This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was a basketball prodigy at Gulfport High School, averaging 29.9 points and 5.7 assists in his senior season and getting an invitation to the McDonalds All-American game. 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. It declares everything new the best and the biggest. 3 high school basketball freshman. 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. 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. He was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, traded to the Bulls, and the rest is history. 1 pick in the draft. Bill Laimbeer was born in Boston, raised in Chicago and went to high school in Southern California. He starred at Hibbing High School, leading his team to the AA Minnesota State Championship game as a senior. COMMENTARY: Such a label is unfair to the 15-year-old phenom, and short-sighted given the professional basketball success of others before him. Prior to that, Robertson starred at Crispus Attucks High School, leading his school to a 31-1 record and winning the 1955 state championship. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! LeBron James just does things that shouldnt be humanly possible. He was first-team All-Pac-12 and the conference Defensive Player of the Year during his junior season. As a senior, Carroll set the state record for points per game with 39.4. He also ranks third on the leagues all-time regular-season scoring and fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. She was the No. Michael Jordan. In 2007, he was traded to the Boston Celtics, and that next year, Garnett was an integral piece to Bostons championship run in 2008. The Atlanta native was a seven-time All-Star in 13 NBA seasons, as well as a seven-time member of the first-team All-Defensive squad. The Coeur dAlene native had a standout college career at Oregon before being drafted in the first round by the SuperSonics in 2003. Brandon, a sub-6-foot point guard, averaged solid numbers for his career, including 13.8 points and 6.1 assists per game. 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. Garnett was a 15-time All-Star, 12-time member of the All-Defensive squad and was named league MVP in 2004. In high school, Pippen was the man, leading his team to the state playoffs as an all-conference star his senior year. The gold standard for Maine high school hoops is still Cindy Blodgett, who did things at Lawrence that no girls or boys basketball player in Maine had done before or since. 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. Success. 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. He was born in Hobbs and eventually played high school basketball there before going to college at Kansas. He was a military brat because of his own fathers military service, which led to frequent moving and likely made the nomadic life of a professional athlete easier on him. Yes, the man many fans (ignorantly) consider the most overrated choke artist in the league is actually the best player to ever set foot on a court. But as a sophomore, trying out for the varsity team, he was deemed too small at only 5-foot-11. A Celtics icon in the 1970s, the Newport native helped that franchise win two championships as one of the best defenders of his era. 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). Before Elgin Baylor became one of the greatest players in NBA history, he starred at Spingarn High School and was named first team All-Met. Maine Basketball Rankings Latest Fight Club More drama than you could hope for in AA. 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. 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. Bill Russell was an 11-time NBA champion in a 13-year Hall of Fame career. Paul then helped Wake Forest get into the NCAA tournament a couple of times, eventually falling to West Virginia in his sophomore season. All rights reserved. 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. One of the most ebullient personalities to ever play in the NBA, Johnsons charm was a major factor in the massive increase in the leagues popularity during the 1980s. He won five NBA championships with the Lakers. 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. The big man was born in Lawrence before spending his college career in Oklahoma and his entire NBA tenure with the Phoenix Suns. But lets take a look at the best basketball players to come from the United States. 25 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History, Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement, https://www.britannica.com/list/the-10-greatest-basketball-players-of-all-time. In college at Utah State, Carroll improved his shot each year and eventually won the WAC Player of the Year award in 2008. 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. WebFeaturing Hall of Fame greats, superstars, and active players, this list of basketball players who were born in Maine includes Duncan Robinson, Jeff Turner, and Skip Chappelle. ), Pros: Cincinnati Royals (1960-70), Milwaukee Bucks (1970-74). 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. Mike Miller may have grown up in a small town, but he was big time. Oh my, yes. Ridnour became a star at Oregon, helping lead the Ducks to an Elite Eight appearance in 2002 and another NCAA tournament appearance. Whatever.) He was born with great genes, and he worked hard to realize his incredible potential. 1-ranked recruit and a McDonalds All-American coming out of high school. A battle between two dominant defenders made Georgia a tough call but we ultimately sided with Walt Clyde Frazier over Dwight Howard for the honor of being the states best baller. During the 196162 season, The Big O averaged a triple-double with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. Please note the display name will appear on screen when you participate. Some areas like New York, Chicago and Southern California are famous for breeding ballers. His tenacity made him one of the best defenders in the game's history. The result: Horton-Tucker had 16 [This list was originally published in April 2014. Since 2002, Laimbeer has been coaching in the WNBA. 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, along with center Shaquille ONeal, led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles from 2000 to 2002. He helped his high school win its first championship in 53 years in his senior season. Before we crown him, though, lets at least let him get his drivers license. 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. Accolades keep coming for Cooper Flagg. Seven former Montverde players were selected in the 2021 NBA draft, including No. Born: December 7, 1956, in West Baden Springs, Ind. In high school, he broke a city record for points scored in one game. 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. While the late Kobe Bryant would seem like the obvious choice to represent his home state, there was a lot of great competition representing Pennsylvania. High school: Gonzaga Prep High School (Spokane, Wash.). Basketball is one of the most popular games across the world. Lets wait to anoint Cooper Flagg as the best basketball player ever from Maine, Varsity Maine boys basketball Player of the Year, Flagg the third-best college basketball prospect nationwide in the Class of 2025. Pros: Denver Nuggets (1990-96), Sacramento Kings (1996-98), Fenerbahce (1998-99), Vancouver Grizzlies (2000-01), Ural Great (2003-04), Sedima Roseto (2004-05), Aris BC (2006-07), Al-Ittihad (2007-08), Kyoto Hannaryz (2009-11). However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website. With years of experience in both creative and technical writing, I have sharpened my skills and developed a unique representative that resonates with readers. 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. Theres one player that always comes to mind when you think about excellence. 1 Overall NBA Draft Picks of All Time 2 Chris Webber Power forward and Center from Detroit, Michigan 391 votes Teams: Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons #30 of 142 The Best Philadelphia 76ers of All Time #2 of 49 The Greatest Michigan Basketball 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. Before he was The Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett was a kid growing up in upstate South Carolina. The Flaggs should sprint toward this opportunity. 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. 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. But to give him that label now is at best premature, and at worst willfully ignorant of history. Marvin Bad News Barnes was born in Providence and stayed right in his hometown into early adulthood, earning consensus All-American honors as a senior at Providence College in 1974. Sam Cassell wasn't the biggest player in basketball history, but he had big game. On Tuesday, he highlighted Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. In the WNBA, Swoopes was the second player to win the MVP and All-Star game MVP in the same season. Mark Price was more than a shooter. Going back a little farther to the 1990s, there was TJ Caouette at Winthrop High, who had 63 scholarship offers before choosing to play at Villanova, and Andy Bedard, who went from Mountain Valley High to basketball greenhouse Maine Central Institute (the Montverde Academy of its time) before playing collegiately at Boston College and Maine. While Hinrich had the longer career, Barnes is still working on his and has produced slightly better numbers so far. Sean Elliott made a name for himself prior to becoming a two-time NBA All-Star and world champion with the San Antonio Spurs. Oh jeez, this guy. He was born in Abilene but spent his formative years in California and became an NBA icon with the Boston Celtics. He was a 9-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Born: February 19, 1980, in Mitchell, S.D. Its played in over many countries with many variations of the game. Michael Jordan was a player who had it all. After college, he was drafted fifth overall in the NBA draft by the New York Knicks and led the franchise to its only two championships in 1970 and 1973. Unlike the NFL, which is still almost entirely packed with American players, and the NHL and MLB, which see their foreign-born stars come from a handful of countries in specific areas, the NBAs stars come from all corners of the globe. 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). 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. There, he was named an NAIA First-Team All-American as a junior and senior. In the WNBA, she helped the Lynx win a WNBA championship in her rookie campaign in 2011 and added three more titles after that in 2013, 2015 and 2017. At UMass, Camby won the Naismith College Player of the Year award and the John R. Wooden award in the 1995-96 season. 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). 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. His Hall-of-Fame NBA career took him from Philadelphia to Phoenix to Houston but Barkley still loves his home state, even considering a run for governor in years past. Finally, after graduating from high school early, he got selected by his hometown Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. But Maine has never seen a player as highly touted as Cooper Flagg, and social media magnifies that. Already have a commenting profile? Soon after, Wade led Marquette in scoring on multiple occasions and helped them reach the Final Four in his junior season. Your email address will not be published. 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. Round by the SuperSonics in 2003 in Southern California are famous for breeding ballers of others before him website.... Pick four times in high school in Southern California are famous for breeding ballers Spokane... Label is unfair to the state playoffs as an all-conference star his senior Year Kevin garnett a... While Hinrich had the longer career, Barnes is still working on his and has produced better... York, Chicago and went to high school, Pippen was the Colorado player the. R. Wooden award in the WNBA points and 6.1 assists per game with 39.4 was time... 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