10 Greatest NBA Players Straight Outta High School
9. Tyson Chandler
Truth in Numbers: 8.2 PTS / 9 REB / 16.1 PER / 1x All-Star / 1x All-NBA / 3x All-Defense / 1x DPOY / 1x Champion
A 2000-2001 McDonald's All-American, Tyson Chandler was taken 2nd overall in the 2001 NBA Draft - right behind fellow high school center and infamous draft bust, Kwame Brown. Chandler spent his first five seasons under utilized in Chicago and had to split time with yet another straight outta high school 2001 draft mate, Eddy Curry.
In 2006, Chandler was sent to New Orleans for JR Smith, and began to emerge as one of the top rebounders, leading the league in offensive rebounds in '07 and '08. He won a title with Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, but was sent to the Knicks (joining forces with JR Smith) the very next season. He responded by winning the Defensive Player of the Year and getting selected to the All-NBA team. His lone all-star game appearance came in 2013.
A member of the 2012 gold medal winning Olympic team, Chandler still is an active player in the NBA. Now aged 37 and in his 19th season, he's only appeared in 5 games with the Houston Rockets...a team notorious for hating tall players.