National Basketball Association

Report: NBA draft bust Darko Milicic quits basketball for kickboxing

Published Sep. 22, 2014 2:36 p.m. ET

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There may be a better chance of seeing Darko Milicic in the UFC than in the NBA in the future.

The much-maligned former No. 2 overall pick of the Detroit Pistons apparently is quitting basketball -- in favor of kickboxing, according to a report on NBASerbia.com (h/t SI.com). Milicic will reportedly sign a pro kickboxing contract Wednesday in his native Serbia, and his first bout apparently also will be announced that day.

Milicic, 29, hasn't played in the NBA in two years, but his name will always live in infamy. After LeBron James was taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, the Pistons opted for Milicic with the second selection over Carmelo Anthony.

We pretty much know what happened after that. Anthony was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and now plays for the New York Knicks. He's a seven-time All Star and has been named to the All-NBA team six times. Milicic, an unproven center prospect from Europe, never averaged more than 8.8 points per game in the NBA.

He did start 69 contests for the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 2010-11, but yeah ... it's the Timberwolves.

It's unclear whether Milicic plans to turn this reported kickboxing thing into an MMA career. If so, watch out, Stefan Struve. Milicic stands at 7 feet tall and weighs around 275 pounds. That would be a relatively easy cut to the UFC's heavyweight limit of 265.

Sounds like Milicic is a project again in a whole new venture. Who will be the Detroit Pistons of the combat sports world?

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