With a Press Herald subscription, you can gift 5 articles each month. Havlicek won 2 NBA championships while playing for the Boston Celtics, along with Bill Russell as a player Fantasy Basketball. He then played for Florida and was a first-team All-SEC selection in his senior year and an honorable mention for an All-American. High school: Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), Pros: Sioux Falls Skyforce (2014-15), Miami Heat (2015-19), Phoenix Suns (2019-20), Brooklyn Nets (2020-present). Murphy spent at 13 of his NBA seasons with the Rockets organization, rarely missing games and averaging 17.9 points per game. Bill Russell was an 11-time NBA champion in a 13-year Hall of Fame career. Big Shot had his jersey number retired by that franchise for his starring role on the 2004 championship team, he was born and raised in Denver. Oh, and while this has nothing to do with his ranking on this list, its still incredibly awesome and noteworthy that he has successfully fought off HIV for over two decades, helped de-stigmatize AIDS through his high-profile advocacy, and launched a second career as an entrepreneur who opens businesses predominantly in poverty-stricken areas in efforts to spur urban revitalization. Speaking of guards who are still in the league as of this writing, Tyler Johnson represents his home state of North Dakota, which hasnt exactly cranked out the ballers so far. All rights reserved. 3 to Sabrina Ionescu at No. 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. Most famous player ever? Before that, she helped lead Alliance High School to a state title as a freshman in 2007. Finally, after graduating from high school early, he got selected by his hometown Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. Jordan won six NBA championships and was the NBA Finals MVP in each of those years. 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. There, he was named an NAIA First-Team All-American as a junior and senior. High School: Newport Catholic High School, Pros: Boston Celtics (1970-80), Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Here's where and how basketball stars, generational talents and legends were born. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. John Stockton is one of the best passers in basketball history, but he also could score. Alongside Kobe Bryant, Shaq helped the Lakers three-peat from 2000-2002. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. He only lived there as an infant but no other player born in the Volunteer State has demonstrated the kind of all-around skill he did during his years in the NBA. He had 63 points in a game against his old high school, Phelps. Unfortunately, Kobe died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. While Im too young to have ever seen him play, his statistics are so mind-blowing that I wish I had a time machine for the express purpose of going back and seeing him in action. In 2003, LeBron James became a high school basketball phenomenon at St. Vincent-St. Marys High School in Akron, Ohio. 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. He led the Celtics to three championships in the 1980s, which is the same number of times he was named NBA MVP. 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. Fantasy Basketball. Ceballos led the Lakers in scoring in 1995 and was an All-Star. He starred at Hibbing High School, leading his team to the AA Minnesota State Championship game as a senior. 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. In his senior year at Providence, DiGregorio helped the Friars reach the Final Four, where they lost to Memphis State. 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. During his historic high school career, he was named Ohios Mr. Basketball a remarkable three times before skipping college and being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers first overall in 2003. Prior to that, Robertson starred at Crispus Attucks High School, leading his school to a 31-1 record and winning the 1955 state championship. Since the 2016-17 season, hes averaged 11 points per game, typically coming off the bench. 20 and to Val Whiting at No. Nokomis to the first boys basketball title in school history. His unique blend of power and speed raised eyebrows, and he was drafted No. the best power forwards in the NBA right now, NBA Teams With Championships And Titles In The World, Who Has The Most Steals In An NBA Game? But basketball was his true love, and he became a household name by hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater against Notre Dame in the 1981 NCAA tournment. His accomplishments in the NBA are unmatched and include six championships, five MVP awards and 10 league scoring titles. Griffin was the first overall pick in the 2009 draft and, after sitting out his first season with an injury, made an impact right away with the Los Angeles Clippers, being named rookie of the year in 2011. 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. She was an All-American as a freshman and sophomore in high school and led her team o four consecutive state championship appearances. In the NBA, Bonner played for the Toronto Raptors for a couple of years until he got traded to the Spurs in 2006. In his last NBA game on April 13, 2016, Bryant scored 60 points. This season, Holmes has also earned recognition on the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award preseason watch list and the 2023 Jersey But before they were pros, basketball greats had to put in work to perfect their craft. 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. Levesque played with the Charlotte Sting in the WNBA, averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 assists in 27 games. Bryant, along with center Shaquille ONeal, led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles from 2000 to 2002. He transferred to Farragut Academy in Chicago for his senior season, led his team to a 28-2 record and was so good he was named National Player of the Year again after averaging 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists. 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. In his sophomore season at Michigan State, Johnson led the Spartans past Larry Bird Indiana State in a legendary NCAA national championship game. The Phoenix Suns selected Ceballos in the second round of the 1990 NBA draft with the 48th overall pick. Position: Small forward, power forward, point guard, shooting guard, High school: St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio), Pros: Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-10, 2014-18), Miami Heat (2010-14), Los Angeles Lakers (2018-present). In more than 1,000 career NBA games, Billups averaged 15.2 points and was a five-time All-Star. Kobe Bean Bryant is an American former basketball player. In 1969, Abdul-Jabbar signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and began his storied professional career. 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. But he didnt earn his place on this list though some sort of vague, ethereal winningness. Russell was one of the fiercest defenders of all time and he redefined the value of blocking shots, in addition to averaging an incredible 22.5 rebounds per game over his career. Then, he went onto the NBA, where he played on five different teams and averaged double digits in scoring six times. He went on to win an MVP in 1995 and was named one of the 50 Greatest NBA Players of All Time in 1996. Hakeem Olajuwon played center for the Houston Rockets from 1984 until 2001. Log in to join the discussion. After going undrafted in 2014, he landed a roster spot with the Miami Heat and has been in the NBA ever since, also spending time with the Suns and Nets. Furthermore, in 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Enter your email and password to access comments. [This list was originally published in April 2014. 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. 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. He was named to the All-Mountain West Conference second team in his senior year in 2014. In the WNBA, she spent one season with the Cleveland Rockers before being traded to the Sacramento Monarchs and playing three more seasons. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBAs all-time leading scorer and a Basketball Hall of Famer. Whatever.) 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. 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. 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. A forward, Turner played 10 years in the Powers 1964 team not only had the best player ever in Lew Alcindor, but Jack Bettridge made 2nd team Parade AA, they had 69 guy up front with Alcindor, a total of 4 DI signees. He was a 9-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. High school: Mauldin High School (Mauldin, S.C.)/Farragut Academy (Chicago, Ill.), Pros: Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-07, 2015-16), Boston Celtics (2007-13), Brooklyn Nets (2013-15). High school: Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del. 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. 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 Bryant entered the NBA directly from high school. 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. Olajuwon led his college squad to three straight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships and also earned a reputation as a dominating defensive player with an agile ability to hit shots from all over the court. Absolutely. 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. 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