Your email address will not be published. He eventually won three NBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star, all with the Miami Heat. That would mean LeBron plays another three or four years. Our computer prediction projects a one-sided 65-55 victory as our model heavily favors Maine. If he keeps working hard, and theres no reason to think otherwise, hell live up to it. Combine that with the fact that Maine produces fewer NCAA Division I basketball players than most other states, so when a player of Flaggs caliber comes along, memory gets shorter and cloudy. High school: East Bank High School (East Bank, W.Va.). But Bryants career and impact on the league were indelible and his signature toughness partly came from learning to play ball in his native Philadelphia. He got into tussles with multiple players, including Michael Jordan, and was a key component to the Celtics championships in 1984 and 1986. 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. Related: did you know that the 2013 Seattle Seahawks had the best defense in NFL history? He was born and raised in the city of Mitchell, which is in the southeastern part of the state. He won the 1992 Slam Dunk Contest with a blindfolded dunk, led the league in field goal percentage (57.6) in 1993 and helped them reach the NBA Finals. The Point God was born in Winston-Salem and would be named the states Mr. Basketball before staying in his hometown to become a college hoops star at Wake Forest. Ridnour became a star at Oregon, helping lead the Ducks to an Elite Eight appearance in 2002 and another NCAA tournament appearance. 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. Before the two leagues merged in 1976, Haywood was a star with the ABAs Denver Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics, winning MVP honors as a rookie in 1970. Soon after his sophomore year, he declared for the NBA draft, going seventh to the Warriors in 2012. What? The Cowboy State isnt exactly known for cranking out ballers but Johnson has done a nice job representing his home state in the past decade. Where Timmy would work his way around an opponent in the post with his superb footwork, Shaq would often use his extraordinary bulk (71 and 315 pounds) to bully his way to the basket. 1 badass). 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. Pros: Chicago Bulls (1987-98, 2003-04), Houston Rockets (1998-99), Portland Trail Blazers (1999-2003). 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). Bobby Knight who coached him in the 84 Olympics once made a statement saying he is the best player to ever play any team sport. Following his 10-year playing career, Hollins wore a coaching suit for over 30 years. High school: Springs Valley High School (French Lick, Ind.). He's now known as "Larry Legend. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. Born: February 19, 1980, in Mitchell, S.D. 1 pick in the draft. 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. Pros: Pallacanestro Messina (2003-04), Toronto Raptors (2004-06), San Antonio Spurs (2006-16). He finished his senior year as first-team All-Met and was the area's best basketball player in 1954. ), Pros: Teramo Basket (2008-09), Gran Canaria (2009-11), Real Madrid (2011-present). He averaged a double double for his career, with 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over 13 seasons. 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. As a sophomore, Miller led the Florida Gators to the 2000 NCAA championship game, only to lose to Michigan State. Stockton was a 10-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selection and is possibly the best pure point guard in history. Before she became one of the best players in WNBA history, she helped the Texas Tech Lady Raiders to an NCAA womens 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. All due respect to Mark Price and John Starks but Blake Griffin is the best Oklahoman to ever lace up in the NBA. What Is Double Dribble In Basketball? 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. 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. Kobe Bryant developed his closing skills in his youth on the way to greatness. 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. Born: Feb. 13, 1981, in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, High school: Blaine High School (Blaine, Wash.), Pros: Seattle SuperSonics (2003-08), Milwaukee Bucks (2008-10, 2013-14), Minnesota Timberwolves (2010-13), Charlotte Bobcats (2014), Orlando Magic (2014-15). In the NBA, he continued to have a defensive impact as he ranks 12th on the all-time blocks list and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. Web1 Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. Jaycee Carroll has gone from local hero to international star in the EuroLeague and FIBA. He won five NBA championships with the Lakers. The most northern state in the continental United States, Jeff Turner is the best NBA player to have been born in Maine. While his famously vanilla playing style and quiet demeanor kept him from having a cultural impact similar to the other greats, his four championships, 14 All-Star Games, and two NBA MVP awards are indisputable evidence of his fantastic ability. At 34 years and 104 days of age, Kobe became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. In his sophomore season at Michigan State, Johnson led the Spartans past Larry Bird Indiana State in a legendary NCAA national championship game. Michael Jordan: Jordan is widely considered the greatest NBA player of all time. He walked on to Central Arkansas as a 6-foot-1 guard, then sprouted to 6-foot-8 and became a lethal weapon. 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. Bill Laimbeer was born in Boston and the toughness associated with that town would follow him to Detroit, where he became one of the most feared defenders in the NBA for his rough style of play in the 1980s. I have a confession to make: even though Im a lifelong devotee to all Seattle sports team, I had a fan-fling with the San Antonio Spurs teams of the late 90s and early 2000s. High school: Evanston High School (Evanston, Wyo. Soon after, he went to the NBA and continued his rivalry with Bird and the Celtics sparking a basketball renaissance. In high school, he broke a city record for points scored in one game. That means that even far-flung countries like Estonia, Iran and Luxembourg have given the NBA more players than the Green Mountain State. A forward, Turner played 10 years in the 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. He starred at Evanston High School in Wyoming, averaging 27.4 points, 3.3 steals and 2.8 assists per game as a junior. The information for this article is taken from Wikipedia. Before Michael Jordan became the greatest basketball player to walk the earth, he played at Emsley A. Laney High School in North Carolina. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Olajuwon is also considered one of the greatest centers ever to play the game. In high school, Pippen was the man, leading his team to the state playoffs as an all-conference star his senior year. 1-ranked recruit and a McDonalds All-American coming out of high school. Oh my, yes. He was born with great genes, and he worked hard to realize his incredible potential. In the NBA, Billups is most known for his first stint with the Detroit Pistons and helping the franchise win the NBA title in 2004. Alongside Kobe Bryant, Shaq helped the Lakers three-peat from 2000-2002. 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. The 65 guy could hit his elbow on the rim when he was a freshman. And, of course, hes since won two titles (and counting?) Current Dallas Mavericks forward James Johnson is the only player born in Wyoming whos lasted more than three seasons in the NBA. 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. It wasnt just his God-given talent but his work ethic and determination to be the best that made him great. At UMass, Camby won the Naismith College Player of the Year award and the John R. Wooden award in the 1995-96 season. After several NBA summer league stops, Carroll went to Real Madrid, where he helped them win the EuroLeague championship in 2014-2015 and in May 2018. 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. He earned All-Rookie first-team honors in 1975 and was a key component of the Portland Trail Blazers lone championship in 1977. He won the All-Star and regular-season MVPs. He turned down a scholarship from Bobby Knight to play at Indiana University because he thought the campus in Bloomington was too big, so he went to Indiana State, averaged 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, and helped Indiana State reach the NCAA tournament for the first time with a 33-0 record in 1979. In total, Abdul-Jabbar spent 20 seasons in the NBA with Milwaukee and Los Angeles. We gave the nod to White because of his multiple rings and his starring role on some stacked Celtics teams in the 1970s. 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. Out of high school ( French Lick, Ind. ),.... 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