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NBA: 30 best careers from players who skipped college

By Josh Cornelissen

LeBron James, Miami Heat and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images
LeBron James, Miami Heat and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images /
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C.J. Miles
C.J. Miles, Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images /

30 best careers from players who skipped college – 23. C.J. Miles

For high school prospects, declaring for the NBA Draft did not mean immediately losing college eligibility; it was the hiring of an agent that would do that. C.J. Miles entered the 2005 NBA Draft intending to play the odds; if he was drafted in the first round, and therefore guaranteed a contract, he would go to the NBA. If he fell to the second round, he would attend the University of Texas.

Miles ended up selected just outside of the first round, 34th overall by the Utah Jazz, but joined the team when they offered a guaranteed deal along the lines of a late first-round pick. With the growth of the NBA’s Developmental League, he was eased into professional basketball, spending time in both the “minor” and “major” leagues over his first two seasons.

Then he slid into a more consistent role, becoming a key reserve and occasional starter for the Jazz. His length (6’6″ tall) in the backcourt bothered opposing guards, and as he developed his outside shot, he became a valuable 3-and-D player to either start or bring in for certain matchups.

Miles spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, showing off his developing 3-point shot as both a sixth man and starter; he started between 20 and 70 percent of the games he played in for eight straight seasons in the prime of his career. Injuries helped to accelerate the end of his time in the NBA, but in total, Miles played in at least part of 15 years.