There was a man drafted ahead of Melo, D-Wade and Chris Bosh who got a ring before all three, but left the league to become a 350-lb cherry picker, literally. His name is Darko Milicic.

Once his NBA career was gone, Darko Milicic had a mid-life crisis, trying a bunch of different things to find his way. He first went on a partying binge, but then had the itch to play basketball again. He toyed with playing and almost made a comeback with a Serbian team.

When that didn’t work out, he became a kickboxer. Yes, a kickboxer. He ended up fighting once, and then called it quits because his family was not thrilled with the idea. That was Darko’s second and final retirement, and this is where he became fascinated by cherries.

A few of his friends were farmers, and while he could never master professional basketball, he once again had an opportunity to cherry pick. Darko quickly became hooked to cherries, traveling to Italy to look at famous orchards, learning about soil, growing patterns, and tree heights…

“I’ve gained 90 pounds since I stopped playing. I’m at 350 right now. I’m working at my farm and enjoying that kind of production. I take walks through my fields and watch the process, which makes me really happy…There are always problems like in any other field of work, but I’d rather do this than build skyscrapers in the city, because I’d end up shooting myself. I think this is the most positive story of them all…”

But what happened to basketball? The guy was drafted before Melo, Bosh and D-Wade! He won a title before The King! How’d he become the happy cherry farmer he is today?

Known as one of the biggest “busts” in NBA history, Darko Milicic has become a cautionary tale for every franchise. In fact, the “Darko effect” still haunts European players come draft time. We all know the story: Darko was selected by the Detroit Pistons just minutes after the birth of LeBron James’ NBA career. Milicic played in Serbia for two seasons ahead of the 2003 draft but hadn’t really faced any NBA-level opposition during that time.

While Darko had a unique combination of skill and physical attributes that scouts salivated over, he never panned out in Detroit, let alone anywhere.

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There is a myriad of reasons why the Darko Milicic experiment failed. One was that maybe he was in the League before his time? Pistons coach Larry Brown barely played Darko, putting him only during garbage time, when games were already decided. And, in the rare moments Darko did play, Brown had him play near the rim like a traditional big man, instead of passing and shooting from the outside, which Darko preferred to do.

As a teenager, Darko was a long way from home, without any friends, and in a culture he didn’t understand. The shock of coming to America only added to Milicic’s confusion and frustration. Chauncey Billups, the Pistons’ point guard, noticed that Darko would go home right after practices and games, electing not to shower with the team. Chauncey noted, “I had to teach Darko… like, no, when we’re done playing, when we’re done practicing, you put your towel on and you go get in the shower. That’s what we do here.”

The Pistons ended up winning the championship in 2004, with Darko mostly cheerleading while riding the pine. The following season was more of the same. Darko barely played 7 minutes per game his 2nd year, not even averaging a bucket a night. And honestly, it got unpleasant.

Darko’s attitude would get the best of him wherever he went. Once, his manager took him to a fancy Chinese restaurant. Darko got furious because they didn’t serve any bread, and to appease him, the manager’s wife told him he’s sitting next to Mariah Carey.

His response? “I don’t give a sh*t about Mariah Carey, just give me some bread to eat!!!”

Larry Brown, Joe Dumars, Darko Milicic, Pistons
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During his third season, the Pistons had enough. They cut ties and traded him to the Orlando Magic’s early retirement home.

From there, he bounced around from team to team. Memphis and Minnesota were warned by Darko Milicic himself to NOT bring him in for their own sanity, but they signed him anyways. Maybe they thought he was playing hard to get? The Knicks and the Celtics made the same mistake. But his NBA journey would end there with abysmal career averages [on screen: 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and .9 assists per game]. That’s why he was called a bust – because he acted like it!

Literally! He acted busted! In his Minnesota days, Darko faked an injury for Nikola Pekovic so he could get more minutes and not demand a trade. But this backfired when Pekovic dominated those minutes, leaving Darko in even lower standing for his team.

With the continued lack of playing time and general unhappiness, Darko lost control wherever he went. He punched the walls when he got home, and he went out drinking late at night even with practices early the next morning. He started to lose control of his emotions, both on and off the court, and his anger and irritation would plague him throughout his career. In his own words, Darko felt “lost”, and started to hate basketball. And, so naturally, after everything, he retired.

Darko lives his life larger than just basketball. Many NBA players live their whole lives dictated by the money and the fame that comes with the job. But for Darko Milicic, now an unassuming cherry farmer, he’s living his life by his own rules, standing out from the pack once again.