Fewer than 200 people in history have appeared in an NBA game as a teenager. And an even smaller – and more elite – group has performed well in the NBA prior to turning 20 years old. In fact, to this day, only one player in NBA history has achieved All-Star honors in their age-19 season or younger. (You might know who that is but as a hint: He wore purple and gold his entire time in the NBA.)
Today, we are going to take a look at the 19 best teenagers in NBA history, a list featuring some of the biggest names the league has ever seen and a few other names who unfortunately wound up disappointing after hot starts to their careers.