NBA: 30 best careers from players who skipped college

30 best careers from players who skipped college – 21. Al Harrington

High school players hoping to make the leap directly into the NBA had to beat out their peers from a talent and upside standpoint. They had to overcome old-fashioned or timid front office decision makers. They had to navigate agents, boosters, scouts and many who “wanted to help” and secure themselves money down the line.

They also had to convince their parents. While some players had parents ready to accelerate a payday, many had parents who simply wanted their children to get an education and set up a future past basketball. Al Harrington fell into this category. After sprouting like a weed, the eventual 6’9″ big man wanted to go straight to the NBA.

As related by Jonathan Abrams in his book “Boys Among Men”, Harrington’s mother was so convinced her son was going to college she called up the coaching staff at the University of North Carolina to make sure they had room for him on the team.

Harrington convinced his mom, but he didn’t initially convince those NBA decision makers. Going into the draft, Harrington expected to be a lottery pick but instead fell to 25th where he was selected by the Indiana Pacers. He was a non-factor the first few years of his career, but then began to establish himself and carved out a role as an offensively gifted forward who could slide up-and-down the lineup as needed.

He likely doesn’t get to that point, doesn’t have a long NBA career, if not for Antonio Davis. The Pacers forward took Harrington under his wing, inviting him to stay at his house and be a part of the family. Davis modeled for Harrington what it meant to put in the work to be a professional basketball player. Harrington was lucky; many teenage draftees did not have that help, and it often meant they didn’t last long.

Harrington played for seven different franchises over the course of his career, which spanned 16 seasons. While he never made an All-Star Game, he did average 20.1 points per game in 2008-09, on the back of a solid 3-point stroke he built from the ground up throughout his career. While never a star, Harrington was a successful professional playing in the league he always dreamed he could be a part of.