He was drafted by the Timberwolves straight out of high school in 1995 and spent more than 13 seasons of his 21-year NBA tenure there. ), Pros: Teramo Basket (2008-09), Gran Canaria (2009-11), Real Madrid (2011-present). He led his high school to a 68-1 record over two years and helped them win a state championship in his senior season. Michael also earned the nicknames Air Jordan and His Airness. 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. Born: Jan. 15, 1951, in North Providence, R.I. High school: North Providence High School, Pros: Buffalo Braves (1973-77), Los Angeles Lakers (1977-78), Boston Celtics (1978). Hooper last played for the Atlanta Dream and the Chicago Sky in 2017. She just didnt do it on Instagram. 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 Robinson over Jeff Turner. 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. One of the greatest defenders in history, he was named to the leagues prestigious All-Defensive first team eight times. After several NBA summer league stops, Carroll went to Real Madrid, where he helped them win the EuroLeague championship in 2014-2015 and in May 2018. Lionel Hollins is a basketball lifer. In the NBA, Johnson was a three-time MVP who led the Lakers to five championships in the 1980s as one of the most versatile players in history. Nokomis freshman Cooper Flagg takes a jump shot against Falmouth during the Class A state final on March 5 in Portland. Soon after, he went to the NBA and continued his rivalry with Bird and the Celtics sparking a basketball renaissance. A battle between two dominant defenders made Georgia a tough call but we ultimately sided with Walt Clyde Frazier over Dwight Howard for the honor of being the states best baller. In 2003, LeBron James became a high school basketball phenomenon at St. Vincent-St. Marys High School in Akron, Ohio. He eventually won three NBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star, all with the Miami Heat. Paul then helped Wake Forest get into the NCAA tournament a couple of times, eventually falling to West Virginia in his sophomore season. Cooper Flagg may end up the best basketball player to come from Maine. All rights reserved. Prior to that, Robertson starred at Crispus Attucks High School, leading his school to a 31-1 record and winning the 1955 state championship. WebInitially, in 1994, with Olajuwon as the teams best player, the Rockets won their first NBA title by defeating the New York Knicks. 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). Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Before he became perhaps the all-time icon of hoops in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, Oscar Robertson was born in the small town of Charlotte, Tennessee. He was born in Oklahoma City and delighted the basketball fans in his home state when he stayed home to play college ball at the University of Oklahoma. High School: Newport Catholic High School, Pros: Boston Celtics (1970-80), Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83). Boozer was a workhorse who rarely missed a game during his 11-season career, which saw him average 14.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Through the publication of this list, James has averaged a Robertson-esque 27.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 steals per game andunlike the Big Ohe was doing so against teams stocked with elite athletes and not players who smoked cigarettes at halftime. 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. Before that, Scott played three years of college basketball at Arizona State. 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. #7 Mike Bordick WINTERPORT Played in two College World Position: Small forward and power forward. Mike Miller may have grown up in a small town, but he was big time. Maine vs. Binghamton Women's Basketball Predictions & Picks - February 25. He led the Celtics to three championships in the 1980s, which is the same number of times he was named NBA MVP. as a member of the Miami Heat. Born: August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pa. Died: Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California (age 41), High school: Lower Merion High School (Ardmore, Pa.). Murphy spent at 13 of his NBA seasons with the Rockets organization, rarely missing games and averaging 17.9 points per game. 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. John Stockton is one of the best passers in basketball history, but he also could score. 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. In the NBA, Iverson became known for his quickness and tough drives to the basket, where he would take a lot of contact. Ainge was so good at baseball he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977 and made it to the major leagues in 1979 as an infielder (second baseman) and outfielder while in college at BYU. But as a sophomore, trying out for the varsity team, he was deemed too small at only 5-foot-11. But before he was the engine of a Celtics dynasty, he became a star center at the University of San Francisco, helping the school become a superpower in college basketball. In 10 seasons with that franchise, Sharman proved to be a deadly shooting guard and helped lead them to four championships from 1957-1961. A few dozen NBA players have come from Connecticut but theres only been one Hall of Famer so far. 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. After graduating from Notre Dame, he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1979, played professionally in Italy for a year, then returned to play for the Cavaliers. The 6-foot-7 shooting guard/small forward honed his skills at the University of Colorado, finishing third in rebounding in the 2011-2012 season and second in 2012-2013. Flagg, who is transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida along with his twin brother, Ace, has been ranked by ESPN as the No. Matt Bonner helped Concord High School to three state championships. High school: David Tobias Howard High School, Pros: New York Knicks (1967-77), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-80). The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. Jackson was part of the NBAs All-Rookie first team in 1968 and came off the bench to help the Knicks win a title in 1973. During his third year in the league, Bryant started playing in the All-Star Game, and he would continue to be selected to start that game for a record 18 consecutive appearances until his retirement. 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. Levesque played with the Charlotte Sting in the WNBA, averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 assists in 27 games. One of the best NBA players to never be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Tom Chambers racked up more than 20,000 points in his career as a power forward. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. She then transferred to the University of Delaware, where she played volleyball as a walk-on in 2008. The Sycamores lost the championship game to Magic Johnson and Michigan State, but the final was the beginning of a new era in hoops. Create a commenting profile by providing an email address, password and display name. Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award Gatorade National Player of the Year McDonalds National Of all the great ones to come from the Golden State including current icons like James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook its tough to top Gary Paytons legacy. The Greatest UConn Basketball Players of All Time #20 of 76 Every Athlete Signed To Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports, Ranked 6 Markelle Fultz Point guard from Upper Marlboro, Maryland 155 votes Teams: Orlando Magic #48 of 58 The Best No. The native of Anchorage eventually played high school ball there before departing for a warmer climate at the University of Kansas, where hed lead the Jayhawks to an NCAA championship in 2008. The 69 Johnson (making him the NBAs tallest point guard) not only posted the best assists-per-game mark in league history (11.2) but had a tremendous all-around game, as well. McHale was born in Hibbing the same town that gave us Bob Dylan and was named Minnesotas Mr. Basketball as a high school senior in 1976 before playing at the University of Minnesota. He played for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards and is known for his incredible scoring ability and clutch performances. Once there, he would finish with an emphatic dunk, a foolproof strategy that helped ONeal lead the NBA in field-goal percentage 10 times in his career. 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 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. Famously, he played center in place of the injured Abdul-Jabbar in the title-clinching game six of the 1980 NBA finals as a 20-year-old rookie. Ricky Davis helped Davenport North to the state tournament, but did not reach the championship game. Hes also one of just eight players in history to win league MVP honors at least three times. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer. Abdul-Jabbar played for UCLA from 1965 to 1969. But lets take a look at the best basketball players to come from the United States. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born on April 16, 1947, in New York City. Born: June 11, 1989, in Jefferson City, Mo. He was a two-time All-American and four-time All-ACC basketball player at Georgia Tech, helping the Yellow Jackets win an ACC championship in his junior season. 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. Floridas Montverde Academy, a school that regularly produces college and NBA players. 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. She was an All-American as a freshman and sophomore in high school and led her team o four consecutive state championship appearances. The Hall of Famer was a 12-time All-Star in 14 seasons and won a championship with the Bucks in 1971. After high school, he did not attend an elite basketball program, but instead became one of the premier college basketball players in Division II for Southern Illinois University. Hello, I am a passionate and dedicated writer with a deep love for Basketball. That means that even far-flung countries like Estonia, Iran and Luxembourg have given the NBA more players than the Green Mountain State. 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. 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. Unlike the NFL, which is still almost entirely packed with American players, and the NHL and MLB, which see their foreign-born stars come from a handful of countries in specific areas, the NBAs stars come from all corners of the globe. And, frankly, its sort of fun tweaking all the Chicagoans who are surprisingly defensive about their sporting accomplishments. He was a four-time All-Star with the Warriors and Knicks and was a consistent 20-point scorer during five consecutive early years of his 13-season tenure. Prior to becoming "The Logo," Jerry West was a star at West Virginia, helping the Mountaineers grab a Final Four appearance in his junior season. Where Timmy would work his way around an opponent in the post with his superb footwork, Shaq would often use his extraordinary bulk (71 and 315 pounds) to bully his way to the basket. He helped the Lakers win their first NBA title in Los Angeles in 1972. High school: Bartlett High School (Anchorage), Pros: Miami Heat (2008-15), Memphis Grizzlies (2015-16). However, once Jordan and the Bulls got past the Pistons, they went on to three-peat on two separate occasions, and Jordan cemented his legacy as the GOAT. Billups was an All-State first-team pick four times in high school and was the Colorado Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior. The Pistol played in only 4 All-Star games but still managed to average 24.2 points per game over his career and is considered one of the best pure scorers in NBA history.. Pete Maravich 14. Ceballos bounced around with five teams over his lengthy career, averaging 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a small forward. 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. Enter your email and password to access comments. Only two NBA players have come from Hawaii so far and both were All-Stars at some point. After that, he bounced around to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Also, his career totals were inflated by the fact that he played roughly 10,000 years in the NBA. In his junior year, he led the nation in scoring at 28.1 points per game and helped Gonzaga get a berth in the NCAA tournament, making it to the Sweet 16 before succumbing to UCLA. League MVP honors at least three times born on April 16, 1947, in Jefferson City, Mo and! Won a championship with the Rockets organization, rarely missing games and averaging 17.9 per... 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