Ohio State Buckeyes place three on top 10 of all-time best NBA players from Ohio
Ohio may be more of a football state than basketball hotbed, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t produced more than its share of elite roundball talent.
What follows is the cream of the professional crop – the top-10 Ohio-born hoopsters who went on to make it big in the NBA.
The starting five are obvious, but after that the decision-making becomes more difficult. Wayne Embry or Charles Oakley? Alvin Robertson or Jim Jackson? This much is certain: Akron knows how to grow great players.
LeBron James
Hometown: Akron.
6-foot-9 G/F
The King deserves the throne, having averaged 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists over a 20-year career that has seen him win four NBA titles with three different teams. He is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 38,923 points.
John Havlicek
Hometown: Martins Ferry
6-5 G/F
“Hondo” enjoyed a ridiculously rich pro career after leaving Ohio State. Billed as one of the best “sixth men” in NBA history, he averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics.
Stephen Curry
Hometown: Akron
6-2 G
Perhaps the purest clutch shooter in league history, Curry spent the first three months of his life in Akron before his father, Dell, was left unprotected by the Cleveland Cavaliers and picked up by the expansion Charlotte Hornets. Steph, who says he is Akron-born but Charlotte-raised, averages 24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists, owns four NBA title rings and ranks first in career 3-pointers made with 3,452.
Jerry Lucas
Hometown: Middletown
6-8 PF/C
Over 13 seasons, the former Ohio State center averaged 17 points, 15.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He won an NBA title with the New York Knicks in 1973 and once grabbed 40 rebounds in a game.
Nate Thurmond
Hometown: Akron
6-11 PF/C
Nate the Great averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds over a 15-year career that saw him make seven All-Star teams. The Bowling Green graduate became the first NBA player to record a quadruple-double and in 1965 became the third player to grab at least 42 rebounds in a game, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
CJ McCollum
Hometown: Canton
6-3 SG
The “second team” begins with McCollum, who may not be as recognizable to older fans but certainly deserves to be listed among the best. His 19.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists are stellar. He was voted NBA Most Improved Player in 2015-16.
Michael Redd
Hometown: Columbus
6-6 SG/SF
The Columbus West grad left Ohio State early to pursue his NBA dream, which became a nightmare for opponents trying to guard him. Redd averaged 19 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 12 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.
Alvin Robertson
Hometown: Barberton
6-4 SG
Voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1986 with San Antonio, Robertson holds the league career steals record with 2.71 per game and remains the only player to collect 300 steals in a season. Not just a defensive specialist, he averaged 14 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5 assists over a career that spanned 11 seasons.
Wayne Embry
Hometown: Springfield
6-8 C
One of the NBA’s early enforcers, Embry perfected the pick-and-roll with Oscar Robertson when both played for the Cincinnati Royals, and he protected the Big O and other teammates with his 240 pounds of “Don’t mess with me.” But he was more than a bodyguard, averaging 12.5 points and 9.1 rebounds over a 11-year career. After retiring as a player, the Miami graduate switched to an executive role, becoming the first Black general manager and team president in NBA history.
Gus Johnson Jr.
Hometown: Akron
6-6 PF
This Gus Johnson made his noise on the floor, not in the broadcast booth. One of the game’s early dunk artists, Johnson played above the rim so successfully that Washington Bullets owner Abe Pollin described him as “The Dr. J of his time.” Johnson averaged 16.2 points and 12.1 rebounds over a 11-year career.
Honorable mention
Charles Oakley (Cleveland); Ron Harper (Dayton), Herb Williams (Columbus), Clark Kellogg (Cleveland), Jim Jackson (Toledo), Jim Paxson (Dayton); Jim Cleamons (Columbus); Gary Grant (Canton); Gary Trent (Columbus); Larry Siegfried (Shelby); John Paxson (Dayton); Kevin Grevey (Hamilton).
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: LeBron James, Ohio State stars top list of all-time best NBA players
