15 of the Worst Single-Game Performances in NBA History

Image via Complex Original

Game: Hawks @ Bullets
Date: 12/11/1993
Key stats: 12 minutes played, 0 FGA, 0 FTA, 0 TRB, 0 AST, 0 TOV, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 PF, 0 PTS
Lowlights (if available): N/A

On Dec. 11, 1993, Washington Bullets forward Kenny Walker did something countless players do throughout a season: he failed to notch a contribution in any statistical category during a game. However, what was notable about Walker's empty stat line was how much time he was given to fill it. In 12 minutes of play, Walker failed to influence the game by even a single degree, as he scored perfect zeroes in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and FGs attempted. Walker's invisible performance is impressive solely because of its length, as no other player has managed to do so little in so much time.

Game: Nets @ Spurs
Date: 6/15/2003, Game 6 NBA Finals
Key stats: 3-23 FG
Lowlights (if available): N/A

The New Jersey Nets of the early 2000s were founded on the talented nucleus of Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and Richard Jefferson, who were able to lead the team to back-to-back Finals appearances during their tenure in New Jersey. In the second of those appearances, the Nets would face the San Antonio Spurs, taking them to six games before falling in the decisive match-up.

The play of Kenyon Martin stood out as the biggest eye-sore on the stat sheet in Game 6, as the star power forward went 3-23 on his shot attempts while turning the ball over twice. Nothing was happening for K-Mart during the game, and he really couldn't have chosen a worse time to enter a slump. The Nets haven't made it to the Finals since this series, and the core players of their mini-dynasty in the Eastern Conference were broken apart just a few seasons later.

Game: Bullets @ SuperSonics, Game 7 NBA Finals
Date: 6/7/1978
Key stats: 0-14 FG
Lowlights (if available): N/A

Game 7s are the ultimate do-or-die in sports. For the six games prior, the two teams have been duking it out back and forth, trying to figure out who the best team is. Now, with just one game left, they'll finally get an answer, and now, more than ever, it's time to show up and play. Unfortunately, future Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson, then playing in the 1978 NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets, wasn't able to step up for the Seattle SuperSonics in their deciding game.

Instead, Johnson went 0-14 on his FG attempts, putting a nasty black eye on an otherwise solid Finals performance. It has to hurt when you basically hand over the title to another team like that, but Johnson wouldn't forget the sting of defeat, as he and the SuperSonics returned to the Finals in 1979, again facing the Bullets, and won out in five games.

And who was the Finals MVP in '79? Johnson, of course, who averaged 23 PPG with seven assists. His first go-around in the Finals may have ended with a fiasco, but you have to give DJ credit for coming back and setting the record straight.

Game: Lakers @ Celtics, Game 3 NBA Finals
Date: 6/8/2010
Key stats: 0-13 FG, 4 TRB, 2 AST
Lowlights (if available): YouTube

After a monster performance in Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals, then-Celtics guard Ray Allen was looking to build off his success against the Lakers and help propel Boston to another league title. Allen had scored a game-high 32 points in Game 2, but in the follow-up match-up, Allen wouldn't get a single FG, going 0-13 in a crucial game, and tallying just two points from two made free throws.

The Celtics would fall 91-84 in the game, which is likely still hard to stomach for Celtics fans. Had Allen been even half as good as he had been in Game 2, the game could've been completely different for Boston. Instead, they had to take the loss, and eventually their series defeat at the hands of Los Angeles.

Game: Pacers @ Lakers, Game 1 NBA Finals
Date: 6/7/2000
Key stats: 1-16 FG, 2 TRB, 4 AST
Lowlights (if available): YouTube

We all know Reggie Miller was a superstar player with the Indiana Pacers; his 2012 induction into the Hall of Fame proved as much. However, his Game 1 performance against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2000 NBA Finals left much to be desired when Miller went a less-than-stellar 1-16 on his shot attempts. Miller started out by missing all of his shots in the first quarter, and the Lakers opened up a 15-point lead.

In fact, Miller didn't make his first FG until the third quarter, and it was primarily Indiana's point guard Mark Jackson who shouldered the load for the Pacers during the game. At the conclusion, the Pacers fell 104-87 against Los Angeles, and would eventually lose the series 4-2. If Miller had been able to show up in this game, who knows what could've happened?

Game: Knicks @ Suns
Date: 11/17/2000
Key stats: 14 turnovers (NBA record)
Lowlights (if available): N/A

Jason Kidd was one of the best point guards of his generation, but this fact doesn't mean he wasn't prone to a bad game or some bad habits here and there. Kidd was known for having a particularly terrible shot early on in his career, though he was still three-time All-Star in his first five seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns.

However, in 2000, when Kidd was playing with the Suns, the young, talented star managed to set an NBA record no point guard wants to approach. During that night in November, Kidd threw the ball away 14 times as the Suns fell to New York. On the bright side, he managed to fill up his stat line pretty well in other respects, going for 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. However, Kidd probably wasn't hoping to pick up a quadruple double in such a dubious fashion.

Game: Knicks @ Spurs, Game 2 NBA Finals
Date: 6/18/1999
Key stats: 2-12 FG
Lowlights (if available): YouTube

In Game 2 of the 1999 NBA Finals, the New York Knicks were looking to make a comeback from their underwhelming series debut against the San Antonio Spurs, when they lost 89-77 in Game 1. However, things didn't go according to plan in the sequel, as New York would fall 80-67, failing to produce much of an offense throughout the contest. If you're looking for one player representative of the Knicks' failures that evening, forward Larry Johnson would work as a nice example.

While Johnson was a strong player throughout his career, this game certainly wasn't his proudest moment. The wing player went 2-12 on his shot attempts, including just 1-7 on his three-pointers, helping to stunt the Knicks' offense when they desperately needed a boost. Unfortunately, it was something of a trend for New York throughout the series, as the Knicks failed to crack 90 points in even one game during the series, and couldn't even break 80 points in three of the five games.

Game: Wizards @ Mavericks
Date: 2/15/2006
Key stats: 4-22 FG, 6 TOV
Lowlights (if available): N/A

During his days as an All-Star, Gilbert Arenas never met a shot he didn't like. The Washington Wizards' star player was Kobe-like in his shot selection, constantly chucking the ball up in order to spark his team to victory. However, on February 15 during the 2005-06 NBA regular season, Arenas showed exactly how dangerous his style of play could be, as Agent Zero went 4-22 on his FG attempts, and turned the ball over six times as well. His shooting percentage worked out to a meager 18 percent, while Arenas could also only manage two assists throughout the course of the game. The low number of dimes should hardly be surprising. When a player throws up 22 shots, it's pretty clear he isn't so good at sharing.

Game: Nets @ Hornets
Date: 4/12/2001
Key stats: 0-13 FG, 4 TOV
Lowlights (if available): N/A

Coming to the end of the 2000-01 season, the then-Charlotte Hornets were playoff-bound once again, ready to enter the Eastern Conference as the sixth seed. They'd eventually do well enough in the post-season, upsetting the Miami Heat in the first round before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games.

However, before any of this took place, we should remember the Hornets' April 12 game against the New Jersey Nets, when guard David Wesley managed to miss 13 shots against the cellar-dwelling Nets and turn the ball over four times. Wesley was known as a tough and tenacious player throughout his 14-year playing career, and was something of an underdog story because of his undrafted status as a player. However, Wesley notching a giant donut in the scoring column was not his proudest moment.

Game: Wizards @ Pistons
Date: 12/28/2013
Key stats: 8 minutes played, 6 fouls.
Lowlights- (if available): N/A

Jan Vesely has been a massive disappointment for the otherwise surprising Washington Wizards during the 2013-14 season. While Washington is on their way to their first playoff appearance since 2008, Vesely has remained ineffective for the team, failing to improve on his past two seasons, or live up to his status as the no. 6 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

On December 28, Vesely reminded everyone of just how unpolished he is as a player, when the Washington center somehow managed to foul out in just eight minutes of play against the Detroit Pistons. It isn't the fastest anyone has ever fouled out (an "honor" which belongs to Bubba Wells), but it certainly seems like the fastest anyone has ever fouled out when they weren't actively trying to foul out. On top of this fact, Vesely also airballed a free throw during the game, putting the cherry on top of his infamous performance.

Game: Jazz @ Pelicans
Date: 11/20/2013
Key stats: 1-17 FG
Lowlights (if available): YouTube

Things haven't been great for the Utah Jazz in the 2013-14 season, a year which is mercifully coming to an end for the team. Hopefully, the team will be able to work hard and make the necessary changes over their offseason in order to make the jump necessary for playoff contention next year. Where's the first place they should start? Well, let's take a look at Gordon Hayward's shot, which you may remember during the November 20 game between the Jazz and the Pelicans when Hayward failed to make 16 of his 17 attempts, including 0-8 from three.

Thankfully, Hayward didn't manage to mess up too many other things, as he also finished with 11 assists and just one turnover. However, he was colder than ice with his J on this night, nearly setting a record for offensive incompetence throughout the course of the evening.

Game: Lakers @ Jazz, Game 5 Western Conference Semifinals
Date: 5/12/1997
Key stats: 4-14 FG, 2 TRB, 2 AST, 1 TOV
Lowlights (if available): YouTube

For a player like Kobe, a bad game is inevitable every now and then, as his substantial volume of shots attempted can sometimes result in a lot more misses than makes. However, when these games happen in the playoffs, it's hard to forgive Bryant for his hero ball antics. Even early on in his career, Bryant had trouble with this issue, as shown during the 1997 playoffs when the Los Angeles Lakers were playing the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals.

It was Kobe's rookie season, and in his first playoff appearance, he had a chance to make an impact for the Lakers, and take them to the Western Conference Finals in his post-season debut. Instead, Kobe chucked up 10 misses, and failed to make much of an impact otherwise. In the waning seconds of the game, Kobe missed a shot to win the pivotal Game 5, and then missed three crucial 3-pointers in OT which could've helped the Lakers put away the Jazz. Instead, Utah sent Kobe and his teammates home.

Game: Mavericks @ Warriors, Game 6 Western Conference First Round
Date: 5/3/2007
Key Stats: 2-13 FG
Lowlights (if available): YouTube

In the 2007 NBA playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks came into their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors expecting a walk-over. Golden State was in the playoffs for the first time since 1994, but they were a lowly eight-seed, who had managed to pick up just 42 wins in the regular season compared to the Mavs' 67. With Dirk Nowitzki leading the way, and an NBA Finals appearance under their belt from the 2006 post-season, many expected Dallas to once again take the West in '07.

However, things didn't go according to plan, particularly in the decisive Game 6 match-up when Dallas fell to Golden State in Oakland. Nowitzki's poor play contributed to the result, as the Mavericks star finished with just eight points on 13 attempts, going 0-6 on 3-pointers, and turning the ball over three times. For an MVP candidate like Dirk, it wasn't an ideal finish to one of his best seasons in the league, and Golden State was able to become the first eighth seed to ever win a best-of-7 series in the first round.

Game: Warriors @ Timberwolves
Date: 12/27/1991
Key stats: 0-17 FG
Lowlights (if available): N/A

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. However, Tim Hardaway Sr. may have been wise to put a cap on that policy at some point, as the former Golden State Warrior managed to miss 17 straight shots during a December match-up against the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1991. During his playing days, Hardaway was a skilled player in the league, having made five All-Star Game appearances, along with winning the Olympic gold medal in 2000, while also possessing one of the deadliest crossovers in the game.

However, this particular game was just not his night, as he set a record for shooting futility in a single game. Thankfully, the Warriors were still able to grab the W, and to his credit, Hardaway had a good attitude about his new-found infamy, saying after the game, "I'm going to frame this box score. I had to get an NBA record somehow. I was never 0-for at any level. What can I say?"

Game: Knicks @ Rockets, Game 7 NBA Finals
Date: 6/22/1994
Key stats: 2-18 FG, 0-11 on 3-pointers
Lowlights (if available): YouTube

As the shooting guard for the New York Knicks, John Starks was under constant scrutiny during his playing days in the Big Apple since the one-time All Star was a key component in making New York's attack run smoothly. Starks was a solid player during his days in the league, but his Game 7 performance against the Houston Rockets in 1997 is the stuff nightmares are made of. The Knicks' star went 2-18, including 0-10 in the fourth quarter, while notching just two assists. Even worse, he threw up a crucial airball with just seconds left in the game, effectively sealing New York's loss. We can't even imagine how badly he must want a re-do on this game.