", Pros: Golden State Warriors (2012-16), Dallas Mavericks (2016-present). Were not technically a sports website, but this editor (hi!) In his senior year at Providence, DiGregorio helped the Friars reach the Final Four, where they lost to Memphis State. Kobe Bean Bryant is an American former basketball player. He played for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards and is known for his incredible scoring ability and clutch performances. 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. 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. He had 63 points in a game against his old high school, Phelps. You can share 5 more gift articles this month. Perhaps more than any of the other mainstream American sports, basketball has embraced its standing as an international game. Born: Aug. 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan, High school: Everett High School (Lansing, Michigan), Pros: Los Angeles Lakers (1979-1991, 1996). Speaking of Michigan basketball icons, it doesnt get any more legendary than Magic Johnson. Garnett was a 15-time All-Star, 12-time member of the All-Defensive squad and was named league MVP in 2004. He won a championship with the Warriors during his final season in 1975. 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. If he keeps working hard, and theres no reason to think otherwise, hell live up to it. I know I risk getting run out of my beloved Chicago on a rail for daring to suggest His Airness isnt the best player ever but, well, I just dont think he is. After coming from tiny Summerfield, Malone played college ball at Louisiana Tech before spending all but one season of his career with the Utah Jazz and finishing second in career points and minutes played in NBA history. 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. The uber-confident Bird had arguably the quickest release of anyone to ever play basketball and hed often let his defender know that the shot was going in soon after it left his hands. Going back a little farther to the 1990s, there was TJ Caouette at Winthrop High, who had 63 scholarship offers before choosing to play at Villanova, and Andy Bedard, who went from Mountain Valley High to basketball greenhouse Maine Central Institute (the Montverde Academy of its time) before playing collegiately at Boston College and Maine. In the NBA, he made a name for himself by becoming an elite floor general, with a steady midrange jump shot and toughness on defense for his 6-foot, 175-pound size. He was 41. It wasnt just his God-given talent but his work ethic and determination to be the best that made him great. Basketball players come from all over America: cold states, warm states and everything in between. The Phoenix Suns selected Ceballos in the second round of the 1990 NBA draft with the 48th overall pick. In his senior season, he averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocks and 8 assists leading his team to a 27-0 record and state title. He averaged at least 10 points per game in seven of his seasons at the games top level. The Sycamores lost the championship game to Magic Johnson and Michigan State, but the final was the beginning of a new era in hoops. In the NBA, Chalmers helped the Heat win back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 with clutch play and big-time three-point shooting. 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. In the NBA, Porter went 24th overall to the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985 draft and helped the team make it to the NBA Finals twice during his tenure. While LaMarcus Aldridge has deeper ties to Texas basketball in general, Hall of Famer Bill Sharman had the best career of anyone from the Lone Star State so far. Hes potential personified. He won a league title in all but two of his 13 seasons as a member of the Boston Celtics. Before he became synonymous with South Florida hoops, Wade was a star high school player in the suburb of Oak Lawn. A recent highlight video on YouTube referred to him as the LeBron of Maine. Thats absolutely, positively, 100 percent ludicrous. Robinson, who was born in York, is currently in his third year as a pro and has spent it all in Miami, which is as far down the East Coast from his home state that he could possibly go. He was born with great genes, and he worked hard to realize his incredible potential. SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players Lillard In total, Abdul-Jabbar spent 20 seasons in the NBA with Milwaukee and Los Angeles. Shaq then found great success at LSU, becoming a two-time All-American and SEC Player of the Year. Its time for BritannicaOK, one editor at Britannicato jump into the perpetually unresolved greatest ever in [insert sport here] fray. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. In 1969, Abdul-Jabbar signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and began his storied professional career. The best of the best graduate to the NBA and WNBA. Born: August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pa. Died: Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California (age 41), High school: Lower Merion High School (Ardmore, Pa.). She Kobe Bryant developed his closing skills in his youth on the way to greatness. And, frankly, its sort of fun tweaking all the Chicagoans who are surprisingly defensive about their sporting accomplishments. But to give him that label now is at best premature, and at worst willfully ignorant of history. Sam Cassell wasn't the biggest player in basketball history, but he had big game. In the WNBA, Swoopes was the second player to win the MVP and All-Star game MVP in the same season. John Havlicek. In terms of producing basketball greats, New York City tops all other locations on the planet and the state itself is second only to California in the number of NBA players it has given the world. Whoever picked this list is not that knowledgeable about high school basketball history. 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. A former womans canoeing champion of the great state of Maine died last week. Born: March 25, 1971, in Brownfield, Texas, College: South Plains (1989-91), Texas Tech (1991-93), Pros: Houston Comets (1997-2007), Seattle Storm (2008), Tulsa Shock (2011). The 65 guy could hit his elbow on the rim when he was a freshman. He was a first-round draft pick by the ABAs Spirits of St. Louis and wound up with the Pistons after the merger in 1976. He led the NBA in scoring for two seasons. He eventually won three NBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star, all with the Miami Heat. 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. The Boston Celtics drafted Ainge in the second round (31st overall) in 1981 draft, and he played 15 seasons in the NBA, developing a reputation as a hard-nosed, physical , fearless player. WebThe 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Walt Frazier took the road less traveled to stardom. 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. But lets take a look at the best basketball players to come from the United States. In this article, we have listed the 5 greatest basketball players ever. Web1 Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. Robinson had a Hall-of-Fame career with the San Antonio Spurs that lasted 14 seasons and included two championships. He graduated to Auburn, where he holds the school record for field goal percentage (62.6 percent), and went on to become one of the best rebounders in NBA history. 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. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. Hall of Famers Bob Pettit, Elvin Hayes, Clyde Drexler and Bill Russell all came from the Bayou State but none of them could match Karl Malones superhuman production and longevity in the league. She then transferred to the University of Delaware, where she played volleyball as a walk-on in 2008. He would win two more titles in 2009 and 2010. The Best No. Before we crown him, though, lets at least let him get his drivers license. Pros: Pallacanestro Messina (2003-04), Toronto Raptors (2004-06), San Antonio Spurs (2006-16). 3 high school basketball freshman. 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. West was the main go-to guy in crunch-time, called "Mr. 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. Mark Price was more than a shooter. has been obsessively watching sports for nearly three decades and arguing about them with friends for nearly as long. In the NBA, Davis bounced around in his career, but had his most productive seasons in Boston, where he averaged 19.7 points per game in 2005 and 19.1 points per game in 2006. It declares everything new the best and the biggest. A few dozen NBA players have come from Connecticut but theres only been one Hall of Famer so far. Lebron James is one of the most dominant players in the world right now. In 1995 they won again, beating the Orlando Cedric Ceballos didn't always light up scoreboards. 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. 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. Havlicek won 2 NBA championships while playing for the Boston Celtics, along with Bill Russell as a player The Hall of Famer averaged a career double double of 17.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. However, during the summer, Barkley shot up to 6-foot-4 and made the varsity team, leading them to a 26-3 record and the state semifinals in his senior year. COMMENTARY: Such a label is unfair to the 15-year-old phenom, and short-sighted given the professional basketball success of others before him. This path has helped Roberson become a strong defensive player. ), Pros: Chicago Sky (2013-16), Washington Mystics (2017-present). Hes bigger than a good portion of the players in the NFL and yet he still moves as gracefully as the most nimble guards in basketball. But as a sophomore, trying out for the varsity team, he was deemed too small at only 5-foot-11. High school: Don Antonio Lugo High School (Chino, Calif.). Bryant made the leap from high school to the NBA but success was not instant, and he did not become an elite guard until the 1998-99 season, when the Lakers were swept by the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. Matt Bonner helped Concord High School to three state championships. 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. 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. No game would be more famous than Iversons 48-point outburst in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals against the Lakers, stealing the game, but eventually succumbing to them in five games. The Miami Heat's all-time leading scorer has had game for a while. 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. Cooper Flagg well may become the best basketball player ever from Maine. Why Michael Jordan Was The Best By Neil Paine Filed under NBA Michael Jordans reputation as the GOAT has withstood the tests of both time and science. as a member of the Miami Heat. He was born in Greenville and spent most of his high school career there before finishing it in Illinois. We all know Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time. The NBA had three very good players from Kansas all playing at the same time starting in the mid-1970s. After leading Nokomis to the first boys basketball title in school history, Cooper and Ace will continue their basketball careers at Floridas Montverde Academy, a school that regularly produces college and NBA players. Lucas McNelly Feb 25, 2023 3 comments Regional Final Then, Robertson starred at Cincinnati, leading the Bearcats to two NCAA Final Four appearances and a 79-9 record when he was there. Unless you agree with me, in which case this was the most meaningful thing Ive ever written. In the 1960s and 70s, The Zen Master spent 12 seasons with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, far from the quaint town of Deer Lodge, Montana that he came from. The Celtics had played for 10 seasons before Russell joined the team, never once reaching a championship series in that time. Amazing how quickly people forget how good he was. In the NBA, Miller became a proficient three-point sniper with a career average of 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. 2023 Latest, Top 7 Largest NBA Arena By Capacity In The World Now. 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. Its bad form to compare any high school athlete to a professional. He was born in Spokane and stayed in his hometown through his college years, when he was a star player at Gonzaga. But he began to show interest in basketball and relocated to the United States to play college ball at the University of Houston. Ricky Davis helped Davenport North to the state tournament, but did not reach the championship game. He spent most of his career with the Hawks, spanning time between the franchises eras in St. Louis and Atlanta. Then, he went pro, becoming a key component to the Lakers' "Showtime" championships. 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. Whatever.) The result: Horton-Tucker had 16 For most of his childhood, he dreamed of becoming a soccer player like his father. ), Pros: Teramo Basket (2008-09), Gran Canaria (2009-11), Real Madrid (2011-present). Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award Gatorade National Player of the Year McDonalds National 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. Dave Cowens starred at Florida State, averaging 19 points and 17.2 rebounds per game in his collegiate career. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna also passed away in the crash. 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