These Are the Worst Athletes With the Longest Careers

People become established in certain careers and professions in several ways – by sheer luck, careers that perhaps they may not be the best in but happened to be in the right place at the right time, perhaps they knew someone who helped with a position, and of course, the old-fashioned way – sheer hard work and dedication – like many of the golfers currently competing in the Open Championship in Scotland.

One thing that seems to be consistent across any field is the need to do your job and stay on top of your game, lest you get replaced by someone else more capable or more willing to do the task at hand. Performance evaluations are prevalent in many careers, letting us know what we're doing right, and if we need to step it up.

In a profession like sports, it seems like a no-brainer that if an athlete isn't up to the job, they'll be replaced by another athlete who might be more accomplished, talented, or adept in their field, contributing to the success or successes of their team. Yet, throughout the history of certain sports franchises, leagues like MLB, the NFL, NHL, and NBA, some players have remained professional athletes despite putting up lackluster statistics.

To determine the athletes who had long careers despite poor performances, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from the Sports Reference family of sites on veteran players in the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA who played hundreds of games with the lowest overall contribution to their teams' success.Though these athletes were never statistically impressive, they managed to stay on a professional roster. Many of the players listed here are journeymen, players that hop from team to team, trying to stay active any way they can.

These players may not be huge contributors to their team, but most franchises typically have players who do little to contribute to overall success. Where teams get in trouble is when highly paid athletes struggle to live up to the multimillion-dollar contract they signed, leaving their team with little extra money to sign other players. These are the most overpaid players in pro sports.

Here are athletes who had long careers despite poor performances.

• Career: 1981-1995
• Position: Tight end
• Team(s): Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings
• League: NFL

Tice played in the NFL for 14 seasons – from 1981 to 1995 – spending a decade in Seattle with the Seahawks as well as stints with Minnesota and Washington. He averaged just 64 yards per season throughout his 14-season career, hauling in just 11 total touchdowns in his career. Tice would go on to be the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2001-2005, making one playoff appearance.

• Career: 1984-1995
• Position: Center
• Team(s): Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic
• League: NBA

After being drafted 21st overall in the 1983 NBA Draft, center Greg Kite played for seven NBA teams in a dozen seasons, including the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. In Boston, he was a member of the 1984 and 1986 NBA championship teams, though he played sparingly.

Kite had a career average of just 2.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and shot just 43.9% from the field, even though centers typically shoot much higher. Even in his best season, 1990-1991, he averaged just 4.8 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Orlando Magic, despite starting all 82 games and playing 27 minutes per game.

• Career: 2001-2010
• Position: Tight end
• Team(s): St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears
• League: NFL

Brandon Manumaleuna played tight end in the NFL for a decade but he barely eclipsed 1,000 total receiving yards in his 10-year career. His most productive season came in 2003 with the Rams, when he recorded 238 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

• Career: 2006-2017
• Position: Point guard
• Team(s): Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers
• League: NBA

Over his 12 seasons in the NBA, Ronnie Price played in 544 games for six different franchises. Serving as a reserve point guard, Price averaged 3.7 points and 1.8 assists per game. For his career, he shot just 37.3% from the field.

• Career: 1968-1977
• Position: Pitcher
• Team(s): Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants
• League: MLB

Journeyman pitcher Jerry Johnson played in 365 MLB games in his 10-year career, suiting up for seven different franchises but never staying in one place for even three full seasons. Initially a starter with the Philadelphia Phillies, Johnson struggled and was moved to the bullpen. He had a strong 1971 season with the San Francisco Giants, with a 2.97 ERA, but later struggled.

In the six seasons he pitched after that, Johnson's ERA was at 4.42 or higher — often much higher. He retired with a lifetime ERA of 4.31 and a record of 48-51.

• Career: 1988-2002
• Position: Left Winger
• Team(s): Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and Nashville Predators
• League: NHL

Grimson was in the NHL for 14 seasons, playing for seven different franchises. Though he played well on defense, he was an offensive liability, recording just 17 goals and 22 assists in 729 career games. Grimson also spent over 2,100 minutes in the penalty box.

• Career: 1975-1987
• Position: Shortstop
• Team(s): San Francisco Giants
• League: MLB

Shortstop Johnnie LeMaster was drafted sixth overall out of high school in 1973 and made it to the big leagues with the San Francisco Giants in 1975 at age 21. He was a below-average defender and batted just .222 for his 12-year career. The light-hitting shortstop had just 22 career home runs in over 1,000 games.

LeMaster spent over a decade with the Giants and rounded out his career with brief stints in Cleveland, Oakland, and Pittsburgh though his batting average never exceeded a paltry .155 in any subsequent stop.

• Career: 2005-2015
• Position: Point guard
• Team(s): Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves
• League: NBA

After being drafted 13th overall in 2004 by the Portland Trail Blazers, Telfair bounced around to seven other franchises in his 10 NBA seasons, and averaged 7.4 points and 3.5 assists per game and shot only 39.0% from the field for his career. Telfair posted negative offensive and defensive box plus/minus for his career and had a negative overall value over replacement players which means he contributed less to his team's success than a typical backup in the NBA.

• Career: 1991-2000
• Position: Tight end
• Team(s): Washington Football Team
• League: NFL

An undrafted free agent out of Rutgers, Jenkins managed to keep his NFL career going for a decade. He was a member of Washington's 1992 Super Bowl-winning team, though he played sparingly during that season, appearing in only five games. In his 10 years in the NFL, Jenkins caught 15 passes for 114 total yards.

• Career: 1982-1996
• Position: Right Winger
• Team(s): Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks
• League: NHL

Brown played in the NHL for 14 seasons and in 729 career games, he recorded just 45 goals and 52 assists, or 0.06 goals and 0.07 assists per game. He was a member of Edmonton's 1990 Stanley Cup-winning team, though he appeared in just three games during the postseason run.

• Career: 2012-present
• Position: Pitcher
• Team(s): Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs
• League: MLB

Making his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers in 2012, Grimm struggled with the team and was traded to the Cubs during the 2013 season. He appeared to be on the right track, posting a 3.78 ERA in 2014 and a 1.99 ERA the year after, but it more than doubled, up to 4.10 during the Cubs' 2016 World Series season. Grimm's ERA ballooned further, up to 5.53 in 2017, and he was released after the season.

In 2018, Grimm allowed 20 earned runs in 17.1 innings between the Royals and Mariners and then spent all of 2019 in the minor leagues. He returned to the majors briefly in 2020, allowing nine runs in 4.2 innings for Milwaukee but in the 2021 season, he was with the AAA affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. He has since retired.

• Career: 1988-1999
• Position: Goaltender
• Team(s): Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Phoenix Coyotes
• League: NHL

Backup goaltender Jimmy Waite played in the NHL for 11 seasons, first suiting up for the Chicago Blackhawks at age 19. The eighth overall selection in the 1987 NHL Draft, Waite was never able to earn a starting job. He never played more than 20 games in a season. In his 106 career games, Waite saved just 87.1% of the shots he faced, allowing 3.35 goals per game.

• Career: 1974-1985
• Position: Infielder/Outfielder
• Team(s): Detroit Tigers, Oakland A's, Seattle Mariners
• League: MLB

Dan Meyer played 12 years in the MLB as a utility player, mostly lining up at first base, third base, and left field. Though he was a solid first baseman, his fielding percentage was well below league averages at every other position. He was also a streaky batter, hitting .227 one season, before batting .278 the next.

Meyer posted a -6.4 wins above replacement for his entire career, meaning he cost his team six to seven wins compared to the level of production a replacement-level player could have provided.

• Career: 1988-1999
• Position: Center, power forward
• Team(s): Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers
• League: NBA

Joe Wolf played in the NBA for 11 seasons, and though his defense was solid, he was an offensive liability, averaging just 4.2 points per game for his career on 42.3% shooting, a low shooting percentage, particularly for a center.

• Career: 1994-2004
• Position: Tight end, special teamer
• Team(s): Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, New York Jets
• League: NFL

Though tight ends are now regularly featured as offensive weapons, some spend most of their time blocking, like Banta, a fourth-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 1994, who spent 11 seasons in the NFL. In his 156 games, he recorded two career catches for 13 yards.

• Career: 1987-1998
• Position: Right Winger
• Team(s): New York Islanders
• League: NHL

Vukota spent 10 of his 11 NHL seasons with the New York Islanders, before splitting his final season between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. He was never much of an offensive threat, scoring on just 6.5% of his shots (the league average was 9.7% for the 2020-2021 NHL season). Vukota scored just 17 goals and registered 29 assists in 573 career games.

• Career: 1999-2007
• Position: Center
• Team(s): Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves
• League: NBA

Michael Olowokandi was the first overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, ahead of legends like Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, and Paul Pierce. He could never live up to expectations though, posting a negative value over replacement players over 500 career games in nine seasons. Olowokandi shot just 43.5% from the field for his career.

• Career: 2007-2015
• Position: Pitcher
• Team(s): Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds
• League: MLB

Lefty pitcher Manny Parra played eight MLB seasons, pitching in over 300 games for the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. In his four full seasons in Milwaukee, Parra's ERA was never under 4.00 for a full season.Initially a starting pitcher, Parra was moved to the bullpen, but he continued to struggle and spent 2011 in the minors.

After posting a 5.06 ERA in 2012, he was a free agent and signed with the Reds. In 150 games in Cincinnati, Parra had a 3.91 ERA, ending his career with an overall ERA of 4.90 and a 29-41 record.

• Career: 1981-1986
• Position: Goaltender
• Team(s): Detroit Red Wings
• League: NHL

Corrado Micalef played goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings for over 100 games, during which he allowed 4.25 goals per game and only managed two shutouts. Micalef only managed to save 85.6% of the shots that came his way (most goalies have save percentages of over 90%). Detroit lost more than twice as many games as they won with Micalef in net, posting a 26-59 record.

• Career: 1975-1985
• Position: Infielder
• Team(s): New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers
• League: MLB

Doug Flynn played in the MLB for 11 seasons between five different teams. Though his .238 lifetime batting average is respectable, he seldom walked and scarcely hit for power, making him an offensive liability. His lifetime slugging percentage is under .300, and he had just seven home runs in over 4,000 plate appearances.

Flynn was a good defender and was able to play second base, third base, and shortstop, likely helping to keep his career going despite his offensive struggles. Though he was a member of the 1976 Cincinnati Reds World Series winning team, he did not play a game in the World Series itself.