His unique blend of power and speed raised eyebrows, and he was drafted No. WebPages in category "Basketball players from Maine" The following 19 pages are in this category, out of 19 total. Kevin McHale became a legend early. High school: McClymonds High School (Oakland, Calif.). In 2004 Lebron became NBA Rookie of the Year. Were not technically a sports website, but this editor (hi!) He led his high school to a 68-1 record over two years and helped them win a state championship in his senior season. High school: Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del. And, frankly, its sort of fun tweaking all the Chicagoans who are surprisingly defensive about their sporting accomplishments. He helped his high school win its first championship in 53 years in his senior season. But to give him that label now is at best premature, and at worst willfully ignorant While Chauncey Billups spent a couple of seasons with his hometown Nuggets during his long NBA career, his best years were spent with the Detroit Pistons. In 2014, Taurasi earned MVP honors again while helping the Mercury set a single-season wins record with 29 and win another championship. A former womans canoeing champion of the great state of Maine died last week. But lets take a look at the best basketball players to come from the United States. 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. He never won a ring, but he was inducted into in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and remains one of the most popular players in NBA history. He was born in Oklahoma City and delighted the basketball fans in his home state when he stayed home to play college ball at the University of Oklahoma. After that, he declared for the NBA draft and was selected third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. He also ranks third on the leagues all-time regular-season scoring and fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. High school: Mount Anthony High School (Bennington, Vt.). 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. Before Luke Ridnour became a solid NBA player, he was an All-American (McDonalds and Parade) in 2000, his senior year in high school. Oscar Robertson was one of the best players during his era in the 1960s and early 1970s. Since 2002, Laimbeer has been coaching in the WNBA. However, during the summer, Barkley shot up to 6-foot-4 and made the varsity team, leading them to a 26-3 record and the state semifinals in his senior year. The curation of this content is at the discretion of the author, and not necessarily reflective of the views of Encyclopaedia Britannica or its editorial staff. 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. His 14-season NBA career, all spent with the Lakers, included an All-Star selection every single year and 12 appearances on the All-NBA squad. He was born and raised in the city of Mitchell, which is in the southeastern part of the state. West Virginia lost to California in the championship game during the 1958-59 season. While LaMarcus Aldridge has deeper ties to Texas basketball in general, Hall of Famer Bill Sharman had the best career of anyone from the Lone Star State so far. Then, at Nebraska, she helped the Cornhuskers reach the NCAA tournament. 1 Overall NBA Draft Picks of All Time #47 of 80 The Best Point Guards Currently in the NBA #27 of 34 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. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! The former league MVPs list of on-court accomplishments is exhausting to behold, including 10 All-Star Games, 10 first-team All-NBA selections and eight first-team All-Defensive selections. 1 badass). The man whose image is immortalized as the NBAs logo came from West Virginia to eke out a brilliant career in Los Angeles. Anthony Davis is making a legitimate push to steal this title away but fellow Chicago native Dwyane Wade holds it for now. His roots in the Tar Heel State obviously run deep but his long NBA career has unfortunately never included a stint in Charlotte. In the NBA, Miller became a proficient three-point sniper with a career average of 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. Then Ceballos went the junior college route and played at Ventura College, before catching the attention of NBA scouts at Cal State Fullerton. 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). 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). Sheryl Swoopes is a Texas legend. He graduated to Auburn, where he holds the school record for field goal percentage (62.6 percent), and went on to become one of the best rebounders in NBA history. 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. High school: Conard (West Hartford, Conn.), Hartford Public, Pros: Toronto Raptors (1996-98), New York Knicks (1998-2002, 2012-13), Denver Nuggets (2002-08), Los Angeles Clippers (2008-10), Portland Trail Blazers (2010-12), Houston Rockets (2012). Basketball players come from all over America: cold states, warm states and everything in between. While the northernmost state might not be a haven for hoops talent, it has given us a very good player in Chalmers. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. On Tuesday, he highlighted Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker as one of his top NBA DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. This path has helped Roberson become a strong defensive player. When he got to the NBA, some thought the 6-foot-9 player was too small to play center, but he proved the doubters wrong, averaging 17 points and 15 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign. Baylor continued his success at Seattle, leading his team to the 1958 NCAA tournament title game, eventually falling to the Kentucky Wildcats. Kevin Garnett was one of the fiercest competitors in basketball. This season, Holmes has also earned recognition on the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award preseason watch list and the 2023 Jersey In college, Stockton starred at Gonzaga, leading the Bulldogs to their best record in 17 years at 17-11 during his senior season. Named Henrietta at birth, she was always called Thomie, a name that sprang from her position as the family tomboy. The 65 guy could hit his elbow on the rim when he was a freshman. His free-throw shooting, on the other hand. Paul then helped Wake Forest get into the NCAA tournament a couple of times, eventually falling to West Virginia in his sophomore season. He was born in Grand Forks, which is one of the biggest cities in the state, but spent his high school and college careers in California. The uber-confident Bird had arguably the quickest release of anyone to ever play basketball and hed often let his defender know that the shot was going in soon after it left his hands. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born on April 16, 1947, in New York City. The Best No. He signed a couple of 10-day contracts and helped the Heat in the scoring and shooting departments, and now is a solid NBA contributor on his third NBA team, averaging 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Prior to becoming "The Logo," Jerry West was a star at West Virginia, helping the Mountaineers grab a Final Four appearance in his junior season. Also, his career totals were inflated by the fact that he played roughly 10,000 years in the NBA. Please wait for the page to reload. 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. 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. He was a big part of the Bulls winning six championships in eight years, the NBA Finals MVP on all six occasions with two three-peats. Nevertheless, he was an awesome force who dominated the sport for two decades and perfected the sky hook, one of the most gorgeous shots the game has ever seen. According to Basketball Reference, California has produced more NBA players than any state, with 416 so far. 1-ranked recruit and a McDonalds All-American coming out of high school. Success at the WNBA level followed as she helped lead the Phoenix Mercury to their first WNBA title over the defending champion, Detroit Shock in 2007. 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. Cindy Blodgett starred at Lawrence High School, leading the school to an 84-4 record in the four years she was there. Before he was internationally known by a single nickname, Shaquille ONeal was born in Newark and the Boys and Girls Club of America chapter there played a major part in his early life. After graduating from high school in Nevada, he played two seasons at Dixie State College (in St. George, Utah) and two years at Arizona State before going pro. Russell overcame racial taunts in college and then in the NBA, where he was the centerpiece of one of the greatest dynasties the Association has ever seen. The NBA had three very good players from Kansas all playing at the same time starting in the mid-1970s. The information for this article is taken from Wikipedia. High school: Mead High School (Spokane, Wash.), Pros: Charlotte Bobcats (2006-09), Los Angeles Lakers (2009-10), Red Star Belgrade (2011), Besiktas (2012). When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. He was an eight-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA pick who averaged 18.8 points per game over the last nine years of his career. Already have a commenting profile? James won two titles in Miami, and then in 2014, he left Miami to come back to Cleveland to fulfill a promise of winning a championship, which he did in 2016 by leading a comeback down 3-1 against the 73-win Warriors. 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. Kobe is an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and also a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. 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. He was rookie of the year in 1971, league MVP in 1973, a three-time member of the All-Defensive first team and an eight-time All-Star. High school: Evanston High School (Evanston, Wyo. At the University of Colorado, Billups helped end a 28-year NCAA tournament drought in the 1996-97 campaign, upsetting the Indiana Hoosiers before losing to North Carolina. LeBron James learned how to be under the spotlight and shine early in life. High school: Crispus Attucks High School (Indianapolis, Ind. Most important player ever? 23 jersey is now honored by the program. While at UCLA, he led the Bruins to three consecutive NCAA championships from 1967 to 1969. ), Pros: Cincinnati Royals (1960-70), Milwaukee Bucks (1970-74). Havlicek won 2 NBA championships while playing for the Boston Celtics, along with Bill Russell as a player 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. 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. Matt Bonner helped Concord High School to three state championships. He helped lead his school to back-to-back basketball titles and is the only person to be a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball. Accolades keep coming for Cooper Flagg. Hes bigger than a good portion of the players in the NFL and yet he still moves as gracefully as the most nimble guards in basketball. 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. LeBron James is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After bouncing around the NBA, his basketball career took him overseas to Israel and the Philippines. COMMENTARY: Such a label is unfair to the 15-year-old phenom, and short-sighted given the professional basketball success of others before him. Then, the small forward helped the Spurs win the franchises first NBA championship in 1999. He averaged a double double for his career, with 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over 13 seasons. He eventually won three NBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star, all with the Miami Heat. Michael also earned the nicknames Air Jordan and His Airness. Oh, and the 12-time All-Star also helped initiate true free agency into the NBA through a landmark antitrust suit, an accomplishment just as impressive as his jaw-dropping on-court exploits. Position: Shooting guard and small forward, High school: Davenport North High School (Davenport, Iowa), Pros: Charlotte Hornets (1998-2000), Miami Heat (2000-01, 2007-08), Cleveland Cavaliers (2001-03), Boston Celtics (2003-06), Minnesota Timberwolves (2006-07), Los Angeles Clippers (2008-10), Turk Telekom (2010), Jiangsu Dragons (2010), Chorale Roanne (2011), Maine Red Claws (2011-12), Piratas de Quebradillas (2012), Erie BayHawks (2013-14). Bullet Bob Boozer came from Omaha and remained a major part of that community until his death in 2012. His shooting proficiency made him one of the more dangerous shooters in the league, leading the league in three-point percentage (45.7) in 2010-2011. In the NBA, he lived up to the hype, being one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Before he left his mark on the NBA, he starred at Bethel High School, where he led both the football and basketball programs to state championships. 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