Before David Robinson earned his nickname "The Admiral" for his military service, he attended Osbourn Park High School in Virginia, where he earned all-district honors despite never before playing organized basketball. In the NBA, Billups is most known for his first stint with the Detroit Pistons and helping the franchise win the NBA title in 2004. Marvin Bad News Barnes was born in Providence and stayed right in his hometown into early adulthood, earning consensus All-American honors as a senior at Providence College in 1974. He only lived there as an infant but no other player born in the Volunteer State has demonstrated the kind of all-around skill he did during his years in the NBA. In the NBA, Iverson became known for his quickness and tough drives to the basket, where he would take a lot of contact. Olajuwon retired in 2002 and got inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. Current star Domantas Sabonis could take the honor of Oregons best in years to come but for now it belongs to Brandon. 1 badass). Position: Power forward and small forward, Pros: Philadelphia 76ers (1984-1992), Phoenix Suns (1992-96), Houston Rockets (1996-2000). Hes been a six-time All-Star and has put up some massive figures in his career so far, averaging 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Before Charles Barkley became "The Round Mound of Rebound," he was a stocky, 5-foot-10, 220-pound high schooler who failed to make his varsity squad as a junior. Cedric Ceballos gets the nod over his fellow islander, Red Rocha, because he had a longer career and better stats. They were going to a travel basketball game with 9 others when the accident occurred. High school: Mount Anthony High School (Bennington, Vt.). On Tuesday, he highlighted Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The Sycamores lost the championship game to Magic Johnson and Michigan State, but the final was the beginning of a new era in hoops. He transferred to Farragut Academy in Chicago for his senior season, led his team to a 28-2 record and was so good he was named National Player of the Year again after averaging 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists. He was also named the NCAAs Most Outstanding Player those three years and was twice named College Player of the Year by The Sporting News. In the WNBA, Swoopes was the second player to win the MVP and All-Star game MVP in the same season. Before the two leagues merged in 1976, Haywood was a star with the ABAs Denver Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics, winning MVP honors as a rookie in 1970. It declares everything new the best and the biggest. Yes, the NBA consisted of just 8 to 14 teams during this period, so capturing championships was a statistically easier feat for a single franchise, but even that fact doesnt minimize Russells historic accomplishments. 3 to Sabrina Ionescu at No. You can share 5 more gift articles this month. The Cavs took him in the first round later that year and he had six good seasons with the franchise before playing for the Bucks and Timberwolves. High school: Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, Ga.). In 2007, he was traded to the Boston Celtics, and that next year, Garnett was an integral piece to Bostons championship run in 2008. Born: August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pa. Died: Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California (age 41), High school: Lower Merion High School (Ardmore, Pa.). Clutch" by Lakers announcer Chuck Hearn. The 15-year old Flagg is charging ahead into an undoubtedly bright basketball future. He led the league in rebounding six times and was a 13-time All-Star who spent time with nine different franchises across the ABA and NBA, winning a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. Kevin McHale became a legend early. That means that even far-flung countries like Estonia, Iran and Luxembourg have given the NBA more players than the Green Mountain State. In the NBA, Miller became a proficient three-point sniper with a career average of 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. The late big man was born in Petersburg and was one of the first truly great NBA stars to come to the pros straight out of high school. He finished his 11-year career with two rings and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. New Mexicos all-time hoops hero, Bill Bridges, spent 13 seasons in the NBA during the 1960s and 70s. A recent highlight video on YouTube referred to him as the LeBron of Maine. Thats absolutely, positively, 100 percent ludicrous. Stockton was a 10-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selection and is possibly the best pure point guard in history. He made 62 percent of his shot. Miller helped contribute to the Miami Heat winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 before calling it a 17-year career in 2017. He is the all-time leader in assists with 15,806. High school: Mead High School (Spokane, Wash.), Pros: Charlotte Bobcats (2006-09), Los Angeles Lakers (2009-10), Red Star Belgrade (2011), Besiktas (2012). The commonwealth of Kentucky has given the NBA some truly great players, with Dave Cowens at the forefront. He was born in Grand Forks, which is one of the biggest cities in the state, but spent his high school and college careers in California. While Hinrich had the longer career, Barnes is still working on his and has produced slightly better numbers so far. At the University of Colorado, Billups helped end a 28-year NCAA tournament drought in the 1996-97 campaign, upsetting the Indiana Hoosiers before losing to North Carolina. Adams was named rookie of the year in 1976 and eventually had his jersey number retired by the Suns after walking away in 1988. After helping the Seminoles advance to the Elite Eight in the 1993 NCAA tournament where they lost to the Kentucky he was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the first round with the 24th overall pick. Hall of Famer Chet The Jet Walker, who came from Bethlehem, made this a tough choice but we had to give Mississippis crown to fellow inductee Spencer Haywood. The 65 guy could hit his elbow on the rim when he was a freshman. Pros: Pallacanestro Messina (2003-04), Toronto Raptors (2004-06), San Antonio Spurs (2006-16). Havlicek won 2 NBA championships while playing for the Boston Celtics, along with Bill Russell as a player This nickname occurred in a family where Charles was always called Charles, and the women had names like Mabel, Marion and Alice. In addition to his unprecedented prowess at putting up points, Chamberlain was also the only person to grab more rebounds per game than Bill Russell (22.9), all while averaging more minutes played per game than any player in league history (45.8). He was a two-time All-Star and averaged 14.2 points per game for his 12-season NBA career. Before that, Scott played three years of college basketball at Arizona State. Hes also one of just eight players in history to win league MVP honors at least three times. Fantasy Basketball. Messalonskees Nick Mayo, a self-admitted basketball late bloomer, set scoring records at Eastern Kentucky and is now enjoying success as a pro player in Japan. Robinson hurt his back in 1997 in the preseason, but it proved to be a blessing in disguise as the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan, the key to the elusive championship for Robinson. His Hall-of-Fame NBA career took him from Philadelphia to Phoenix to Houston but Barkley still loves his home state, even considering a run for governor in years past. After college, he was drafted fifth overall in the NBA draft by the New York Knicks and led the franchise to its only two championships in 1970 and 1973. Born: February 19, 1980, in Mitchell, S.D. His roots in the Tar Heel State obviously run deep but his long NBA career has unfortunately never included a stint in Charlotte. His tenacity made him one of the best defenders in the game's history. However, multiple playoff failures made him choose to leave Cleveland to go to Miami to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, a move that was heavily criticized. 1-ranked recruit and a McDonalds All-American coming out of high school. He eventually won three NBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star, all with the Miami Heat. He typified the power forward position and was named to seven All-Star teams. He had 63 points in a game against his old high school, Phelps. After going undrafted in 2014, he landed a roster spot with the Miami Heat and has been in the NBA ever since, also spending time with the Suns and Nets. It was a toss-up between a pair of legendary Hall of Famers but Moses Malone edged out Allen Iverson for the crown of Virginias best baller. High school: Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), Pros: Sioux Falls Skyforce (2014-15), Miami Heat (2015-19), Phoenix Suns (2019-20), Brooklyn Nets (2020-present). In 1961-1962, Robertson became the first player in league history to average a triple-double for a season, with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists. The Atlanta native was a seven-time All-Star in 13 NBA seasons, as well as a seven-time member of the first-team All-Defensive squad. This winning combination of talent and hard work is why Michael Jordan is still revered today as the greatest basketball player of all time. When he got to the NBA, some thought the 6-foot-9 player was too small to play center, but he proved the doubters wrong, averaging 17 points and 15 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign. In high school, he broke a city record for points scored in one game. Then, she helped lead UConn to a couple of NCAA championships in 2009 and 2010. Before he had a solid college career at Florida State and a pro career in Europe, Ralph Mims scored 41 points, including 35 in a row, for Brunswick in a 51-42 win over Bangor in the 2004 Eastern Class A championship game. High school: Springs Valley High School (French Lick, Ind.). Who else could represent Indiana but The Hick from French Lick? Larry Bird was born in West Baden Springs (population: 475), in Indianas French Lick Township and would make his home state proud by taking Indiana State to the NCAA championship game in 1979. Position: Shooting guard and small forward, High school: Davenport North High School (Davenport, Iowa), Pros: Charlotte Hornets (1998-2000), Miami Heat (2000-01, 2007-08), Cleveland Cavaliers (2001-03), Boston Celtics (2003-06), Minnesota Timberwolves (2006-07), Los Angeles Clippers (2008-10), Turk Telekom (2010), Jiangsu Dragons (2010), Chorale Roanne (2011), Maine Red Claws (2011-12), Piratas de Quebradillas (2012), Erie BayHawks (2013-14). And, of course, hes since won two titles (and counting?) Anthony Davis is making a legitimate push to steal this title away but fellow Chicago native Dwyane Wade holds it for now. Thats why its a good thing for us that Michael Jordan was born there because it takes all the work out of sorting through those hundreds of options to find the best one. His unique blend of power and speed raised eyebrows, and he was drafted No. In college at Georgetown, he led the Hoyas to the Sweet 16 in his freshman year, and in his sophomore and final season, he led the team to a Big East Championship and an Elite Eight appearance. High school: Bartlett High School (Anchorage), Pros: Miami Heat (2008-15), Memphis Grizzlies (2015-16). Murphy spent at 13 of his NBA seasons with the Rockets organization, rarely missing games and averaging 17.9 points per game. He was born in Abilene but spent his formative years in California and became an NBA icon with the Boston Celtics. This list may not reflect recent changes . Every dunk made the rounds on social media, and that helped create the hyperbole. (Or 20. He was born and raised in Concord before seeking warmer weather at the University of Florida, where he had a great college basketball career. High school: Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del. Paul then helped Wake Forest get into the NCAA tournament a couple of times, eventually falling to West Virginia in his sophomore season. He first tasted glory at Ames High School, leading the school to an Iowa 4A State championship in his junior and senior years. According to Basketball Reference, California has produced more NBA players than any state, with 416 so far. Haywood was born in Silver City (population: 288) before eventually becoming an NBA champion with the Lakers in 1980. Payton is also Kobe is an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and also a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. Cooper Flagg is the player standing at the confluence of talent and time an extremely talented player in an era in which nothing goes unnoticed. Already have a commenting profile? After bouncing around the NBA, his basketball career took him overseas to Israel and the Philippines. Absolutely. Oscar Robertson was one of the best players during his era in the 1960s and early 1970s. In high school, Pippen was the man, leading his team to the state playoffs as an all-conference star his senior year. Enter your email and password to access comments. When people knocked him for not winning championships early in his career, they overlooked that he almost single-handedly took an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers squad to the 2007 NBA finals at just 22 years old. While his famously vanilla playing style and quiet demeanor kept him from having a cultural impact similar to the other greats, his four championships, 14 All-Star Games, and two NBA MVP awards are indisputable evidence of his fantastic ability. Bobby Knight who coached him in the 84 Olympics once made a statement saying he is the best player to ever play any team sport. His 14-season NBA career, all spent with the Lakers, included an All-Star selection every single year and 12 appearances on the All-NBA squad. Can you believe that no player from Vermont has ever played a game in the NBA? Mario Chalmers always has been a winner. SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players Lillard becoming one of best scorers ever. Our pick for the best baller from Massachusetts never spent any time playing with the Celtics, instead making his name with the Pistons. Basketball players come from all over America: cold states, warm states and everything in between. And it forgets. From 1988 to 1999, Price became the second player after Larry Bird to reach the 50-40-90 club with 50 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent from the three-point line and 90 percent from the free-throw line. DiGregorio also had a game in which he dished out 25 assists during his rookie campaign. He averaged 14.1 points and 7 rebounds per game during his time in the league. Ricky Davis helped Davenport North to the state tournament, but did not reach the championship game. Alongside Kobe Bryant, Shaq helped the Lakers three-peat from 2000-2002. In college at Utah State, Carroll improved his shot each year and eventually won the WAC Player of the Year award in 2008. In his two seasons in the ABA, Barnes averaged more than 24 points per game, which landed on the leagues All-Time Team in 1997. Before he earned his nickname, The Admiral, for his service with the U.S. Navy, David Robinson was a kid from Key West. Lucas McNelly Feb 25, 2023 3 comments Regional Final He finished his two-year college career with averages of 15.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game for Wake Forest. With a Press Herald subscription, you can gift 5 articles each month. So here is the article on the greatest basketball players of all time. 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