Ridnour became a star at Oregon, helping lead the Ducks to an Elite Eight appearance in 2002 and another NCAA tournament appearance. Plus his 30.1 points per game is the NBAs highest career scoring average. Moreover, he not only faced the incredible pressure of being anointed The Chosen One by Sports Illustrated as a teenager, but hes actually exceeded the lofty expectations set for him. The commonwealth of Kentucky has given the NBA some truly great players, with Dave Cowens at the forefront. As a Laker, he was a 10-time All-NBA First Team and 11-time All-Star selection. He led Mead to the title game, scoring 37 points with hypoglycemia. Before she became one of the best players in WNBA history, she helped the Texas Tech Lady Raiders to an NCAA womens But before the WNBA, Levesque helped her high school win two Division I state titles. Silver Spring native Victor Oladipo might have something to say about this in a few years but, for now, the title of Marylands best goes to Steve Francis. Born: May 6, 1985, in Winston-Salem, N.C. High school: West Forsyth High School (Clemmons, N.C.), Pros: New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-present). In his sophomore season at Michigan State, Johnson led the Spartans past Larry Bird Indiana State in a legendary NCAA national championship game. Ceballos was born in Maui before moving to the mainland and eventually ascending to the NBA. He earned All-Rookie first-team honors in 1975 and was a key component of the Portland Trail Blazers lone championship in 1977. Cooper Flagg well may become the best basketball player ever from Maine. The Hall of Famer was born in Hamburg, Arkansas, which has a population of about 2,600, before becoming one of the central figures in the greatest dynasty in NBA history. and fought Bruce Lee in Game of Death, so his cool quotient is easily the highest of anyone on this list. 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 Celtics had played for 10 seasons before Russell joined the team, never once reaching a championship series in that time. 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. LeBron James feels he is the best basketball player that ever played the game James is 36 points away from becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer By Joe Most important player ever? Only two NBA players have come from Hawaii so far and both were All-Stars at some point. And it forgets. (Or 20. Johnson, who was born and raised in Cheyenne, had his best years with the Heat during the mid-2010s, when he was averaging more than 11 points a game. He had 63 points in a game against his old high school, Phelps. Born: August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pa. Died: Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California (age 41), High school: Lower Merion High School (Ardmore, Pa.). If he keeps working hard, and theres no reason to think otherwise, hell live up to it. 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. The 65 guy could hit his elbow on the rim when he was a freshman. Matt Bonner helped Concord High School to three state championships. The Mailman may not have won a ring but he ranks right near the top of many of the NBAs all-time records. In his prime, Duncan, nicknamed The Big Fundamental by no less a nickname authority than Shaquille ONeal, was one of the most sound players of all time. In one season of high school ball, hes well on his way. Ceballos bounced around with five teams over his lengthy career, averaging 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a small forward. Shaquille ONeal is the definition of dominance. At the opposite end of the attractive play spectrum from Duncan is Shaquille ONeal. At Wake Forest, she was a two-time All-ACC Second-Team selection, the school leader in minutes, free throws made and free-throw percentage, while being second all-time in assists. Bill Russell was an 11-time NBA champion in a 13-year Hall of Fame career. 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. High school: North Eugene High School (Eugene, Ore.), Pros: Boston Celtics (1981-89), Sacramento Kings (1989-90), Portland Trail Blazers (1990-92), Phoenix Suns (1992-95). The Miami Heat's all-time leading scorer has had game for a while. Amazing how quickly people forget how good he was. At LSU he was a star, becoming the SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. High school: Don Antonio Lugo High School (Chino, Calif.). 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. 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. Maya Moore got an early start on winning and stardom. One of the greatest defenders in history, he was named to the leagues prestigious All-Defensive first team eight times. While at UCLA, he led the Bruins to three consecutive NCAA championships from 1967 to 1969. ( Click here for our 5-on-5 debate.) In his senior year at Providence, DiGregorio helped the Friars reach the Final Four, where they lost to Memphis State. 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. In 2007, he was traded to the Boston Celtics, and that next year, Garnett was an integral piece to Bostons championship run in 2008. 3 college prospect in the Class of 2025. He repeated that feat against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Long before Larry Bird became an NBA Hall of Famer, he was "The Hick From French Lick" a basketball prodigy from Indiana who set the all-time scoring record at Springs Valley High School, averaging 31 points, 21 rebounds and four assists his senior year. In 1975, after six successful seasons with the Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played 14 seasons and also become one of the teams most revered players. 1-ranked recruit and a McDonalds All-American coming out of high school. 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. He was born in Las Vegas but played high school and college hoops in Iowa before being drafted by the Hornets in the first round in 1998. Enter your email and password to access comments. Its time for BritannicaOK, one editor at Britannicato jump into the perpetually unresolved greatest ever in [insert sport here] fray. Copyright 2022 Cricket Concept . The Minneapolis Lakers then selected Baylor as the No. His entire Hall-of-Fame NBA career was spent with the Boston Celtics and hes now regarded as something close to a saint in that city. 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). Adam Morrison became a star as a high school player in Spokane, despite an early diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. 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. While Hinrich had the longer career, Barnes is still working on his and has produced slightly better numbers so far. Then Ceballos went the junior college route and played at Ventura College, before catching the attention of NBA scouts at Cal State Fullerton. High school: Palos Verdes High School (Palos Verdes, Calif.), Pros: Cleveland Cavaliers (1980-82), Detroit Pistons (1982-93). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Starting alongside Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and A.C. Green. In college, Stockton starred at Gonzaga, leading the Bulldogs to their best record in 17 years at 17-11 during his senior season. High school: Harold L. Richards High School, Pros: Miami Heat (2003-16, 2018-present), Chicago Bulls (2016-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18). Nobody garnered the national attention he has attracted in such a short time. 20 and to Val Whiting at No. 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. He was born in Lansing and had an outstanding high school hoops career there before staying very close to home and playing at Michigan State, a program that he led to a national championship in 1979. The most northern state in the continental United States, Jeff Turner is the best NBA player to have been born in Maine. There's one state that has never produced an NBA player. Along with teammate Larry Bird, McHale helped lead the Celtics to three NBA championships in his 13 seasons there, averaging 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for his career. Whoever picked this list is not that knowledgeable about high school basketball history. High school: Osbourn Park High School (Manassas, Va.). Mamba came to the NBA straight out of high school there and spent his entire Hall-of-Fame career with the Lakers, winning five titles and making 18 All-Star Game appearances, which is one off of the all-time record. Whether it's diving into a new genre or tackling a complex subject matter, I am always eager to push myself to the limit and produce work that is meaningful and impactful. Named Henrietta at birth, she was always called Thomie, a name that sprang from her position as the family tomboy. She finished her high school career ranked fourth in points scored in state history with 3,047. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website. Lucas McNelly Feb 25, 2023 3 comments Regional Final Don't have a commenting profile? 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. Then, the small forward helped the Spurs win the franchises first NBA championship in 1999. Who are the 10 best point guards in the NBA right now 2023? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Before he earned his nickname, The Admiral, for his service with the U.S. Navy, David Robinson was a kid from Key West. That was the case with Charles Barkley, whose roots in Alabama run deep. 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. In Robinsons final two years at Navy, he earned the Naismith and Wooden awards, as well as becoming an All-American. After being born in Oakland, The Glove spent 17 seasons in the NBA, making the All-Star team, All-NBA first team and All-Defensive first team nine times each. Pros: Tulsa Shock/Dallas Wings (2014-16), Besiktas (2014-15), South East Queensland Stars (2015-16), Connecticut Sun (2017), Atlanta Dream (2017), Chicago Sky (2017). High school: Springs Valley High School (French Lick, Ind.). She 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. Before that, Scott played three years of college basketball at Arizona State. Robertson was the first player in league history to average a triple double for an entire season, which he did in 1962 with the Cincinnati Royals, and his career averages ended up being 25.7 points, 9.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game. In the WNBA, Delle Donne has become a productive star, helping the Washington Mystics advance to their first-ever WNBA Finals in 2018. 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. Use the form below to reset your password. 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. Others play overseas. Pretty much all you can ask for from the best ever, no? Please wait for the page to reload. Web1 Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. LeBron James learned how to be under the spotlight and shine early in life. Some states offered obvious answers while others are ripe for debate, but here are our picks for the best NBA player to come from every state. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. In the NBA, he became one of the best shooters in the league, leading the league in free-throw percentage twice and winning Most Improved Player in 1993. 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. In the WNBA, she spent one season with the Cleveland Rockers before being traded to the Sacramento Monarchs and playing three more seasons. High school: Dominguez High School (Compton, Calif.), College: Ventura (1986-88), Cal State Fullerton (1988-90), Pros: Phoenix Suns (1990-94, 1997-98), Los Angeles Lakers (1994-97), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2000), Detroit Pistons (2000), Miami Heat (2000-01), Las Vegas Slam (2002), Harlem Globetrotters (2002), Hapoel Tel Aviv (2002), Lokomotiv Mineralnye Vody (2002-03), Sioux Falls Skyforce (2003), San Miguel Beermen (2003-04), Los Angeles Stars (2004-05), Orange County/Maywood Buzz (2005-07, 2008-11), Phoenix Flame (2007). He went on to play college hoops at the University of Oregon, where he was named the Pac-10s player of the year in 1991. 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