20 and to Val Whiting at No. as a member of the Miami Heat. As magnificent as earlier players were, they never had to deal with the 24/7 stresses of 21st century media, which James has with aplomb. Morrison started to make an impact on Gonzaga in his sophomore year when he averaged 19 points per game. 1 Overall NBA Draft Picks of All Time #47 of 80 The Best Point Guards Currently in the NBA #27 of 34 Havlicek won 2 NBA championships while playing for the Boston Celtics, along with Bill Russell as a player He is the all-time UMass leader in blocks (336) and was only the fourth college player ever to reject 300-plus shot. During his historic high school career, he was named Ohios Mr. Basketball a remarkable three times before skipping college and being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers first overall in 2003. After being born and raised in St. Louis, he crossed the border to play college hoops at Kansas before being taken in the first round in 1969 by Boston. He had four All-Star seasons with the SuperSonics and Suns and averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a night in his first 11 seasons in the NBA. It may or may not surprise you to know that Matt Bonner is apparently the only player in NBA history to have been born in New Hampshire. With every ounce of defensive energy focused on stopping Mims, the Rams still couldnt do it. Soon after, he went to the NBA and continued his rivalry with Bird and the Celtics sparking a basketball renaissance. In high school, he broke a city record for points scored in one game. The mans desire to be the best is legendary and propelled him to six championships, five MVP awards, All-Star appearances in every full season he played, and the status as possibly the best defender ever. 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. Lebron James is one of the most dominant players in the world right now. As a sophomore, Miller led the Florida Gators to the 2000 NCAA championship game, only to lose to Michigan State. In the NBA, Miller became a proficient three-point sniper with a career average of 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. 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. 52, we rank the best all-time women's players by jersey number. The race for the best NBA player from Iowa came down to a couple of guys whose careers overlapped in recent years: Kirk Hinrich and Harrison Barnes. Born: June 11, 1989, in Jefferson City, Mo. Basketball has been a popular sport throughout history since its invention in 1891 by a Canadian physical education teacher named James Naismith. The Celtics had played for 10 seasons before Russell joined the team, never once reaching a championship series in that time. He led his high school to a 68-1 record over two years and helped them win a state championship in his senior season. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. But, well, he played alongside another top-25 talent in Scottie Pippen and was coached by the strategic genius Phil Jackson during his most productive years. Don't have a commenting profile? Cedric Ceballos gets the nod over his fellow islander, Red Rocha, because he had a longer career and better stats. A former womans canoeing champion of the great state of Maine died last week. High school: Mead High School (Spokane, Wash.), Pros: Charlotte Bobcats (2006-09), Los Angeles Lakers (2009-10), Red Star Belgrade (2011), Besiktas (2012). After that, Hazzard spent 10 seasons playing guard in the NBA, averaging 12.6 points per game and making the All-Star Game with the Seattle SuperSonics during the 1967-68 season. 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. Cheesebro kicked it out to freshman guard Kaelyn Zuber for an open 3-pointer as Dartmouth imposed its biggest lead up to that point, 49-31, with 4:41 to play. Robinson had a Hall-of-Fame career with the San Antonio Spurs that lasted 14 seasons and included two championships. Dwyane Wade averaged 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds during his junior year of high school, and in his senior year, he led his team to a 24-5 record. After that, Chalmers spent 10 seasons in the NBA, winning two titles with the Miami Heat and posting five seasons where he averaged at least 9.8 points per game. Former rookie of the year Mike Miller is one of just five players from South Dakota in NBA history and he had the best career of any of them by far. After getting to the NBA, he became one of the best players and best shooters in league history with the Boston Celtics and forever changed the game. In 1969, Abdul-Jabbar signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and began his storied professional career. He finished his 14-year NBA career averaging 14.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. While hes much more famous for his career as a coach, Phil Jackson had a great career as an NBA player before leading Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to multiple championships. High school: East Bank High School (East Bank, W.Va.). Soon after, Wade led Marquette in scoring on multiple occasions and helped them reach the Final Four in his junior season. At the University of Maine, she became the second woman in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring in four consecutive years and is one of only 13 women college basketball players who surpassed the 3,000-point mark in their collegiate careers. Then, he went pro, becoming a key component to the Lakers' "Showtime" championships. Mike Miller may have grown up in a small town, but he was big time. 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. Read Kareem Abdul-Jabbars Britannica essay on the New York Rens. Chris Paul starred in high school, averaging 25 points, 5.3 assists and 4.4 steals in his junior year. 23 jersey is now honored by the program. That would mean LeBron plays another three or four years. After that, he bounced around to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. In the NBA, he continued to have a defensive impact as he ranks 12th on the all-time blocks list and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. At the opposite end of the attractive play spectrum from Duncan is Shaquille ONeal. 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. He spent most of his career with the Hawks, spanning time between the franchises eras in St. Louis and Atlanta. Our pick for the best baller from Massachusetts never spent any time playing with the Celtics, instead making his name with the Pistons. ), Pros: Chicago Sky (2013-16), Washington Mystics (2017-present). Since the 2016-17 season, hes averaged 11 points per game, typically coming off the bench. 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 shooting proficiency made him one of the more dangerous shooters in the league, leading the league in three-point percentage (45.7) in 2010-2011. Kevin Garnett was one of the fiercest competitors in basketball. After tensions between Shaq and Kobe arose, Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004 and won his final title in 2006 with Dwyane Wade. Already have a commenting profile? 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. He led the NBA in scoring for two seasons. Hes led the league four times in assists and six times in steals, making him undoubtedly one of the best pure point guards to ever play the position. Jordan Hooper was a member of the Tulsa Shock for the 2014 season and has bounced around in her WNBA career. Log in to join the discussion. He was a player to watch in middle school and became a prodigy at St. Vincent-St. Marys High School in Akron, Ohio. Stockton is a 10-time all-star, six-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team, nine-time NBA assists leader and two-time NBA steals leader, among many other accolades. While Kareem put up a whopping 38,387 points during his playing days, I cant look past the fact that he spent a good chunk of his career receiving passes from Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson, the two greatest point guards of all time. This season, the 6-foot-7 Flagg averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game. At 34 years and 104 days of age, Kobe became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. Bridges was a three-time All-Star with that team and a two-time member of the All-Defensive squad who averaged a double double of 11.9 points and rebounds per game for his career. 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. He was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, traded to the Bulls, and the rest is history. 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. Before retiring in 2015, he spent 12 seasons in the league, splitting his time with five different franchises but in Seattle for the majority of them. I am constantly seeking out new opportunities to challenge myself and grow as a professional writer. Not only does he routinely pull off feats that Ive never before seen, he has consistently evolved his game to fix the relative weak spots he was previously criticized for. You will receive an email to complete the registration. As a senior, Carroll set the state record for points per game with 39.4. Before he left his mark on the NBA, he starred at Bethel High School, where he led both the football and basketball programs to state championships. B Cindy Blodgett Brett He grew four inches in the summer and averaged 20 points per game over his final two years in high school. He averaged at least 10 points per game in seven of his seasons at the games top level. White, seen on the right here with teammate John Havlicek, was an All-Star in seven consecutive seasons while playing there, winning two championships and being named NBA Finals MVP in 1976 after averaging nearly 22 points per game during the series. Please note the display name will appear on screen when you participate. Admittedly, Chamberlain played at a time when post players were significantly smaller and basketball wasnt drawing the types of athletic marvels we see today, but the man was so incredibly dominant that he deserves a spot in the top five regardless of context. In 1991, Jordan won his first NBA championship with the Bulls and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a three-peat. He made 62 percent of his shot. The Minneapolis Lakers then selected Baylor as the No. SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players Lillard Magic helped turn the Lakers team into "Showtime" and led Los Angeles to five NBA championships in nine seasons, including back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988, on his way to becoming the greatest showman the game has ever seen. But do you know how he got to be so great? All due respect to Mark Price and John Starks but Blake Griffin is the best Oklahoman to ever lace up in the NBA. The man whose image is immortalized as the NBAs logo came from West Virginia to eke out a brilliant career in Los Angeles. Alongside Kobe Bryant, Shaq helped the Lakers three-peat from 2000-2002. Create one. Every decision he and his twin brother, Ace, have made when it comes to their burgeoning basketball careers has been made by the Flagg family with much thought. Russell overcame racial taunts in college and then in the NBA, where he was the centerpiece of one of the greatest dynasties the Association has ever seen. and fought Bruce Lee in Game of Death, so his cool quotient is easily the highest of anyone on this list. Diana Taurasi is the best offensive player in WNBA history (and No. We all know Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time. After leading his team to back-to-back state championships, he also became Ohios Mr. Basketball as well as the USA Today High School Player of the Year twice (2002 and 2003). Sheryl Swoopes is a Texas legend. Most important player ever? There's one state that has never produced an NBA player. He was 41. This one was a total toss-up between two St. Louis natives in Hall of Famers Jo Jo White and Ed Macauley, whose careers and stats were remarkably similar. Hello, I am a passionate and dedicated writer with a deep love for Basketball. After playing college ball at Florida, Miller was a first-round pick by the Orlando Magic in 2000 and would spend time with seven different franchises during his 17-season career. Initially, in 1994, with Olajuwon as the teams best player, the Rockets won their first NBA title by defeating the New York Knicks. She then transferred to the University of Delaware, where she played volleyball as a walk-on in 2008. Current star Domantas Sabonis could take the honor of Oregons best in years to come but for now it belongs to Brandon. Before Terry Porter became a solid contributor in the NBA, he was playing at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He won the 1992 Slam Dunk Contest with a blindfolded dunk, led the league in field goal percentage (57.6) in 1993 and helped them reach the NBA Finals. 3 high school basketball freshman. The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. Position: Small forward, power forward, point guard, shooting guard, High school: St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio), Pros: Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-10, 2014-18), Miami Heat (2010-14), Los Angeles Lakers (2018-present). WebHe averaged a stellar 22.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game for his career, easily landing him in the Hall of Fame and on this list of the greatest NBA players ever. There have only been two players from Maine to suit up in the NBA and while his legacy is still being built, we gave the nod to Duncan Bryant entered the NBA directly from high school. LeBron James just does things that shouldnt be humanly possible. The former league MVPs list of on-court accomplishments is exhausting to behold, including 10 All-Star Games, 10 first-team All-NBA selections and eight first-team All-Defensive selections. Oh jeez, this guy. Use the form below to reset your password. Its played in over many countries with many variations of the game. 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