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The NBA has had a lot of great players in their sport's history. To become a legend, you have to play a lot of minutes. It takes hours upon hours over years upon years of grinding and working on your craft to become good enough to make the NBA, let along to thrive in it. Making it to the professional ranks in basketball is so hard because of how small the rosters are. It is estimated that only around 4,300 players have made it to the NBA. Not everyone can become a legend, though, so the players who barely made it to the league deserve a moment in the spotlight as well because of how hard it is to even get to the top level in basketball. Because of that, we decided to find which 10 players had the shortest NBA careers because they played the fewest total minutes in NBA history.
Basketball Reference was used for the data.
10. Ade Murkey, Sacramento Kings (1:28)
Ade Murkey at least saw more than a minute of action, but not by much. In 2021, he played 1:28 for the Sacramento Kings. This came on the same day that he was signed to a 10-day contract by the Kings. Murkey played his college ball at Denver University and also spent time on the Iowa Wolves and Stockton Kings in the G-League. Murkey was hurt last season, but he had great leaping ability before that.
9. Trey McKinney-Jones, Indiana Pacers (1:14)
Trey McKinney-Jones is a shooting guard best known for his time with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He had four separate stints with the Pacers G-League affiliate. His success with the program meant the Pacers would give him a shot on the active roster in 2018. He saw just over a minute of NBA action on Feb. 23. Outside of the NBA, McKinney-Jones had a major impact on winning during his prime. He won the D-League championship in 2014, the Liga Leumit championship in 2015, and the Hungarian Cup championship in 2016. The Pacers hoped he could bring this winning mentality to their team, but he was never given ample opportunity to do so.
8. Michael Foster Jr., Philadelphia 76ers (1:02)
A common theme on this list is that a lot of players with limited game action in the NBA have played in the last few seasons. This is because of the invention of the two-way contract that allows players to develop in the G-League and also come up and play on the active roster if need be. Michael Foster Jr. fits the bill here, as he signed a two-way contract in 2022 with the Philadelphia 76ers. Foster was originally signed to an Exhibit 10 contract ( basically a preseason contract), but his play was good enough to warrant a two-way deal. Foster Jr. spent a lot more time in the G-League than on the 76ers, though. He played only one minute and two seconds on the 76ers. That came on Nov. 22, 2022. Unfortunately, he was released the very next day.
7. Cedric Hunter, Charlotte Hornets (1:00)
Cedric Hunter was on the Charlotte Hornets in 1992 on a 10-day contract. He played exactly one minute for the franchise before his NBA career was over. Hunter was a six-foot point guard, and while he didn't have much of an NBA career, he was a legend in the Continental Basketball Association. He didn't record a single statistic on the Hornets, but in the CBA, he was one of the all-time leaders in games played and assists. He even led that league in assists in 1994. His passing acumen afforded him a shot in the NBA, but it was brief.
6. Tyler Davis, Oklahoma City Thunder (0:54)
A lot of random players played for the Oklahoma City Thunder during their rebuilding years. Tyler Davis was on the Thunder a few years before they truly rebuilt, but he was among the many to dawn the orange and blue in recent seasons. However, he barely saw the court. In 2018, Davis got 54 seconds of run. Davis made the most of it as he got a defensive rebound in the limited time against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
5. DeJon Jarreau, Indiana Pacers (0:51)
Like McKinney-Jones, DeJon Jarreau made his name with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Jarreau was on a two-way contract and, therefore, eligible to split time between the Mad Ants and the Pacers. He spent much more time with the former, though, as he only played for 51 seconds in Indiana. After playing on the Mad Ants and Pacers in 2021, Jarreau sought a new opportunity with the Texas Legends last year. His career is still alive, and now, he is on the Capital City Go-Go. Jarreau is known for his abilities on the defensive end.
4. Ahmad Caver, Indiana Pacers (0:50)
The Indiana Pacers have had a number of talented young hoopers in recent seasons who received the most minuscule of an opportunity to prove themselves in the big leagues. Caver didn't get his start with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, though. Instead, he started in the G-League on the Memphis Hustle. Caver's big opportunity in the big leagues lasted only 50 seconds. He was signed using a hardship exemption, but the team quickly moved off of him. It was perhaps for the best, though, as Caver has found success outside of the NBA. He was the Lithuanian League MVP last season after leading that league in scoring.
3. Andy Panko, Atlanta Hawks (0:33)
Andy Panko had a long basketball-playing career. He played professionally from 1998 until 2018. Only 33 seconds of that came on an NBA hardwood, though. Panko was another CBA legend, and he even won the MVP in that league in 2003. After playing in the CBA, Panko played internationally for a decade and a half. Panko didn't register a stat in the NBA, but he was a three-time Spanish League scoring champion and a Spanish League MVP. He played on a different basketball team 21 times during his career.
2. Alex Scales, San Antonio Spurs (9.2 seconds)
Alex Scales subbed in for Robert Horry for the final 9.2 seconds of a game in 2005 for the San Antonio Spurs. While his NBA career was next to nothing, he did have a lengthy NBA career elsewhere. Scales played on 19 different teams from 2000-14, never playing on a team for more than a season. Scales is the dictionary definition of a journeyman because of this. After his professional career ended in 2014, he briefly came back to professional basketball in 2017. He played for his 20th team when he joined Mumbai Challengers that year.
1. JamesOn Curry, Los Angeles Clippers (3.9 seconds)
If you blinked, you might have missed JamesOn Curry's stint in the NBA. It lasted only 3.9 seconds, which is the record for the fewest minutes played in the NBA. Curry was the only member of this list who was drafted. He was taken 51st overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2007. He was released by the team less than a year later, but he earned another shot in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers after shining with the Springfield Armor. Curry's Clippers stint lasted only five days.
