West Virginia lost to California in the championship game during the 1958-59 season. Clutch" by Lakers announcer Chuck Hearn. After coming from tiny Summerfield, Malone played college ball at Louisiana Tech before spending all but one season of his career with the Utah Jazz and finishing second in career points and minutes played in NBA history. Cheesebro kicked it out to freshman guard Kaelyn Zuber for an open 3-pointer as Dartmouth imposed its biggest lead up to that point, 49-31, with 4:41 to play. Whoever picked this list is not that knowledgeable about high school basketball history. In 1961-1962, Robertson became the first player in league history to average a triple-double for a season, with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists. Don't have a commenting profile? Finally, after graduating from high school early, he got selected by his hometown Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. Pros: Chicago Bulls (1987-98, 2003-04), Houston Rockets (1998-99), Portland Trail Blazers (1999-2003). At the opposite end of the attractive play spectrum from Duncan is Shaquille ONeal. The Miami Heat's all-time leading scorer has had game for a while. High school: Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, Ga.). He is the all-time leader in assists with 15,806. Every dunk made the rounds on social media, and that helped create the hyperbole. Already have a commenting profile? He would win two more titles in 2009 and 2010. In college at North Carolina, Jordan made the game-winner in the 1982 NCAA championship game against Georgetown, which featured future NBA great Patrick Ewing. He racked up three championship rings and 12 All-Star appearances in his injury-shortened 13-year career. High school: Bartlett High School (Anchorage), Pros: Miami Heat (2008-15), Memphis Grizzlies (2015-16). They were going to a travel basketball game with 9 others when the accident occurred. 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. John Havlicek. After being born in Oakland, The Glove spent 17 seasons in the NBA, making the All-Star team, All-NBA first team and All-Defensive first team nine times each. But ONeal wasnt just pure physicalityhe was surprisingly graceful for such a massive man and he had a deft touch with his close-range jump shots. He helped the Lakers win their first NBA title in Los Angeles in 1972. The Minneapolis Lakers then selected Baylor as the No. 52, we rank the best all-time women's players by jersey number. 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. Its recklessly bad form to compare a high school athlete, even one as unquestionably talented as Flagg, to one of the best players in basketball history. In the NBA, Davis bounced around in his career, but had his most productive seasons in Boston, where he averaged 19.7 points per game in 2005 and 19.1 points per game in 2006. In his senior year at Providence, DiGregorio helped the Friars reach the Final Four, where they lost to Memphis State. High school: Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del. Use the form below to reset your password. The commonwealth of Kentucky has given the NBA some truly great players, with Dave Cowens at the forefront. 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. Plus upsets! That was the case with Charles Barkley, whose roots in Alabama run deep. Ceballos bounced around with five teams over his lengthy career, averaging 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a small forward. 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. 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. Danny Ainge starred at North Eugene High School in football, basketball and baseball. #39 Paul Arizin (1951-1962) Amazon The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. 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. Abdul-Jabbar played for UCLA from 1965 to 1969. Shaquille ONeal is the definition of dominance. He won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Marcus Camby was more than an elite shot blocker and defensive force at Hartford Public High School. 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. Then, he had a decorated University of Minnesota career, ranking second in school history with 1,704 points and 950 rebounds. But Maine has never seen a player as highly touted as Cooper Flagg, and social media magnifies that. Hi, to comment on stories you must create a commenting profile. Success. Hes the NBAs all-time leader in both assists and steals and is unlikely to be passed in either category any time soon. 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. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born on April 16, 1947, in New York City. The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time | Britannica Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer. He was born and raised in the city of Mitchell, which is in the southeastern part of the state. High School: Newport Catholic High School, Pros: Boston Celtics (1970-80), Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83). Taurasi won her second championship in 2009 against the Indiana Fever, while earning WNBA MVP honors in the process. Sheryl Swoopes is a Texas legend. Thats why its a good thing for us that Michael Jordan was born there because it takes all the work out of sorting through those hundreds of options to find the best one. Learn more and register He eventually won three NBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star, all with the Miami Heat. Anthony Davis is making a legitimate push to steal this title away but fellow Chicago native Dwyane Wade holds it for now. Indeedy. High school: Osbourn Park High School (Manassas, Va.). Can you guess what it is? Moreover, he not only faced the incredible pressure of being anointed The Chosen One by Sports Illustrated as a teenager, but hes actually exceeded the lofty expectations set for him. A few dozen NBA players have come from Connecticut but theres only been one Hall of Famer so far. Adam Augustyn is Managing Editor, Reference Content at Encyclopdia Britannica. In the NBA, Stockton averaged a double-double of 13.1 points and 10.5 assists. The Celtics had played for 10 seasons before Russell joined the team, never once reaching a championship series in that time. Were not technically a sports website, but this editor (hi!) Mario Chalmers always has been a winner. The Sycamores lost the championship game to Magic Johnson and Michigan State, but the final was the beginning of a new era in hoops. Even villains can redeem themselves. 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. New Mexicos all-time hoops hero, Bill Bridges, spent 13 seasons in the NBA during the 1960s and 70s. Michael Jordan was a player who had it all. 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. Robertson was the first player in league history to average a triple double for an entire season, which he did in 1962 with the Cincinnati Royals, and his career averages ended up being 25.7 points, 9.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game. An elite high school player, Elena Delle Donne led Ursuline to three consecutive Delaware state championship titles. He starred at Hibbing High School, leading his team to the AA Minnesota State Championship game as a senior. Yes, the NBA consisted of just 8 to 14 teams during this period, so capturing championships was a statistically easier feat for a single franchise, but even that fact doesnt minimize Russells historic accomplishments. Holmes is climbing her way up Indianas all-time scoring list with 1,852 career points, which ranks sixth in school history, and 753 career rebounds.The Gorham, Maine native is also third all-time in blocked shots (185). You will receive an email to complete the registration. Alvan Adams, Scott Wedman and Lionel Hollins all hailed from the Sunflower State but it was Adams who had the best individual career. He made 62 percent of his shot. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Mike Miller may have grown up in a small town, but he was big time. He was a first-round draft pick by the ABAs Spirits of St. Louis and wound up with the Pistons after the merger in 1976. Flagg, who is transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida along with his twin brother, Ace, has been ranked by ESPN as the No. DiGregorio also had a game in which he dished out 25 assists during his rookie campaign. But to give him that label now is at best premature, and at worst willfully ignorant of history. It wasnt just his God-given talent but his work ethic and determination to be the best that made him great. 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. Floridas Montverde Academy, a school that regularly produces college and NBA players. All rights reserved. As a shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He helped his high school and Michigan State win championships. In 2014, Taurasi earned MVP honors again while helping the Mercury set a single-season wins record with 29 and win another championship. 23 jersey is now honored by the program. Before that, Scott played three years of college basketball at Arizona State. All due respect to Mark Price and John Starks but Blake Griffin is the best Oklahoman to ever lace up in the NBA. From Diana Taurasi at No. A recent highlight video on YouTube referred to him as the LeBron of Maine. Thats absolutely, positively, 100 percent ludicrous. 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. His story still unfolding. High school: Robert G. Cole High School (San Antonio, Texas), Pros: Orlando Magic (1992-96), Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004), Miami Heat (2004-08), Phoenix Suns (2008-09), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-10), Boston Celtics (2010-11). 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