Speaking of Michigan basketball icons, it doesnt get any more legendary than Magic Johnson. All rights reserved. Ten Greatest Basketball Players Ever. His story still unfolding. 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. 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. He's now known as "Larry Legend. 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. Of all the great players on this list, Scottie Pippen has to have come from one of the smallest towns. As a senior, Carroll set the state record for points per game with 39.4. With a Press Herald subscription, you can gift 5 articles each month. He led Mead to the title game, scoring 37 points with hypoglycemia. He stayed home and played college ball at Colorado, where his number has also since been put in the rafters. I am constantly seeking out new opportunities to challenge myself and grow as a professional writer. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Olajuwon is also considered one of the greatest centers ever to play the game. 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. 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. 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. In 2007, he was traded to the Boston Celtics, and that next year, Garnett was an integral piece to Bostons championship run in 2008. Unfortunately, Kobe died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Stockton was a 10-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selection and is possibly the best pure point guard in history. Davis was a career 13.5-point scorer but had his best season with Cleveland in 2002-03, when he started 76 games and averaged 20.6 points per game. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. 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. 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). Then she announced she would play basketball for the Blue Hens in 2009, leading the nation in scoring in her junior season in 2012. The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time | Britannica 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. 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). While some great athletes use their skill to immediately catapult to the nations most exciting states, some stay close to home as long as they can. What Is Double Dribble In Basketball? The one time in his 14-year career that he was not an All-Star was in 1970, a season in which an injured Chamberlain was limited to just 12 regular-season games and yet he still managed to will his team to the NBA finals upon his return. At the opposite end of the attractive play spectrum from Duncan is Shaquille ONeal. Before Mr. 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. Ridnour became a star at Oregon, helping lead the Ducks to an Elite Eight appearance in 2002 and another NCAA tournament appearance. 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 Plus upsets! 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. WebHigh School Sports - Schedules, Scores, Rankings - MaxPreps He helped Golden State win a title in 2015 and became a solid contributor for the Dallas Mavericks after the 2016 season. There's one state that has never produced an NBA player. He went on to win an MVP in 1995 and was named one of the 50 Greatest NBA Players of All Time in 1996. 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. Born: June 11, 1989, in Jefferson City, Mo. 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. ), Pros: Teramo Basket (2008-09), Gran Canaria (2009-11), Real Madrid (2011-present). Shaquille ONeal is the definition of dominance. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. 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. He was born and raised in Concord before seeking warmer weather at the University of Florida, where he had a great college basketball career. 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. Its the only state in the union that has never produced a player in the league, despite having several who have been drafted but never ended up playing. Pippen played college ball at Central Arkansas before an NBA career that would span 17 seasons and include six championships with the Chicago Bulls. Mike Miller may have grown up in a small town, but he was big time. He was the key ingredient in the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 90s, leading them to victory in six NBA titles. Jordan Hooper was a member of the Tulsa Shock for the 2014 season and has bounced around in her WNBA career. Indeedy. In the NBA, Miller became a proficient three-point sniper with a career average of 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. Don't have a commenting profile? Hes also one of just eight players in history to win league MVP honors at least three times. 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). In more than 1,000 career NBA games, Billups averaged 15.2 points and was a five-time All-Star. His free-throw shooting, on the other hand. Miller helped contribute to the Miami Heat winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 before calling it a 17-year career in 2017. 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. Bryant entered the NBA directly from high school. Learn more and register He was named to the All-Mountain West Conference second team in his senior year in 2014. She was the only Vermonter to play in the WNBA. According to the exhaustive database of player birthplaces compiled at Basketball Reference, Mario Chalmers is the only player in NBA history to come from Alaska. Current star Domantas Sabonis could take the honor of Oregons best in years to come but for now it belongs to Brandon. Like some other guys on this list, Chambers got to go back to his home state during his NBA tenure, spending a couple of seasons with the Utah Jazz in the mid-1990s. Michael Jordan was a player who had it all. Learn more. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. Before David Robinson earned his nickname "The Admiral" for his military service, he attended Osbourn Park High School in Virginia, where he earned all-district honors despite never before playing organized basketball. In the NBA, West helped the Lakers improve their win total by 11 and the Lakers made the playoffs in his rookie campaign. Unless you agree with me, in which case this was the most meaningful thing Ive ever written. Hooper last played for the Atlanta Dream and the Chicago Sky in 2017. Read Kareem Abdul-Jabbars Britannica essay on the New York Rens. This winning combination of talent and hard work is why Michael Jordan is still revered today as the greatest basketball player of all time. Bryant averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals and 3.8 blocks, while leading Lower Merion to a 31-3 record. 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. Hall of Famer Chet The Jet Walker, who came from Bethlehem, made this a tough choice but we had to give Mississippis crown to fellow inductee Spencer Haywood. He finished his senior year as first-team All-Met and was the area's best basketball player in 1954. The Miami Heat's all-time leading scorer has had game for a while. Havlicek won 2 NBA championships while playing for the Boston Celtics, along with Bill Russell as a player He led the NBA in scoring for two seasons. High school: David Tobias Howard High School, Pros: New York Knicks (1967-77), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-80). He spent 12 seasons in the league, also playing with the Heat, Cavaliers, Celtics, Timberwolves and Clippers. 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). Taurasi won her second championship in 2009 against the Indiana Fever, while earning WNBA MVP honors in the process. 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. Required fields are marked *. In 1969, Abdul-Jabbar signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and began his storied professional career. She was an All-American as a freshman and sophomore in high school and led her team o four consecutive state championship appearances. Theres one player that always comes to mind when you think about excellence. Please wait for the page to reload. A former womans canoeing champion of the great state of Maine died last week. While Trenton native Dennis Rodman might exemplify the kind of no-nonsense attitude thats associated with New Jersey, the power of Diesel cant be denied. Elliott was a consensus All-American in his junior season at the University of Arizona and led his team to the Final Four. Even villains can redeem themselves. In the NBA, he lived up to the hype, being one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Olajuwon retired in 2002 and got inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. As a Laker, he was a 10-time All-NBA First Team and 11-time All-Star selection. Michael Jordan is easily the best basketball player of all-time in the NBA history. Create one. #7 Mike Bordick WINTERPORT Played in two College World 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). Does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page does not reload within 5 seconds please! He led Mead to the title game, scoring 37 points with.! And sophomore in high school: David Tobias Howard high school, Pros: Teramo Basket ( )... One state that has never produced an NBA player professional career best maine basketball player ever to Brandon Duncan is Shaquille ONeal in. 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