High school: Crispus Attucks High School (Indianapolis, Ind. While Chauncey Billups spent a couple of seasons with his hometown Nuggets during his long NBA career, his best years were spent with the Detroit Pistons. Hollins was an All-Star the next season and an All-Defensive team member in 1978 and 1979. Cindy Blodgett starred at Lawrence High School, leading the school to an 84-4 record in the four years she was there. 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. Morrison started to make an impact on Gonzaga in his sophomore year when he averaged 19 points per game. WebFeaturing Hall of Fame greats, superstars, and active players, this list of basketball players who were born in Maine includes Duncan Robinson, Jeff Turner, and Skip Chappelle. 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. 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. Garnett was a 15-time All-Star, 12-time member of the All-Defensive squad and was named league MVP in 2004. Born: August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pa. Died: Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California (age 41), High school: Lower Merion High School (Ardmore, Pa.). 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. Alvan Adams, Scott Wedman and Lionel Hollins all hailed from the Sunflower State but it was Adams who had the best individual career. He was named the 4A State Player of the Year three consecutive times in high school, in addition to leading his school to back-to-back championships in 2002 and 2003. Michael Jordan. For his career, Spree averaged 18.3 points per game, which is easily the best mark for any player born in Wisconsin. In 1971, Robertson helped lead the Bucks to their first NBA championship. So, yeah, Magic Johnsonneat guy. 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. All-Time #NBArank continues with a countdown of the game's greatest giants -- the best centers in NBA history. Keeping in mind the abilities, weaknesses, and achievements of all the basketball players, here we have shortened a list of players who are regarded as the greatest of all time. Murphy spent at 13 of his NBA seasons with the Rockets organization, rarely missing games and averaging 17.9 points per game. High school: George Washington High School, Pros: Boston Celtics (1997-98), Toronto Raptors (1997-98), Denver Nuggets (1998-2000, 2008-11), Minnesota Timberwolves (2000-02), Detroit Pistons (2002-08, 2013-2014), New York Knicks (2011), Los Angeles Clippers (2011-13). Before Michael Jordan became the greatest basketball player to walk the earth, he played at Emsley A. Laney High School in North Carolina. 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. Johnson went undrafted, but it did not deter him as he joined the Miami Heat for summer league. Its bad form to compare any high school athlete to a professional. The gold standard for Maine high school hoops is still Cindy Blodgett, who did things at Lawrence that no girls or boys basketball player in Maine had done before or since. On Tuesday, he highlighted Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. After that, he declared for the NBA draft and was selected third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. After that, he bounced around to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Shaq then found great success at LSU, becoming a two-time All-American and SEC Player of the Year. He repeated that feat against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. 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. -> Developed & Maintained By WD Bangalore.in, Furthermore, in 2011 he won his first championship with. 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). 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. He finished his 14-year NBA career averaging 14.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. The curation of this content is at the discretion of the author, and not necessarily reflective of the views of Encyclopaedia Britannica or its editorial staff. Gary Payton is one of the best defensive players of all time. Allen Iverson is one of the greatest pound-for-pound players in NBA history. 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. The Coeur dAlene native had a standout college career at Oregon before being drafted in the first round by the SuperSonics in 2003. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer. Walt Frazier took the road less traveled to stardom. 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. Hes been bouncing around the league since 2009, when he was a first-round pick by the Bulls. At his peak, from 2004-2014, Wade was scoring 25.1 points per game to go with 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds, making him one of the most valuable players of his generation. 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. Pros: Denver Nuggets (1990-96), Sacramento Kings (1996-98), Fenerbahce (1998-99), Vancouver Grizzlies (2000-01), Ural Great (2003-04), Sedima Roseto (2004-05), Aris BC (2006-07), Al-Ittihad (2007-08), Kyoto Hannaryz (2009-11). He stayed home and played college ball at Colorado, where his number has also since been put in the rafters. 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. 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 was a big part of the Bulls winning six championships in eight years, the NBA Finals MVP on all six occasions with two three-peats. New Mexicos all-time hoops hero, Bill Bridges, spent 13 seasons in the NBA during the 1960s and 70s. He finished his senior year as first-team All-Met and was the area's best basketball player in 1954. The native of Ames was named Iowas Mr. Basketball in 2010 before becoming a first-round pick for the Golden State Warriors in 2012 and would be on the NBAs All-Rookie first team after his first season. 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. 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. He grew four inches in the summer and averaged 20 points per game over his final two years in high school. B Cindy Blodgett Brett They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. 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). Even though he is in his 18th NBA season, the 36-year-old is playing at an MVP level and has said he wants to keep playing until his son, who is in the 10th grade now, is in the league. 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. He first tasted glory at Ames High School, leading the school to an Iowa 4A State championship in his junior and senior years. In the WNBA, she helped the Lynx win a WNBA championship in her rookie campaign in 2011 and added three more titles after that in 2013, 2015 and 2017. Hes potential personified. WebPages in category "Basketball players from Maine" The following 19 pages are in this category, out of 19 total. He averaged at least 10 points per game in seven of his seasons at the games top level. The big man was born in Lawrence before spending his college career in Oklahoma and his entire NBA tenure with the Phoenix Suns. Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball in the 199394 NBA season and started a new career in Minor League Baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (19961998). This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. 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). Our pick for the best baller from Massachusetts never spent any time playing with the Celtics, instead making his name with the Pistons. In college at North Carolina, he scored 40 points as a freshman in the ACC tournament, the most by any freshman in the tournament. Nobody garnered the national attention he has attracted in such a short time. Russell was the ultimate winner in the history of the NBA. Payton is also 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. Kobe Bryant developed his closing skills in his youth on the way to greatness. 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. 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. Success. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. While the two were very similar in terms of statistical output, Fraziers starring role on the only two championship squads the New York Knicks have had to date sealed it for him. 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. While this list honors NBA greats from every state, Rhode Islands best player was more known for his brilliant-but-brief career in the ABA. 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. He was amazing, but he had a lot of help, at least more than the last guy on this list. Ceballos was born in Maui before moving to the mainland and eventually ascending to the NBA. The information for this article is taken from Wikipedia. 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. Maine Duncan Robinson. In college at Georgetown, he led the Hoyas to the Sweet 16 in his freshman year, and in his sophomore and final season, he led the team to a Big East Championship and an Elite Eight appearance. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 19-time NBA All-Star, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. Shaquille ONeal is the definition of dominance. 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. Danny Ainge starred at North Eugene High School in football, basketball and baseball. Then, she helped lead UConn to a couple of NCAA championships in 2009 and 2010. Born: February 19, 1980, in Mitchell, S.D. 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. Your email address will not be published. He was born in Spokane and stayed in his hometown through his college years, when he was a star player at Gonzaga. Days after the Nokomis Regional High freshman was named the Varsity Maine boys basketball Player of the Year, ESPN ranked Flagg the third-best college basketball prospect nationwide in the Class of 2025. Elliott was a consensus All-American in his junior season at the University of Arizona and led his team to the Final Four. 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. Accolades keep coming for Cooper Flagg. He made 62 percent of his shot. But to give him that label now is at best premature, and at worst willfully ignorant of history. He was born in the city of Ogden, Utah and stayed in his home state to play hoops at the University of Utah, where he was a first-team All-WAC selection. 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. Three-time All-America at Maine; led NL in ERA (2.08) with Giants in 1992, won 21 games in '93. Kevin Garnett was one of the fiercest competitors in basketball. Matt Bonner helped Concord High School to three state championships. 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. His unique blend of power and speed raised eyebrows, and he was drafted No. You can share 5 more gift articles this month. And it forgets. At LSU he was a star, becoming the SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. Then, he had a decorated University of Minnesota career, ranking second in school history with 1,704 points and 950 rebounds. Hooper last played for the Atlanta Dream and the Chicago Sky in 2017. 2023 Latest, Top 7 Largest NBA Arena By Capacity In The World Now. High school: Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, Ga.). SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players Lillard He moved on to Kansas and was a major contributor to a national championship in 2008. She was an All-American as a freshman and sophomore in high school and led her team o four consecutive state championship appearances. 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. Then thirty years later, in 1921, Dr. Naismath wrote the official basketball rules. 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