The best NBA players to come out of each state: A HoopsHype list

Today, we’re going to talk about the best NBA players to come out of every state in America, from Alabama and Wyoming.

For this exercise, we chose players based on where they spent most of their lives before college rather than just their place of birth. Take Michael Jordan, for example; we credit North Carolina as his state because that’s where he was raised and developed into the player who would shine at UNC and then in the NBA, despite being born in New York City.

With 50 states to cover, let’s explore the best NBA talent each one has produced.

Alabama: Charles Barkley

Runner-ups: Ben Wallace, DeMarcus Cousins

Ranking 25th overall in our HoopsHype77 ranking, Charles Barkley is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players in league history – and the very best to come out of the state of Alabama.

He did have some solid competition in the form of Ben Wallace and DeMarcus Cousins, the former a Hall of Famer and the latter who could have been if injuries didn’t cut his prime short, but even then, Barkley was the clear-cut choice out of Alabama.

Barkley was born and raised in Leeds, Alabama, and endured a tough childhood before eventually getting to high school, where he failed to make the varsity team at Leeds HS in his junior year due to weighing 220 pounds at 5-foot-10.

Barkley then had a growth spurt and got up to 6-foot-4 his senior year, made the varsity high school basketball team and finally got attention from colleges when, in the Alabama high school state semifinals, he dominated a highly touted University of Alabama recruit, Bobby Lee Hurt. That prompted a scout from Auburn University to recruit Barkley, where he would eventually sign and become a 1st Team All-SEC player and SEC Tournament MVP in 1984 before getting to the NBA.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Alaska: Carlos Boozer

Runner-ups: Mario Chalmers, Trajan Langdon

Two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer was born in Germany at a military base. However, he was raised in Juneau, Alaska, where he played high school basketball for the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears, a program that he led to back-to-back state titles.

Boozer then decided to attend Duke University over a host of other offers and there he became a 3rd Team All-American and a national champion before embarking on what was a very successful NBA career spanning over 13 seasons.

Alaska has also produced other solid players, including two-time NBA champion Mario Chalmers and another former Duke standout, Trajan Langdon, the current general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans, but as far as the best player to come out of the icy state, that honor clearly belongs to Boozer.

Arizona: Sean Elliot

Runner-up: Richard Jefferson, Mike Bibby

NBA champion and two-time All-Star Sean Elliot was born in Tucson, Arizona, eventually playing basketball at Cholla High School where he’d become a McDonalds All-American before committing to and signing with the local powerhouse university, Arizona.

As a Wildcat, Elliot accomplished extraordinary things, including being a back-to-back consensus 1st Team All-American, two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, winning the Wooden Award (Player of the Year in college basketball), leading Arizona to the Final Four and breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time Pac-10 scoring record after averaging 19.2 points over four collegiate seasons.

Elliot would go on to be drafted third overall in the 1989 draft and enjoyed a solid 12-year NBA career that included two All-Star appearances and a championship as a member of the 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs.

Arkansas: Scottie Pippen

Runner-ups: Joe Johnson, Glen Rice

For many other states, players such as Joe Johnson and Glen Rice, who have 10 All-Star appearances between them, would be good enough to take home the honor of being the best player.

But that’s a tough task to pull off when you share a home state with a legend like Scottie Pippen, a Hall-of-Fame six-time NBA champion with seven All-Star appearances and three 1st Team All-NBAs under his belt.

Pippen was born in Hamburg, Arkansas, the youngest of 12 children. His story is a legendary one in that after playing for Hamburg High School, Pippen had to walk on at the University of Central Arkansas due to being merely 6-foot-1. As legend has it, while in college, Pippen would blow up to 6-foot-8 and turn into one of the best two-way players in the country. In his senior year at Central Arkansas, Pippen averaged over 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while shooting 60 percent from the floor.

That obviously got the NBA’s attention as Pippen would go fifth overall in the 1987 draft, originally being taken by the Seattle SuperSonics who then traded his draft rights to the Chicago Bulls for the eighth pick, Olden Polynice and more draft stock.

Can you imagine Pippen on those ’90s Sonics teams with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp? Scary athleticism on one squad.

Regardless, Pippen would go on to become one the greatest NBA players of all time and easily the best out of the state of Arkansas.

California: Bill Russell

Runner-ups: Kawhi Leonard, Jason Kidd, James Harden, Gary Payton, Russell Westbrook, Paul Pierce, Damian Lillard

An absolutely loaded state as far as producing NBA talent, a who’s who of current and future basketball Hall-of-Famers have come out of California, including one of the most important players in the history of the sport, Bill Russell.

Russell, No. 5 in our HoopsHype77 rankings, was actually born in West Monroe, Louisiana, but moved to Oakland, California, when he was eight years old where he grew up in a life of poverty, tragically losing his mother, Katie Russell, when he was 12 years old. Russell was raised by his father, Charles Russell, who worked jobs as a janitor, truck driver and steelworker throughout Russell’s childhood.

Russell got just one college offer in high school due to his poor fundamentals and skills (Russell was cut from the junior varsity basketball team of his high school… as a junior, before eventually breaking through) which came from the University of San Francisco, which saw his incredible instincts and win-first mentality and decided to recruit him. The gamble would pay off as Russell would go on to win two NCAA championships at San Francisco and was named the UPI College Player of the Year in 1956.

The Dons legend would then go on to become an NBA legend, too, as a member of the Boston Celtics, with whom he won a record 11 NBA titles to go with becoming a five-time league MVP, a 12-time All-Star and three-time 1st Team All-NBAer.

Colorado: Chauncey Billups

Runner-ups: Scott Wedman, Derrick White, Charlie Williams

California had a bunch of worthwhile candidates to be named the best basketball player from its state.

Colorado, on the other hand? Not so much.

So we had to go with five-time All-Star, one-time 2nd Team All-NBAer (and two-time 3rd Team All-NBAer) Chauncey Billups, who even starred for his home-state team, the Denver Nuggets, for some time.

Billups was born in Denver, Colorado, and went to George Washington High School, where he was a four-time 1st Team All-State pick and won Colorado’s Mr. Basketball award three times before being named a McDonald’s All-American. From there, Billups would go to the University of Colorado, where he became a consensus 1st Team All-American in 1997.

Billups would go on to be selected third overall in the 1997 draft before embarking on a very impressive 17-year career that included a championship run in 2003-04, for which Billups was named Finals MVP, and multiple other accolades.

The only player right now who could maybe eventually give Billups a run for his money as the best player to come out of Colorado is Celtics guard Derrick White, though he’s 29 years old already and has yet to win an NBA accolade besides one appearance as a 2nd Team All-Defender.

So it’s not all that likely, is what we’re saying.

Connecticut: Calvin Murphy

Runner-ups: Marcus Camby, Charlie Williams

One of the more underrated and underappreciated stars in NBA history,  Calvin Murphy is our pick as the best player ever to come out of Connecticut, ahead of Marcus Camby and Charlie Williams.

Murphy was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1948, playing high school basketball at Norwalk High, where he became a two-time All-American. Before basketball, Murphy was actually a world-class baton twirler, winning a national championship in the sport in 1963 and performing at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Regardless, Murphy would go on to play at Niagara University in college where he was a three-time All-American before spending his 13-year NBA career as a member of the Rockets, one season in San Diego and the other 12 in Houston. Murphy was a one-time All-Star for the Rockets and ranks third all-time in the franchise’s history for points scored with 17,949, trailing only Hakeem Olajuwon and James Harden.

Delaware: Donte DiVincenzo

Runner-up: Jalen Duren

Unlike other states, Delaware, with the sixth-lowest population in the country, didn’t have much of a competition for this exercise, with this honor going to New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo.

DiVincenzo was born in Newark, Delaware, where he grew up playing first soccer and then basketball, eventually starring for Salesianum School, where he won back-to-back state championships. In 2015, he was named Delaware Basketball Player of the Year for his senior-season contributions, before heading to Villanova where he won two national championships. DiVincenzo was named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player for 2018.

A solid role player in the NBA, there’s a chance DiVincenzo is eventually caught up to and surpassed by young Detroit Pistons big man Jalen Duren, a 20-year-old already starting full-time, albeit for the worst team in the NBA in 2023-24.

Florida: Vince Carter

Runner-ups: Tracy McGrady, Artis Gilmore

A razor-thin decision here between Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, coincidentally cousins who were once NBA teammates, we gave Carter the nod because of his longevity, although there’s no question McGrady was the superior player at his peak. Carter made eight All-Star appearances to McGrady’s seven but McGrady was a seven-time All-NBAer (two 1st Teams, three 2nd and two 3rd) to Carter’s one 2nd Team All-NBA and one 3rd Team All-NBA.

McGrady also led the league in scoring twice, a feat Carter never accomplished, but we still went with Carter as the best player to come out of Florida because McGrady’s peak fell apart by the time he was 28 while Carter lasted in the NBA until his age-43 campaign.

Anyway, Carter was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, and went to Mainland High School, winning a state championship there and becoming a McDonald’s All-American before heading to Chapel Hill to play for North Carolina, choosing the Tar Heels over the University of Florida and 70-plus other college offers.

Georgia: Walt Frazier

Runner-up: Dwight Howard, World B. Free

Knicks legend Walt Frazier is the pick for the best player to come out of Georgia, a state more known for producing elite football players than basketball players, with Dwight Howard coming in second in the race.

Frazier was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and went to David Tobias Howard High School, where he starred as the quarterback of the football team and catcher of the baseball team, but became a star basketball player while learning to play on a dirty playground because it was the only available basketball court at his all-black school in the segregated South.

After college, Frazier would go on to win two NBA titles as a member of the Knicks and make seven All-Star appearances to go with being a four-time 1st Team All-NBAer and two-time 2nd Team All-NBAer, as well as seven-time 1st Team All-Defensive player.

Hawaii: Red Rocha

Born in 1923 in Hilo, Hawaii, Red Rocha grew up playing for Hilo High School before attending Oregon State University, where the center became an All-American in 1947.

He then enjoyed a solid nine-year career in the BAA and NBA, starting in 1947-48 up until 1956-57, where he became a two-time All-Star, in 1951 and 1952, first for the Baltimore Bullets and then for the Syracuse Nationals.

After his playing career, Rocha became a head coach, earning praise for his work leading the Hawaii Chiefs of the American Basketball League and then for the University of Hawaii, who he helped advance to postseason play for the first time in program history in 1970.

Idaho: Steve Hayes

Despite not being among the 10 least-populated states in America, Idaho doesn’t exactly have a history of producing elite basketball players.

As such, we had to go with Steve Hayes as the best player to come out of Idaho. That’s not to knock Hayes – or Idaho, for that matter – it’s just that the one-time Idaho State standout played just 212 games over five seasons in the NBA, merely three of them starts, and averaged 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in his best campaign in the Association.

Illinois: Dwyane Wade

Runner-ups: Isiah Thomas, George Mikan, Anthony Davis, Derrick Rose

Unlike the prior two states on this list, Illinois – and particularly Chicago – does have a proud history of producing top-level basketball players, making this selection a difficult one.

In the end, though, we had to go with Dwyane Wade as the best basketball player to come out of Illinois over a tough group of current and future Hall-of-Famers.

Wade was born in Chicago, Illinois, and endured a tough upbringing, including growing up with a mother who had difficulties with drug usage (JoLinda Wade has now been clean since 2003) and having to avoid the temptations of gang life himself.

He attended Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, where he became a star basketball player, though difficulties with schooling and disqualifying test scores made it so that Wade only had three offers out of high school – Marquette, Illinois State and DePaul. Of course, Wade would choose Marquette, eventually leading the Golden Eagles to the Final Four in 2003, an outstanding run of play that led to the electric shooting guard being selected fifth overall by the Miami Heat in the following draft.

Wade would then go on to establish himself as one of the three or four greatest 2-guards of all time, winning three NBA championships with Miami, one Finals MVP, making 13 All-Star appearances and having two 1st Team All-NBA, three 2nd Team All-NBA and three 3rd Team All-NBAs under his belt.

Isiah Thomas did make this a very difficult decision. One of the best point guards ever, Thomas likewise came out of Illinois and won two NBA titles himself as a member of the Pistons, one Finals MVP, was an NCAA champion with Indiana, winning Final Four Most Outstanding Player for his efforts, and made three 1st Team All-NBAs and two 2nd Team All-NBAs to go with 12 All-Star appearances.

But by the thinnest of margins, we still went with Wade as the best player to come out of Illinois.

Sorry, Isiah. Anything to say?

Indiana: Larry Bird

Runner-ups: Oscar Robertson, Zach Randolph

Born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, Larry Bird was actually raised in French Lick, Indiana, growing up in rough conditions with a mother who had to work two jobs to provide for Bird and his five siblings. Bird lost his father while he was still in high school.

Bird would become a star high school basketball player and attended Indiana University to play under head coach Bob Knight before dropping out in less than a month due to having a hard time acclimating to the large student population. After spending a year working and attending the Northwood Institute, Bird would enroll at Indiana State University where he became a two-time consensus All-American, the national college player of the year in 1979 and led the Sycamores to the 1979 national championship game to face Michigan State in a legendary matchup between Bird and Magic Johnson, the first of many such encounters with enormous stakes.

Bird’s NBA career was even more impressive, as the Hall-of-Famer won three NBA titles, two Finals MVPs and was a 12-time All-Star and nine-time 1st Team All-NBAer, all as a Boston Celtic.

Of course, the second-best player to come out of Indiana (according to us), Oscar Robertson, was no slouch himself, as he likewise was a 12-time All-Star and nine-time 1st Team All-NBAer, making this a tough decision. But Bird played in a tougher era and won three rings to Robertson’s one, so we gave him the nod in this exercise.

Iowa: Harrison Barnes

Runner-ups: Kirk Hinrich, Raef LaFrentz

Sacramento Kings swingman Harrison Barnes was born and raised in Ames, Iowa, where he became a superstar basketball recruit, earning the No. 1 spot in the class of 2010 by multiple outlets. Barnes was actually teammates with Doug McDermott at Ames High School, where the duo led the program to a state championship in 2009.

Barnes would eventually settle on the University of North Carolina as his college choice over a host of elite offers, and he would lead the Tar Heels to back-to-back Elite Eights before declaring for the draft. Barnes would go seventh overall in 2012 to the Golden State Warriors.

Of course, once he got to college, it became apparent Barnes might be a good player but perhaps not live up to the superstar hype he had as a prep prospect growing up in Iowa when some believed he was destined to be the NBA’s next big thing.

Either way, Barnes has enjoyed a solid NBA career, winning a championship in 2015 and lasting 11 seasons – and counting – as a decent two-way role player.

Kansas: Warren Jabali

Two-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion Scott Wedman was born in Kansas but moved to Colorado in his youth, went to a high school in Colorado and even attended the University of Colorado so by our own rules, that means he came out of Colorado, not Kansas.

That left us with Warren Jabali as the best basketball player to come out of Kansas. Jabali was a basketball star in his prime but in the ABA, not the NBA, where he lasted seven seasons and was a four-time All-Star. He won a championship with the Oakland Oaks in 1968-69 as a rookie.

Jabali was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and attended Wichita State University, based in the same state, where he was a three-time All-MVCer before getting to the ABA.

Kentucky: Wes Unseld

Runner-up: Dave Cowens

A basketball Hall-of-Famer and a Top 77 player of all time, according to us, Wes Unseld was one of the greatest big men with elite physicality and instincts as a rebounder, and who could finish with force around the basket.

Unseld, the father of former Washington Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr., was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and went to Seneca High School in the same city. He was the star of the team and won two state championships at Seneca while being heavily recruited by universities all over the country. Unseld eventually chose the University of Louisville but made history before that by becoming the first African-American to be offered an athletic scholarship to the University of Kentucky. Unseld would end up choosing his hometown program, Louisville, which was racially integrated.

In the NBA, Unseld became a star, making five All-Star appearances, a 1st Team All-NBA and winning league MVP honors in 1969… as a rookie.

Impressive stuff by the best basketball player ever to come out of Kentucky.

Louisiana: Karl Malone

Runner-up: Bob Pettit, Elvin Hayes, Robert Parish, Willis Reed, Joe Dumars

Despite being a mid-level state in terms of total population, Louisiana has produced a lot of Hall-of-Fame level basketball players, making this a tough choice for the best to come out of that state. Ultimately, we landed on power forward Karl Malone, one of the three or four greatest 4s in NBA history despite never winning a ring.

Malone was born in Summerfield, Louisiana, where he grew up, attending Summerfield High School. Malone won three straight state championships in high school before attending Louisiana Tech, which he picked over Arkansas due to its proximity to home. Malone helped lead the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Tournament berth in program history before getting drafted 13th overall in 1985 by the Utah Jazz.

Malone’s NBA career was obviously legendary with 14 All-Star appearances, two league MVP awards and 11-time 1st Team All-NBA selections.

Maine: Cooper Flagg

Among the eight least populated states in America, not many elite basketball players have come out of Maine.

At least two have been born there, namely Duncan Robinson and Jeff Turner, but the former grew up in New Hampshire before going to high school in Massachusetts while the latter grew up in Florida, so for our purposes, neither of them counts.

That leaves us with a player who hasn’t even finished high school yet, Cooper Flagg, as the best player to come out of Maine. As of now, Flagg is the No. 1 player in the 2024 high school class, according to the 247 composite rankings, and is currently committed to Duke.

Flagg is an elite two-way prospect with a blossoming offensive game and outstanding defensive instincts, making him a very promising prospect.

Maryland: Kevin Durant

Runner-ups: Carmelo Anthony, Adrian Dantley

Maryland, on the other hand, has had some absolute studs come out of there as far as pro basketball players, as Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Adrian Dantley are about as elite of a trio as you’re going to find in a single state. However, Durant is just a tier ahead of the two other high-scoring wings.

Durant was born in Washington DC, but grew up in Prince George’s County, Maryland, just outside of the nation’s capital. He played AAU basketball growing up with a lot of other talented players from the area, like Michael Beasley, Ty Lawson and Greivis Vasquez, which goes to show the type of basketball talent that has come out of Durant’s home state.

Eventually, after playing high school basketball at powerhouse programs like Oak Hill Academy, Durant would go to Texas for college before becoming the No. 2 overall pick in 2007. Since then, Durant has embarked on a first-ballot Hall-of-Fame career, winning two championships, two Finals MVPs, making 14 All-Star appearances – and counting – and making six 1st Team All-NBAs.

Massachusetts: Dana Barros

Michigan: Magic Johnson

Runner-ups: George Gervin, Draymond Green, Chris Webber

Another loaded state as far as producing high-level NBA talents, Michigan is the home state of arguably the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson, who was born in Lansing, Michigan.

Johnson earned the Magic nickname as a 15-year-old playing high school basketball at Everett High School in Lansing, where he was a superstar recruit. The nickname came after a game in which Johnson dropped 36 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists as a sophomore.

Johnson, a McDonald’s All-American in high school, eventually chose Michigan State, where he won a national championship and was a consensus 1st Team All-American before embarking on his legendary NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won five championships, was a 12-time All-Star and three-time league MVP to go with nine 1st Team All-NBAs.

Michigan through and through, his father even worked at General Motors, Johnson is the best player to come out of the very talent-rich state without a doubt, despite some solid competition.

Minnesota: Kevin McHale

Runner-up: Chet Holmgren

Celtics legend Kevin McHale was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, winning Mr. Basketball for the state in 1976 before eventually going to the University of Minnesota, meaning McHale is as Minnesota as they come.

McHale was a Hall-of-Fame-level player in the NBA, winning three championships as part of the Celtics dynasty of the ’80s, making seven All-Star appearances and one 1st Team All-NBA in his prime. After his playing career, McHale even served in the Minnesota Timberwolves front office and was the head coach of the team for two separate stints.

There’s a chance McHale’s career could be surpassed by runner-up Chet Holmgren, at least based on how strong the rookie’s first season in the NBA has been. Of course, there’s a large gulf between being an excellent rookie and being a seven-time All-Star, three-time champion – but Holmgren certainly has the talent to reach those heights eventually.

Mississippi: Antonio McDyess

Runner-up: Monta Ellis

A solid starting big for many years, Antonio McDyess was a one-time All-Star and a 3rd Team All-NBAer once in his 15-year career, maybe falling short of expectations of a former No. 2 overall pick but still producing and giving above-average starter output.

McDyess was born in Quitman, Mississippi, attending Quitman High School where he became a star prep prospect before eventually going to the University of Alabama. As a member of the Crimson Tide, McDyess became one of the best big men in the SEC, leading to his second-overall selection in the 1995 draft.

McDyess’ best season came in 2000-01 when he averaged 20.8 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game and was an All-Star for the Denver Nuggets. That would unfortunately be McDyess’ last great season, as a major knee injury forced him to miss nearly two full campaigns after that. Once he returned for 2003-04, McDyess would go on to be a role player for his final eight years in the league.

We were going to go with Spencer Haywood as the pick here, by the way, an ABA MVP and four-time NBA All-Star, but he moved to Michigan quite young and went to high school there, so by our rules, he didn’t come out of Mississippi like McDyess did.

Missouri: Jayson Tatum

Runner-up: Jo Jo White, Ed Macauley, Bradley Beal

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, who attended Chaminade High School in Creve Coeur, Jayson Tatum is by far the best basketball player to come out of the state. Tatum won two state championships at Chaminade as he eventually became one of the best prep prospects in the country before selecting Duke to continue his playing career.

A product of Missouri high school basketball, Tatum was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American, a sign of the stardom that was to come for the now-Celtic.

Tatum has five All-Star appearances under his belt already and two 1st Team All-NBAs as he chases the most important piece of hardware for any player: a championship.

Montana: Mike Lewis

Runner-up: Larry Krystkowiak

Although legendary head coach Phil Jackson was born in Montana, he went to high school and college in North Dakota, so instead, we had to go with Mike Lewis as the best player to come out of state.

Lewis never played in the NBA, enjoying six successful seasons in the ABA instead where he was a two-time All-Star, although his career was sadly cut short by an Achilles injury.

Lewis was born in Missoula, Montana, attending Missoula High School before heading to Duke for college.

Nebraska: Bob Boozer

Runner-up: Fred Hoiberg

A one-time All-Star in the NBA, Bob Boozer played 11 seasons in the Association and was a champion in 1970-71 with the Bucks. Boozer was a good defender and sturdy rebounder who could finish with aplomb around the basket.

Boozer was born in Omaha, Nebraska, attending Omaha Technical School before going to Kansas State for college. The No. 1 pick in the 1959 NBA draft, Boozer didn’t quite live up to those expectations but was a good starter for many years and peaked as a borderline star in his prime. He even won a gold medal as a member of the 1960 U.S. men’s national team, averaging 42.4 points over eight games in that Olympic run.

Nevada: Greg Anthony

New Hampshire: Duncan Robinson

Runner-up: Matt Bonner

Robinson was born in Maine but grew up in New Castle, New Hampshire, a small town of roughly 1,000 people.

Robinson’s journey was an interesting one because, after high school, he ended up going to D-III basketball powerhouse Williams College Ephs. Once there as a freshman, Robinson shot 44.8 percent from three while helping lead the program to a 28-5 record. A coaching change then led to Robinson receiving D-1 offers, eventually landing at Michigan where he was an excellent role player for three years before getting to the NBA, breaking through with the Miami Heat as an undrafted player.

New Jersey: Shaquille O'Neal

Runner-up: Rick Barry, Kyrie Irving

Arguably the most dominant big man of all time, particularly in his prime, Shaquille O’Neal is the best player to come out of New Jersey, beating out two other all-timers in Rick Barry and Kyrie Irving for the honor.

The only reason there was some hesitancy in picking O’Neal here was the fact that he also spent parts of his youth in Germany at a military base before graduating high school in Texas. Even so, he spent the most time in the Garden State, making him clear the choice considering his four championships, three Finals MVPs, one regular season MVP, 15 All-Star appearances and eight 1st Team All-NBA nods.

New Mexico: Bill Bridges

Runner-up: Andre Roberson

A three-time NBA All-Star, Bill Bridges was an elite defender, making two 2nd Team All-Defenses in his career as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. Bridges would later win a championship in 1974-75 as a role player with Rich Barry and the Warriors.

Bridges, a power forward, was also an outstanding rebounder, averaging 11.9 boards for his career and ranking 30th all-time in rebounds to this day.

A native of Hobbs, New Mexico, Bridges went to Hobbs High School where he won two state championships in 1956 and 1957 playing for Ralph Tasker, a legend in the high school coaching world.

New York: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Runner-ups: Julius Erving, Bob Cousy, Dolph Schayes, Nate Archibald, Bernard King

New York gave us plenty of options to pick as the best to come out of the talent-rich state, many of which would have been the best players to come out of a lot of other states.

Still, there was a pretty clear-cut No. 1 option, and that was underrated GOAT candidate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer for nearly 40 years, Abdul-Jabbar was born in Harlem where he was already dunking as an eighth grader. In high school, Abdul-Jabbar, playing for Power Memorial Academy, led his team to three New York City Catholic championships, going 79-2 in high school and leading the team on a 71-game win streak.

Abdul-Jabbar would later go to UCLA where he’d win three national championships and be named National Player of the Year three times before embarking on one of the greatest NBA careers of all time.

North Carolina: Michael Jordan

Runner-ups: Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Dominique Wilkins, James Worthy, Bob McAdoo

Another extremely talent-rich state, North Carolina has produced some of the greatest players basketball has ever seen, including the one who many still consider the GOAT to this day, Michael Jordan.

Some of the runner-ups here might feel hard done by our choice to have Jordan coming out of North Carolina despite being born in New York. However, His Airness moved to Wilmington, North Carolina as a five-year-old and he spent the rest of his youth there through high school before then even attending college in the state as a North Carolina Tar Heel legend.

Jordan famously didn’t make his varsity high school basketball team as a sophomore before going through a growth spurt and finally making varsity a junior. The eventual five-time league MVP would explode as a basketball prospect over the next two years, eventually being named a McDonald’s All-American and getting recruited by some of the best college programs in the country.

At North Carolina, Jordan would win a national championship as a freshman and be named National Player of the Year as a junior before getting selected third overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Bulls and going on to win six NBA championships, six Finals MVPs and be named a 14-time All-Star and 10-time 1st Team All-NBAer.

North Dakota: Doug McDermott

Runner-ups: Tyler Johnson, Phil Jackson

Born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Doug McDermott would attend high school in Iowa and play alongside Harris Barnes, where the duo won 53 consecutive games and back-to-back state titles.

McDermott would then have an outstanding college career at Creighton, winning National Player of the Year in 2014 and making three straight consensus 1st Team All-American teams before getting to the NBA.

Ohio: LeBron James

Runner-ups: John Havlicek, Nate Thurmond, Jerry Lucas

If not Abdul-Jabbar or Jordan, then certainly your GOAT is LeBron James. What there is no doubt about is that James is the best player to come out of Ohio.

Born in Akron, James came up at the perfect time to explode in popularity as basketball was still hugely mainstream coming off of the Jordan era. What’s more, high-speed Internet was becoming more common around the world, leading to an unprecedented level of hype for James, who was the first high school sophomore ever to be named Ohio Mr. Basketball and a USA Today All-USA 1st Teamer, and the first high school junior to win Gatorade National Player of the Year ever.

James would finish his high school career in Ohio with three straight USA Today All-USA 1st Team nods, three straight Ohio Mr. Basketballs and back-to-back Gatorade National Player of the Year awards, all while having various games be aired on the ESPN networks and getting front cover honors for Sports Illustrated, all unprecedented feats.

Now the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with four championships, four Finals MVPs and four regular-season MVPs, as well as a record 20 All-Star appearances, James has made a strong case to be the NBA’s GOAT, not just Ohio’s GOAT.

Oklahoma: Blake Griffin

Runner-ups: Mark Price, Alvan Adams

An Oklahoma man through and through, Blake Griffin was born in Oklahoma City, went to high school at Oklahoma Christian and went to Oklahoma University before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft.

Griffin was a dominant player in high school, winning four state championships in a row, the first two of which came alongside his older brother, Taylor Griffin, who ended up going to Oklahoma himself. That played a large part in the younger Griffin brother becoming a Sooner despite being a McDonald’s All-American with offers from far more prestigious basketball programs around the country.

Griffin went 106-6 in high school, eventually becoming National College Player of the Year at Oklahoma and a consensus All-American during his sophomore season.

It’s unfortunate injuries cut Griffin’s NBA prime short because the explosive power forward was on his way to becoming a surefire Hall-of-Famer early on, earning six All-Star nods, three 2nd Team All-NBAs and two 3rd Team All-NBAs during his time in the Association.

Oregon: Danny Ainge

Pennsylvania: Wilt Chamberlain

Runner-ups: Kobe Bryant, Paul Arizin, Earl Monroe

A hugely difficult decision here between Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant as the best player to come out of Pennsylvania. Ultimately, we went with Chamberlain, choosing his sheer dominance over Bryant playing in a tougher era.

Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia as one of nine kids and got up to six feet tall by the time he was 10 years old, surviving a scary bout with pneumonia along the way. After originally not wanting to play basketball, Chamberlain became a star in the sport quickly, already standing at 6-foot-11 by the time he was a freshman in high school.

Chamberlain would win three City Titles at Overbrook High School, putting up scoring performances of 90, 78 and 74 points throughout his career, before eventually attending Kansas University under the legendary Phog Allen, where he became a two-time consensus 1st Team All-American.

Chamberlain’s eventual NBA career speaks for itself – we rank him as the sixth-best player ever – as he won two championships, one Finals MVP and four regular-season MVPs to go with 13 All-Star appearances and seven 1st Team All-NBAs.

Rhode Island: Marvin Barnes

Runner-up: Ernie DiGregorio

A two-time All-Star in the ABA, Marvin Barnes spent four seasons in the NBA as a role player before completing his playing career overseas. Barnes was also a 2nd Team All-ABAer in 1974-75 when he averaged 24.1 points and 10.8 rebounds as a member of the Spirits of Saint Louis.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Barnes went to Central High School in the same city and then to Providence College before starting his solid professional career.

South Carolina: Kevin Garnett

Runner-ups: Ray Allen, Pete Maravich, Alex English, Zion Williamson

One of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, Kevin Garnett was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and attended Mauldin High School for three years where he blossomed into one of the best prep players in the country. An unfortunate incident in high school involving a racially charged fight led to Garnett’s arrest. The charges against Garnett were eventually expunged but he still left South Carolina, transferring to Farragut Career Academy in Chicago for his senior year.

Once there, Garnett was named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today and Mr. Basketball for the state of Illinois before jumping directly to the NBA out of high school, becoming the first player since 1975 to be drafted to the NBA directly out of high school.

The rest is history, as Garnett would cement himself as one of the Association’s all-time bigs, with a championship, 15 All-Star appearances and four 1st Team All-NBAs under his belt.

South Dakota: Mike Miller

Popular sharpshooter Mike Miller was born in Mitchell, South Dakota, in 1980 and attended Mitchell High School, where he would play well enough to earn a scholarship from the University of Florida. At Florida, Miller would make himself known thanks to his shooting ability, helping guide the Gators to the 2000 national championship game – a loss for UF – before he declared for the NBA draft.

Once in the NBA, Miller would turn into a very solid role player for many years, one with scoring, rebounding and some playmaking skills but particularly adept as an outside shooter. Some of Miller’s NBA accolades include Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and two rings as a member of the Big 3 Miami Heat.

Tennessee: Anfernee Hardaway

Runner-up: Bailey Howell

It’s unfortunate that injuries cut Penny Hardaway’s prime short in the way that they did because he looked like he was on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory early on in his career.

Hardaway was an All-Star from his second season through his fifth season – four in total – and a 1st Team All-NBAer in his second and third seasons as a professional, an insane feat to pull off for a young player. The Tennessee native even finished third in MVP voting in his third season, 1995-96, when he averaged 21.7 points, 7.1 assists and 2.0 steals on 51.3 percent shooting.

Alas, by the time he was 30, Hardaway was pretty much just a role player due to injuries. Even so, he’s the greatest player to ever come out of Tennessee.

Texas: Clyde Drexler

Runner-ups: Chris Bosh, Dennis Rodman, Jimmy Butler

Despite being born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Hall-of-Fame guard Clyde Drexler moved to Houston, Texas quite young, growing up in Texas and attending high school at Sterling High School to kick off his playing career.

Drexler even went to the University of Houston, teaming up with Hakeem Olajuwon as the duo helped form an iconic team known as Phi Slama Jama, reaching back-to-back Final Fours in the early 80s though failing to bring home a national championship.

In the NBA, Drexler would become one of the league’s best-ever shooting guards, wrapping up his career with one championship, 10 All-Star appearances and five All-NBA nods (one 1st Team, two 2nds and two 3rds).

Utah: Tom Chambers

Tom Chambers was born in Ogden, Utah, in 1959, and attended the University of Utah where he was named 1st Team All-MAC before becoming the eighth pick of the 1981 NBA draft.

In the NBA, Chambers was a four-time All-Star, even winning All-Star Game MVP in 1987. He was also a two-time 2nd Team All-NBAer in 1989 and 1990.

Vermont: Taylor Coppenrath

This might be a good time to point out that Vermont is the second-smallest state in America by population, leaving us without that many options here. As such, we went with Taylor Coppenrath as the best player to ever come out of Vermont despite him never reaching the NBA level past a Summer League stint with the Boston Celtics in 2005.

Coppenrath was born in Barnet, Vermont, played for St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont and even attended the University of Vermont, where he was a three-time honorable mention All-American, according to AP.

Virginia: Moses Malone

Runner-ups: David Robinson, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning

Born in Petersburg, Virginia, Moses Malone spent his entire youth there, attending Petersburg High School where he won back-to-back state championships and signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Maryland.

Instead of going to college, however, Malone would go from high school to the ABA directly where he spent two seasons before going to the NBA. Once there, Malone became one of the best big men in league history, winning an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1983, a Finals MVP, three regular-season MVP awards, making 12 All-Star appearances and four 1st Team All-NBAs by the time he was finished.

Malone ranks fifth all-time in career rebounds to this day, too.

Washington: John Stockton

Runner-up: Luke Ridnour

The NBA’s all-time assist leader by such a margin that it truly looks like one of the league’s most unbreakable records, John Stockton was a 10-time All-Star, an 11-time All-NBAer, including two 1st Teams, and led the league assists nine separate times, as well as in steals twice.

Stockton is from Spokane, Washington, and attended Gonzaga Prep before going to Gonzaga University, all in the state of Washington.

West Virginia: Jerry West

Runner-up: Hal Greer

Not a ton of NBA players have come out of West Virginia. One who did, however, was Jerry West, making this an easy choice.

West was born in Chelyan, West Virginia, in 1938 and overcame a tough upbringing in a poor household to eventually end up at West Virginia University where he became a two-time 1st Team All-American and a Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1959 despite not winning a national championship with the Mountaineers. He did get to the championship game in 1959 but fell by one point to Cal.

As a high schooler, West went from being a bench player due to lack of size to an All-American in 1956 and West Virginia Player of the Year as he led East Bank High School to a state championship.

West’s NBA accolades afterward speak for themselves, as he was a 14-time All-Star, a 10-time 1st Team All-NBAer and a one-time champion in 1972, all as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He would then become one of the league’s best executives ever, winning eight championships as an exec with the Lakers and Warriors and twice taking home NBA Executive of the Year.

Simply put, West is one of the most important people in the NBA’s proud history.

Wisconsin: Latrell Sprewell

Runner-ups: Terry Porter, Nick Van Exel

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Latrell Sprewell went to Washington High School in the same city before attending community college and eventually the University of Alabama before getting to the NBA.

Sprewell was the 24th pick in the 1992 draft and became a four-time All-Star and 1st Team All-NBAer in 1994.

Wyoming: James Johnson

Runner-ups: Vern Gardner

The smallest state in the country by population, Wyoming has surprisingly produced multiple NBA players. The best player to come out of the state is James Johnson, a 14-year NBA veteran who has gotten Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year votes in the past.

Johnson was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and went to Cheyenne East High School before attending Wake Forest and getting to the NBA.

Story originally appeared on HoopsHype