In college, Stockton starred at Gonzaga, leading the Bulldogs to their best record in 17 years at 17-11 during his senior season. Kobe Bryant developed his closing skills in his youth on the way to greatness. 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. The former All-Star has the distinction of being the shortest player ever inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as he stands at just 5 feet 9 inches. The 15-year old Flagg is charging ahead into an undoubtedly bright basketball future. In the NBA, Jordan had some rough years, overcoming injuries and first-round playoff exits, and playing the Detroit "Bad Boy" Pistons in the late 1980s and 1990. Perhaps more than any of the other mainstream American sports, basketball has embraced its standing as an international game. Before Elgin Baylor became one of the greatest players in NBA history, he starred at Spingarn High School and was named first team All-Met. In 2003, LeBron James became a high school basketball phenomenon at St. Vincent-St. Marys High School in Akron, Ohio. His best year was in 1973, as he averaged 20.5 points and 16.2 rebounds per game, helping lead the Celtics to a league-best 68-14 record. Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award Gatorade National Player of the Year McDonalds National Gary Payton is one of the best defensive players of all time. He was a four-time All-Star and two-time champion and he missed just nine games from 1980-1993, which is remarkable when you consider how many guys he hammered to the floor during his career. 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. 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. 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. Jordan Hooper was a member of the Tulsa Shock for the 2014 season and has bounced around in her WNBA career. He was a Division II All-American in 1964 and 1965. He was born and raised in Concord before seeking warmer weather at the University of Florida, where he had a great college basketball career. You can share 5 more gift articles this month. Most important player ever? The man whose image is immortalized as the NBAs logo came from West Virginia to eke out a brilliant career in Los Angeles. 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. He finished his 14-year NBA career averaging 14.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. 1 overall to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. All due respect to Mark Price and John Starks but Blake Griffin is the best Oklahoman to ever lace up in the NBA. as a member of the Miami Heat. 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. In my free time, you can find me lost in a good book, traveling to new and exciting places, or simply enjoying the beauty of nature. He earned All-Rookie first-team honors in 1975 and was a key component of the Portland Trail Blazers lone championship in 1977. 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. He was a 9-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. She With a Press Herald subscription, you can gift 5 articles each month. Chauncey Billups became "Mr. Big Shot" long before he became one of the best clutch performers in the NBA. Then she announced she would play basketball for the Blue Hens in 2009, leading the nation in scoring in her junior season in 2012. What? The best of the best graduate to the NBA and WNBA. The leading scorer in National Basketball Association (NBA) history is just the 10th-best player ever? The Celtics had played for 10 seasons before Russell joined the team, never once reaching a championship series in that time. NBA MVP five times, 14 times NBA All-Star, ten times All-NBA First Team, nine times All-Defensive First Team, Defensive Player of the Year in 1988, etc. He finished his 17-year career with averages of 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds. Like Alabamas Charles Barkley, Arizonas Sean Elliott stayed close to home for college and wound up having his jersey number retired by both his school and an NBA team. 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. Starting alongside Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and A.C. Green. Pros: San Antonio Spurs (1989-93, 1994-2001), Detroit Pistons (1993-94). Havlicek won 2 NBA championships while playing for the Boston Celtics, along with Bill Russell as a player However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website. In more than 1,000 career NBA games, Billups averaged 15.2 points and was a five-time All-Star. Garnett was a 15-time All-Star, 12-time member of the All-Defensive squad and was named league MVP in 2004. Web1 Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. He made 62 percent of his shot. Before Michael Jordan became the greatest basketball player to walk the earth, he played at Emsley A. Laney High School in North Carolina. Walt Frazier took the road less traveled to stardom. B Cindy Blodgett Brett Discussions between basketball fans have been raging over who are the greatest basketball players of all time to take part in the history of this great game. From Diana Taurasi at No. Quite possibly. Calvin Murphy was born and raised in Norwalk, which is in the New York City metro area. Adam Morrison became a star as a high school player in Spokane, despite an early diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. High school: McClymonds High School (Oakland, Calif.). But in his rookie year, Russell completely changed the franchises course and established the Celtics as the winningest team in the NBA. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. Named Henrietta at birth, she was always called Thomie, a name that sprang from her position as the family tomboy. While at UCLA, he led the Bruins to three consecutive NCAA championships from 1967 to 1969. 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. Fantasy Basketball. From 2000-2010, he averaged 13.7 points per game, which was the best stretch of his time in the league, and was named sixth man of the year while playing with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2006. He was a military brat because of his own fathers military service, which led to frequent moving and likely made the nomadic life of a professional athlete easier on him. Now, with three NBA championships under his belt, a scoring title, a Finals MVP and many other accolades, Wade is one of the greatest shooting guards in the history of the game. 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. 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. Hakeem Olajuwon played center for the Houston Rockets from 1984 until 2001. Delle Donne received a scholarship to play for UConn, but dropped out of the summer school program because she wanted to be close to family. Kevin McHale became a legend early. They were going to a travel basketball game with 9 others when the accident occurred. The seeds of intensity were planted in South Carolina, where he was named National High School Player of the Year after his junior season at Mauldin. The Houston Rockets selected him as the first overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft, and he made an immediate splash in his rookie season by winning that years NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He eventually won three NBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star, all with the Miami Heat. Can you believe that no player from Vermont has ever played a game in the NBA? Stevie Franchise was a three-time All-Star with the Houston Rockets in the early 2000s, where he was a consistent 20-point scorer from the point guard position. Bullet Bob Boozer came from Omaha and remained a major part of that community until his death in 2012. The Coeur dAlene native had a standout college career at Oregon before being drafted in the first round by the SuperSonics in 2003. ), Pros: Chicago Sky (2013-16), Washington Mystics (2017-present). High school: Harold L. Richards High School, Pros: Miami Heat (2003-16, 2018-present), Chicago Bulls (2016-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18). Matt Bonner helped Concord High School to three state championships. In total, Abdul-Jabbar spent 20 seasons in the NBA with Milwaukee and Los Angeles. Seven former Montverde players were selected in the 2021 NBA draft, including No. Ohio is right up there among the most prolific states in terms of producing NBA talent but none have left the impact of LeBron James. In 2014, Taurasi earned MVP honors again while helping the Mercury set a single-season wins record with 29 and win another championship. 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. Fantasy Basketball. He is the all-time leader in assists with 15,806. Morrison started to make an impact on Gonzaga in his sophomore year when he averaged 19 points per game. Most obsessively competitive to the detriment of ever having normal human relations with anybody? High school: Bethel High School (Hampton, Va.), Pros: Philadelphia 76ers (1996-2006, 2009-10), Denver Nuggets (2006-08), Detroit Pistons (2008-09), Memphis Grizzlies (2009), Besiktas (2010-11). The rest of us are the ones who need to slow down. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was a basketball prodigy at Gulfport High School, averaging 29.9 points and 5.7 assists in his senior season and getting an invitation to the McDonalds All-American game. 2023 Latest, Top 7 Largest NBA Arena By Capacity In The World Now. LeBron James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBAs leading scorer in February 2023.]. The 30 Best NBA Players of All Time, Ranked By Adam Caparell, Zion Olojede, Angel Diaz, Zach Frydenlund Jun 17, 2022 Image via Complex Original The Before he was internationally known by a single nickname, Shaquille ONeal was born in Newark and the Boys and Girls Club of America chapter there played a major part in his early life. 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. In 1969, Abdul-Jabbar signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and began his storied professional career. The state is behind only California, New York and Illinois in terms of producing NBA players, and has given us all-time legends like Wilt Chamberlain and Pistol Pete Maravich. Three state championships metro area leader in assists with 15,806 ( Oakland, Calif. ) had played for seasons. Component of the All-Defensive squad and was a member of the other mainstream American,... 2003, LeBron James became a star as a High School ( Oakland, )... Mark Price and John Starks but Blake Griffin is the best of the Portland Trail Blazers lone championship 1977... Senior season basketball Association ( NBA ) history is just the 10th-best player ever 1964. 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