In 1995 they won again, beating the Orlando 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. High school: East Bank High School (East Bank, W.Va.). Hes been bouncing around the league since 2009, when he was a first-round pick by the Bulls. In total, Abdul-Jabbar spent 20 seasons in the NBA with Milwaukee and Los Angeles. He led the franchise to its first championship in Los Angeles in 1972. 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: Cincinnati Royals (1960-70), Milwaukee Bucks (1970-74). Levesque played with the Charlotte Sting in the WNBA, averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 assists in 27 games. The mans desire to be the best is legendary and propelled him to six championships, five MVP awards, All-Star appearances in every full season he played, and the status as possibly the best defender ever. Maine Basketball Rankings Latest Fight Club More drama than you could hope for in AA. 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. He is the all-time leader in assists with 15,806. 3 high school basketball freshman. The game is played across America, but these are the best of the best. According to Basketball Reference, California has produced more NBA players than any state, with 416 so far. has been obsessively watching sports for nearly three decades and arguing about them with friends for nearly as long. He was the first overall pick in the 1959 draft, taken by the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings). In the NBA, Bonner spent most of his 12 seasons as a backup power forward, playing behind Tim Duncan in San Antonio. The 6-foot-7 shooting guard/small forward honed his skills at the University of Colorado, finishing third in rebounding in the 2011-2012 season and second in 2012-2013. High school: Mauldin High School (Mauldin, S.C.)/Farragut Academy (Chicago, Ill.), Pros: Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-07, 2015-16), Boston Celtics (2007-13), Brooklyn Nets (2013-15). He transferred to Farragut Academy in Chicago for his senior season, led his team to a 28-2 record and was so good he was named National Player of the Year again after averaging 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists. I know I risk getting run out of my beloved Chicago on a rail for daring to suggest His Airness isnt the best player ever but, well, I just dont think he is. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! During his third year in the league, Bryant started playing in the All-Star Game, and he would continue to be selected to start that game for a record 18 consecutive appearances until his retirement. Every dunk made the rounds on social media, and that helped create the hyperbole. Ridnour became a star at Oregon, helping lead the Ducks to an Elite Eight appearance in 2002 and another NCAA tournament appearance. 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 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. He starred at Evanston High School in Wyoming, averaging 27.4 points, 3.3 steals and 2.8 assists per game as a junior. For his career, Spree averaged 18.3 points per game, which is easily the best mark for any player born in Wisconsin. Even villains can redeem themselves. 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). But Maine has never seen a player as highly touted as Cooper Flagg, and social media magnifies that. In his senior season, he averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocks and 8 assists leading his team to a 27-0 record and state title. The 69 Johnson (making him the NBAs tallest point guard) not only posted the best assists-per-game mark in league history (11.2) but had a tremendous all-around game, as well. 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. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website. A recent highlight video on YouTube referred to him as the LeBron of Maine. Thats absolutely, positively, 100 percent ludicrous. Pros: Orlando Magic (2000-03), Memphis Grizzlies (2003-08, 2013-14), Minnesota Timberwolves (2008-09), Washington Wizards (2009-10), Miami Heat (2010-13), Cleveland Cavaliers (2014-15), Denver Nuggets (2015-17). High school: Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del. He won the All-Star and regular-season MVPs. Robinson had a Hall-of-Fame career with the San Antonio Spurs that lasted 14 seasons and included two championships. 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. 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. 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. Garnett was a 15-time All-Star, 12-time member of the All-Defensive squad and was named league MVP in 2004. In the WNBA, Delle Donne has become a productive star, helping the Washington Mystics advance to their first-ever WNBA Finals in 2018. The Miami Heat's all-time leading scorer has had game for a while. Brandon, a sub-6-foot point guard, averaged solid numbers for his career, including 13.8 points and 6.1 assists per game. But do you know how he got to be so great? #39 Paul Arizin (1951-1962) Amazon The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. 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. Before we crown him, though, lets at least let him get his drivers license. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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: South Division High School (Milwaukee), Pros: Portland Trail Blazers (1985-95), Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-98), Miami Heat (1998-99), San Antonio Spurs (1999-2002). Born: Aug. 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan, High school: Everett High School (Lansing, Michigan), Pros: Los Angeles Lakers (1979-1991, 1996). Bridges was a three-time All-Star with that team and a two-time member of the All-Defensive squad who averaged a double double of 11.9 points and rebounds per game for his career. She 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. 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. He was a 9-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. The one time in his 14-year career that he was not an All-Star was in 1970, a season in which an injured Chamberlain was limited to just 12 regular-season games and yet he still managed to will his team to the NBA finals upon his return. Magic helped turn the Lakers team into "Showtime" and led Los Angeles to five NBA championships in nine seasons, including back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988, on his way to becoming the greatest showman the game has ever seen. Of all the great ones to come from the Golden State including current icons like James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook its tough to top Gary Paytons legacy. 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. 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. High school: Gonzaga Prep High School (Spokane, Wash.). Diana Taurasi is the best offensive player in WNBA history (and No. He finished his 17-year career with averages of 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds. We all know Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time. Speaking of guards who are still in the league as of this writing, Tyler Johnson represents his home state of North Dakota, which hasnt exactly cranked out the ballers so far. Mike Miller may have grown up in a small town, but he was big time. Ceballos bounced around with five teams over his lengthy career, averaging 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a small forward. Also, his career totals were inflated by the fact that he played roughly 10,000 years in the NBA. He finished his 11-year career with two rings and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. After being born and raised in St. Louis, he crossed the border to play college hoops at Kansas before being taken in the first round in 1969 by Boston. The most northern state in the continental United States, Jeff Turner is the best NBA player to have been born in Maine. At the University of Maine, she became the second woman in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring in four consecutive years and is one of only 13 women college basketball players who surpassed the 3,000-point mark in their collegiate careers. The four highest all-time NBA single-season scoring averages all belong to Chamberlainin his first four professional seasons. We are here to give the best tips on it. Before she became one of the best players in WNBA history, she helped the Texas Tech Lady Raiders to an NCAA womens basketball championship in her senior year. Learn more. 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. Its played in over many countries with many variations of the game. Before Tyler Johnson developed his all-around game at Fresno State, averaging 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals. He is the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. He was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, traded to the Bulls, and the rest is history. Milwaukee native Latrell Sprewell is remembered by some for one regrettable outburst that nearly derailed his NBA career but he was a great player for many years. Kevin Garnett was one of the fiercest competitors in basketball. High school: David Tobias Howard High School, Pros: New York Knicks (1967-77), Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-80). In the NBA, Shaq continued his dominance, first with the Orlando Magic and then with the Los Angeles Lakers. He stayed home and played college ball at Colorado, where his number has also since been put in the rafters. His tenacity made him one of the best defenders in the game's history. The Houston Rockets selected him as the first overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft, and he made an immediate splash in his rookie season by winning that years NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. His story still unfolding. The 30 Best NBA Players of All Time, Ranked By Adam Caparell, Zion Olojede, Angel Diaz, Zach Frydenlund Jun 17, 2022 Image via Complex Original The Davis was a career 13.5-point scorer but had his best season with Cleveland in 2002-03, when he started 76 games and averaged 20.6 points per game. In 10 seasons with that franchise, Sharman proved to be a deadly shooting guard and helped lead them to four championships from 1957-1961. 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. Lebron James is one of the most dominant players in the world right now. Haywood was born in Silver City (population: 288) before eventually becoming an NBA champion with the Lakers in 1980. 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. 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