figuratively or literally) to France, where he finished his basketball career overall.