best maine basketball player ever
High school: Emsley A. Laney High School (Wilmington, N.C.), Pros: Chicago Bulls (1984-93, 1995-98), Washington Wizards (2001-03). As a shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. He finished his college career as the leading scorer in Arizona history. No game would be more famous than Iversons 48-point outburst in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals against the Lakers, stealing the game, but eventually succumbing to them in five games. He won a championship with the Warriors during his final season in 1975. He earned All-Rookie first-team honors in 1975 and was a key component of the Portland Trail Blazers lone championship in 1977. He helped the Spurs win a title that year and was re-signed. 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? Its about time another great NBA player came out of Nebraska because we had to go all the way back to the late 1950s for the states best. 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). Its time for BritannicaOK, one editor at Britannicato jump into the perpetually unresolved greatest ever in [insert sport here] fray. Theres one player that always comes to mind when you think about excellence. After that, he declared for the NBA draft and was selected third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. If you liked our article please leave your comments in the comment section below. Moreover, his rivalry with Magic Johnsonwho, spoiler alert, youll see a bit later in this listduring the 1980s launched basketball into an unprecedented level of national popularity that the sport has never fallen from. 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. He moved on to Kansas and was a major contributor to a national championship in 2008. 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. He led the league in rebounding six times and was a 13-time All-Star who spent time with nine different franchises across the ABA and NBA, winning a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. Before he became forever linked to hoops in North Carolina and Chicago, Jordan was born in Brooklyn and lived there for a few years of his early childhood. That would mean LeBron plays another three or four years. There, he was named an NAIA First-Team All-American as a junior and senior. He led Mead to the title game, scoring 37 points with hypoglycemia. That means that even far-flung countries like Estonia, Iran and Luxembourg have given the NBA more players than the Green Mountain State. Hes led the league four times in assists and six times in steals, making him undoubtedly one of the best pure point guards to ever play the position. Jordan won six NBA championships and was the NBA Finals MVP in each of those years. Hollins was an All-Star the next season and an All-Defensive team member in 1978 and 1979. As magnificent as earlier players were, they never had to deal with the 24/7 stresses of 21st century media, which James has with aplomb. One of the greatest defenders in history, he was named to the leagues prestigious All-Defensive first team eight times. Nokomis freshman Cooper Flagg takes a jump shot against Falmouth during the Class A state final on March 5 in Portland. 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. Also, his career totals were inflated by the fact that he played roughly 10,000 years in the NBA. With a Press Herald subscription, you can gift 5 articles each month. 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). He stayed home and played college ball at Colorado, where his number has also since been put in the rafters. On the womens side, Shaftsbury native Nicole Levesque is the only Vermonter to have ever played in the WNBA. High school: Wagner High School (San Antonio, Texas), Pros: Oklahoma City Thunder (2013-20), Brooklyn Nets (2021-present). In this article, we have listed the 5 greatest basketball players ever. During the 196162 season, The Big O averaged a triple-double with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. 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. 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. He grew four inches in the summer and averaged 20 points per game over his final two years in high school. Born: Sept. 16, 1934, in Washington, D.C. Died: March 22, 2021, in Los Angeles, California (age 86), High School: Phelps Vocational School, Spingarn High School (Washington, D.C.), College: College of Idaho (1954-55), Seattle (1956-58), Pros: Minneapolis Lakers (1958-60), Los Angeles Lakers (1960-72). 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. Hes averaged better than 13 points per game over the past two seasons and was a key starter during the Heats trip to the NBA Finals in 2020. Here's where and how basketball stars, generational talents and legends were born. 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. Heres why. The result: Horton-Tucker had 16 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. Adam Augustyn is Managing Editor, Reference Content at Encyclopdia Britannica. Sheryl Swoopes is a Texas legend. In the NBA, Miller became a proficient three-point sniper with a career average of 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. 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. 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. He won two championships with the Spurs before retiring in 2016. Cindy Blodgett starred at Lawrence High School, leading the school to an 84-4 record in the four years she was there. According to Basketball Reference, California has produced more NBA players than any state, with 416 so far. Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. 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. Scott led the Lakers in scoring at 21.7 points per game during the 1987-88 season, and helped them win a title that same year, one of his three NBA championships. The Hall of Famer averaged a career double double of 17.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. For most of his childhood, he dreamed of becoming a soccer player like his father. Success. He went across the country to UCLA for college ball, where he was the best player on the 1964 national championship team that went 30-0. He was born in Tucson and eventually played college hoops at the University of Arizona, where he was twice named the Pac-10s player of the year and was named the best player in the nation in 1989. 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. Chauncey Billups became "Mr. Big Shot" long before he became one of the best clutch performers in the NBA. Before he was a two-time All-Star with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Terrell Brandon was born and raised in Portland. 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. Robinson had a Hall-of-Fame career with the San Antonio Spurs that lasted 14 seasons and included two championships. Before that, Scott played three years of college basketball at Arizona State. While Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo makes a very strong case as the best player to ever come out of North Carolina, we had to give the crown to future Hall of Famer Chris Paul. 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. Before he was The Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett was a kid growing up in upstate South Carolina. Mims scored 80 percent of his teams points and nearly outscored Bangor himself, and he didnt score a point in the first quarter. 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. Point guard Luke Ridnour is the only Idahoan to last more than five years in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference. 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. In the NBA, Bonner spent most of his 12 seasons as a backup power forward, playing behind Tim Duncan in San Antonio. Bryant entered the NBA directly from high school. The Boston Celtics drafted Ainge in the second round (31st overall) in 1981 draft, and he played 15 seasons in the NBA, developing a reputation as a hard-nosed, physical , fearless player. Our pick for the best baller from Massachusetts never spent any time playing with the Celtics, instead making his name with the Pistons. Login. Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award Gatorade National Player of the Year McDonalds National The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. Your email address will not be published. He led the Celtics to three championships in the 1980s, which is the same number of times he was named NBA MVP. 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. Jerry West is synonymous with basketball in his home state, as he was born in tiny Chelyan before becoming a national star at the University of West Virginia in the late 1950s. Along the way of his 15-year career, Cassell played on eight different teams and was a solid contributor, averaging over 17 points with four different clubs (Nets, Bucks, Timberwolves and Clippers) and finishing his career with 15.7 points per game, 6.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds. High school: Evanston High School (Evanston, Wyo. He got into tussles with multiple players, including Michael Jordan, and was a key component to the Celtics championships in 1984 and 1986. He averaged a double double for his career, with 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over 13 seasons. Discussions between basketball fans have been raging over who are the greatest basketball players of all time to take part in the history of this great game. He starred at Evanston High School in Wyoming, averaging 27.4 points, 3.3 steals and 2.8 assists per game as a junior. DiGregorio also had a game in which he dished out 25 assists during his rookie campaign. 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. He led his high school to a 68-1 record over two years and helped them win a state championship in his senior season. But Catchings is the most complete basketball player I have ever seen. 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. High school: Palos Verdes High School (Palos Verdes, Calif.), Pros: Cleveland Cavaliers (1980-82), Detroit Pistons (1982-93). Just in the last generation, 20 years or so, weve seen players from Maine enjoy not only successful college careers, but professional careers, too. In his junior year, he led the nation in scoring at 28.1 points per game and helped Gonzaga get a berth in the NCAA tournament, making it to the Sweet 16 before succumbing to UCLA. 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. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar was also voted NBA Finals MVP twice. The WNBA power forward, playing behind Tim Duncan in San Antonio at Lawrence school... And nearly outscored Bangor himself, and he didnt score a point the. '' long before he was named an NAIA first-team All-American as a junior and senior there he... 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