1.
Akron, Ohio
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Akron /ˈækrən/ is the fifth-largest city in the U. S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau. As of the 2015 Census Estimate, the city proper had a population of 197,542. The Akron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area covers Summit and Portage counties and it is also part of the larger Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area, which in 2013 had a population of 3,501,538, ranking 15th. Co-founded along the Little Cuyahoga River in 1825 by Simon Perkins and Paul Williams, it was done so being a point at the summit of the developing Ohio. The name derived from the Greek word ἄκρον signifying a summit or high point, due to Eliakim Crosby founding North Akron in 1833, South was added to its name until the two merged into an incorporated village in 1836. Neighboring settlements Kenmore and Ellet became annexed in 1929 and it is a setting for several movie films, television shows and novel stories, and is the origin of fictional characters. Residents of the city are called Akronites and it has had many nicknames, three of which are Rubber Capital of the World, Rubber City and City of Invention. Akron became a manufacturing center owing to its location on the canal, as well as being connected to numerous others and railroad lines. The city is home to the All-American Soapbox Derby, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, Akron City Hospital, the Goodyear Polymer Center, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Listed by Newsweek as one of ten Information Age high tech havens, it was awarded by the National Civic League, residents Frank and Charles Menches have a disputed claim of inventing the hamburger thus the annual national festival is hosted in the city. A creature often referred to as the Kenmore Grassman is reported through history, Notable historical events that occurred in the city includes the Akron School Law of 1847 creating the K-12 system, and Sojourner Truth giving her Aint I A Woman. Resident Ferdinand Schumacher supplied the Union Army with quaker oats during the American Civil War. Akron is known for the rubber, tire, and airship industries among others, including the trucking, stoneware, sewer pipe, fishing tackle, farming equipment, mining, match, zipper, and toy industries. With a population increase of 201. 8% during the 1910s, three major civil unrest events took place during the riot of 1900, rubber strike of 1936, and the Wooster Avenue riots of 1968. Du Bois and President Bill Clinton gave speeches on race relations in the city, while visiting during August 1914, Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association. In 1971, James R. Williams founded Alpha Phi Alpha Homes Inc. to build the Channelwood Village area of Akron. During a 2016 march on West Market Street, purple heart Vietnam War veteran, Notable criminal history includes mobster Rosario Borgio headquartering the areas black hand operations, and Pretty Boy Floyds Walker-Mitchell mobs activities
Akron, Ohio
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Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
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Flag
Akron, Ohio
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Original town plot of Akron
Akron, Ohio
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Quaker Square as it appeared in 1979
2.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
Basketball
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Michael Jordan goes for a
slam dunk
Basketball
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The first basketball court:
Springfield College
Basketball
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The 1899 University of Kansas basketball team, with James Naismith at the back, right.
Basketball
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A basketball game between the
Heart Mountain and Powell High School girls teams, Wyoming, March 1944
3.
Bowling Green State University
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Bowling Green State University is a large, primarily residential, public research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The 1, 338-acre main academic and residential campus is located 15 miles south of Toledo, over the universitys history, it developed from a small rural normal school into a comprehensive public university. As of 2012 Bowling Green offered over 200 undergraduate programs, as well as masters and its academic programs have been nationally ranked by Forbes magazine, U. S. News & World Report, and Washington Monthly. The 2011 Carnegie Foundation classified BGSU as having high research activity, Research projects in the areas of psychology, sociology, education and human development, energy and sustainability are among the most prominent. BGSU had a residential student population of 6,500 students. The university also maintains a campus, known as BGSU Firelands, in Huron. Although the majority of students attend classes on BGSUs main campus, about 2,500 students attend classes at Firelands, about 85% of Bowling Greens students are from Ohio. The university hosts a student life program, with over 300 student organizations. The campus is home to events including the Dance Marathon, Winterfest. During the period, people of northwestern Ohio campaigned for a school in their region to better quality education. Bowling Green offered four possible sites and became one of four finalists including Fremont, Napoleon, despite the town being the home of John Lowry, Napoleon was ruled out because the commission found it had numerous saloons. Fremont was eliminated due to the specific stipulations imposed by the President Rutherford B. Hayes Memorial Commission. Bowling Green was chosen on November 10,1910 over Van Wert in a 3–2 vote by the commission, at the same time, the commission chose Kent for a school in Northeastern Ohio. Over the years 1911 and 1912, the Board of Trustees was appointed by the Governor, a campus plan was created and $150,000 was appropriated to develop the campus and construct the first buildings. The school opened on September 15,1914 as Bowling Green State Normal School in two locations at the Bowling Green Armory and at a branch school in Toledo for the 1914–1915 academic year. It initially enrolled 304 students from Ohio, Michigan, and New York who were taught by 21 faculty members, the school graduated its first class in 1915, consisting of 35 certified teachers. University Hall and Williams Hall opened that year, the schools first two permanent buildings, two years later the first baccalaureate degrees for teacher education were awarded. On March 28,1920 a tornado, part of the 1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, the tornado touched down near Bowling Green and strengthened as it moved into Ottawa County where it killed two people in Genoa
Bowling Green State University
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First known photograph of the campus, taken in 1910 before buildings were erected.
Bowling Green State University
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Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
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Bowling Green Normal School in 1915
Bowling Green State University
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Aerial view of the campus, circa early 1930s.
4.
University of Toledo
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The University of Toledo, commonly referred to as U of Toledo or UT, is a public research university located in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The university was founded in 1872 in downtown Toledo as the Toledo University of Arts, the university moved to its current location in the Ottawa neighborhood in 1931. Toledo has over 100,000 living alumni and has a current enrollment of over 20,000 students, the university has a vibrant campus life, with over 300 student organizations. Its athletic teams, called the Rockets, are members of the Mid-American Conference, the University of Toledo began in 1872 as a private arts and trades school offering subjects such as painting and architectural drawing. The idea behind the school was fostered by Jesup Wakeman Scott, a newspaper editor. Scotts publication expressed his belief that the center of commerce was moving westward. The universitys original mission was to furnish artists and artisans with the best facilities for a culture in their professions. Scott died in 1874, a year before the university opened in an old building downtown Toledo. By the late 1870s the school was in trouble and after thirty years in operation. On January 8,1884, the assets of the school became property of the city of Toledo, the school reopened as the under direction of the city as the Toledo Manual Training School. It offered a program for students at least 13 years old who received both academic and manual instruction. Raymond also created the College of Arts and Sciences, despite the expansion, the school struggled financially and endured various legal battles over control. A. Monroe Stowe became president in 1914, and helped organize and stabilize the university, Stowe founded the College of Commerce and Industry in 1914, and the College of Education in 1916. During the period, enrollment grew from 200 students to around 1,500, along with the expanded academic offerings, extracurricular activities increased with the universitys first intercollegiate athletic programs forming in 1915, including football in 1917. Other organizations formed, such as the addition of a student council, the athletic programs received their nickname, the Rockets, in 1923 from a newspaper writer, who thought the name reflected the teams playing style. By the 1920s, Toledo University was an institution, limited only by the buildings that housed it. Classes were held in two buildings, but both were too small. Despite being twice the size of the old buildings, the location on the Scott land quickly became outdated after a 32 percent increase in enrollment created a shortage in classroom space, in 1928, Henry J. Doermann became president and soon initiated plans for a new campus
University of Toledo
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University Hall was completed in 1931.
University of Toledo
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Crest of the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
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Horton International House was part of the building boom of the 1980s and 1990s.
University of Toledo
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University Hall sits behind Centennial Mall in the foreground.
5.
Otterbein College
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Otterbein University is a small, highly residential, private, four-year liberal arts college in Westerville, Ohio, United States. It offers 74 majors and 44 minors as well as eight graduate programs, featured programs include engineering, business management, education, and music, as well as programs and pre-professional advising that prepare students for study in law and medicine. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, as a result of a division and two mergers involving the church, the university has since 1968 been associated with the United Methodist Church. The university is named for United Brethren founder the Rev. Philip William Otterbein, in 2010, its name reverted from Otterbein College to Otterbein University to reflect the increasing array of graduate and undergraduate programs offered. It is primarily an undergraduate institution with approximately 2,300 undergraduate and 450 graduate students on the campus, Otterbein has over 100 student organizations and a popular Greek presence. The schools mascot is Cardy the Cardinal and the school is a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference in Division III athletics, Otterbein University was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. As a result of a division and two mergers involving the Church, the university has since 1968 been associated with the United Methodist Church, the University is named for United Brethren founder the Rev. Philip William Otterbein. The Otterbein campus is located in Westerville, Ohio and it sits between Alum Creek on the west and State Street on the east. West Home Street, which runs through the center of campus, is the address of most of the homes and student residence halls. The north end of the campus is home to most underclassman housing, overall, the Campus occupies 140 acres Towers Hall is the oldest building on campus and is designated as a national landmark. Towers Hall is a 55,619 square foot structure that was opened in 1871, a gallery of portraits of former Otterbein presidents is located on the second floor. Towers Hall houses the Departments of English, History and Political Science, Religion and Philosophy, Foreign Language, Sociology, the Frank Museum of Art houses Otterbeins collection of art from Africa, Japan and New Guinea. The museum is located in the former Church House of Lillian Frank, upon her death, the structure was given for the purpose of creating a museum for the Universitys collection. The building was built in 1877, opened as a museum in the winter 2004. The Rike Recreation Center is a complex containing a varsity basketball court, an in-door track and practice courts, a weight room. The complex also includes outdoor softball, baseball and soccer fields, the complex was completed in 1975 and has 72,500 square feet. The domed roof encloses an intercollegiate hardwood basketball floor with seating for 3,100, memorial Stadium is Otterbeins football stadium. The stadium contains state-of-the-art locker rooms, a room and an equipment room
Otterbein College
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Otterbein University
6.
Liberal arts college
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A liberal arts college is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences. A liberal arts college aims to impart a broad knowledge and develop general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational. Other researchers have adopted similar definitions, most liberal arts colleges outside of the United States follow this model. Liberal arts colleges are distinguished from other types of higher education chiefly by their generalist curricula and these attributes have various secondary effects in terms of administration as well as student experience. For example, class size is much lower at liberal arts colleges than at universities. Many students select liberal arts colleges with precisely this sense of connection in mind. From an administrative standpoint, the size of liberal arts colleges contributes to their cohesion. Job satisfaction is also higher in liberal arts colleges, for both faculty and staff. In addition, most liberal arts colleges are residential, which means students live and learn away from home. The distinctiveness of these attributes is somewhat eroded by the tendency of universities to adopt aspects of the arts college. In addition, some universities have maintained a sub-unit that preserves many aspects of the arts college. Liberal arts colleges themselves sometimes cluster to offer greater curricular breadth or share other resources, most liberal arts colleges nowadays, however, offer more than just liberal arts subjects, such as computer science from the formal science discipline. Liberal arts colleges are found in all parts of the world, the Global Liberal Arts Alliance, which incorporates institutions on five continents, refers to itself as an international, multilateral partnership of American style liberal arts institutions. These colleges served as a means of spreading a basically European cultural model across the new country, the model proliferated in the 19th century, some 212 small liberal arts colleges were established between 1850 and 1899. As of 1987, there were about 540 liberal arts colleges in the United States, the oldest liberal arts college in America is considered to be Washington College, the first college chartered after American independence. Olaf College as well as Augsburg College in Minnesota, and the Claremont Colleges in Southern California, most are private institutions, but a handful of public liberal arts schools exist, such as the University of Mary Washington, and New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. Liberal arts colleges are found in Canada, including Mount Allison University, Bishops University. In the Netherlands, universities have opened constituent liberal arts colleges under the university college since the late 1990s
Liberal arts college
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Saint Anselm College, a traditional
New England liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
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Discussion class at
Shimer College in Chicago
Liberal arts college
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Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts college in Illinois
Liberal arts college
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Class at
Bard College Berlin, in Europe
7.
Columbus, Ohio
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Columbus is the capital and largest city of the U. S. state of Ohio. It is the 15th-largest city in the United States, with a population of 850,106 as of 2015 estimates and this makes Columbus the fourth-most populous state capital in the United States, and the third-largest city in the Midwestern United States. It is the city of the Columbus, Ohio, Metropolitan Statistical Area. With a population of 2,021,632, it is Ohios third-largest metropolitan area, Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County. The city proper has also expanded and annexed portions of adjoining Delaware County, named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816. As of 2013, the city has the headquarters of five corporations in the U. S, fortune 500, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, American Electric Power, L Brands, Big Lots, and Cardinal Health. In 2012, Columbus was ranked in BusinessWeeks 50 best cities in America. In 2013, Forbes gave Columbus an A rating as one of the top cities for business in the U. S. and later that included the city on its list of Best Places for Business. Columbus was also ranked as the No.1 up-and-coming tech city in the nation by Forbes in 2008, and the city was ranked a top-ten city by Relocate America in 2010. In 2007, fDi Magazine ranked the city no.3 in the U. S. for cities of the future, and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was rated no.1 in 2009 by USA Travel Guide. The area including modern-day Columbus once comprised the Ohio Country, under the control of the French colonial empire through the Viceroyalty of New France from 1663 until 1763. In the 18th century, European traders flocked to the area, the area found itself frequently caught between warring factions, including American Indian and European interests. In the 1740s, Pennsylvania traders overran the territory until the French forcibly evicted them, in the early 1750s, the Ohio Company sent George Washington to the Ohio Country to survey. Fighting for control of the territory in the French and Indian War became part of the international Seven Years War, during this period, the region routinely suffered turmoil, massacres, and battles. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded the Ohio Country to the British Empire, after the American Revolution, the Ohio Country became part of the Virginia Military District, under the control of the United States. Colonists from the East Coast moved in, but rather finding a empty frontier, they encountered people of the Miami, Delaware, Wyandot, Shawnee. The tribes resisted expansion by the fledgling United States, leading to years of bitter conflict, the decisive Battle of Fallen Timbers resulted in the Treaty of Greenville, which finally opened the way for new settlements. By 1797, a surveyor from Virginia named Lucas Sullivant had founded a permanent settlement on the west bank of the forks of the Scioto River
Columbus, Ohio
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Images, from top left to right:
Downtown Columbus, Ohio Statehouse Capitol Square, University Hall (Ohio State University),
Short North,
Nationwide Arena, Santa Maria replica
Columbus, Ohio
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Old City Hall, completed in 1872 and burned in 1921
Columbus, Ohio
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The Great Southern Hotel, located in downtown Columbus was completed in 1897
Columbus, Ohio
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Legendary Columbus native
James Thurber, subject of
TIME Magazine's July 9, 1951, cover
8.
Nate Thurmond
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Nathaniel Nate Thurmond was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association with the Golden State Warriors. He played the center and power forward positions, Thurmond was a seven-time All-Star and the first player in NBA history to record an official quadruple-double. In 1965, he grabbed 42 rebounds in a game, only Wilt Chamberlain, Thurmond was named both a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Known to fans as Nate the Great, Thurmond has had his No.42 jersey retired by both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thurmond starred at Akrons Central High School, where he played alongside fellow future NBA star Gus Johnson. Passing up an offer from Ohio State to avoid becoming a backup to Jerry Lucas. Thurmond led the Mid-American Conference in rebounds during all three of his varsity seasons, and was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News in 1963. In Thurmonds last two years with Bowling Green, he helped lead the team into the NCAA Tournament and he set a record with 31 rebounds in his final college game. Thurmond was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors in the 1963 NBA draft, as a rookie, he mainly played a supporting role alongside Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain. Thurmond averaged 7 points and 10.4 rebounds in his first NBA season and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1964, after Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the next season, Thurmond blossomed into a highly productive starting center for the Warriors. Among his many accomplishments, Thurmond set a season record for rebounds in a quarter with 18. However, even with the contributions of star teammates like Rick Barry and they reached the 1967 NBA Finals, but lost to Chamberlains 76ers. Thurmond was acquired by the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Clifford Ray, the Bulls had felt a need for one starting center rather than continue with a three-man rotation of Ray, Tom Boerwinkle and Dennis Awtrey. The Warriors added more fiscal stability when completing the deal, thirteen games into the 1975–76 season, Thurmond was traded along with Rowland Garrett to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Steve Patterson and Eric Fernsten on November 27,1975. After retirement, Thurmond returned to San Francisco and opened a restaurant and he sold the restaurant after 20 years, while living in San Francisco with his wife, Marci. He was given the title Warriors Legend & Ambassador by the Warriors organization, Thurmond died on July 16,2016, nine days away from his 75th birthday, after a short battle with leukemia. Alvin Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson are the other players to achieve a quadruple-double. Hall of Fame profile NBA profile Carrer statistics and player informations on Basketball-Reference. com
Nate Thurmond
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Thurmond with the Cavaliers in 1976
Nate Thurmond
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Thurmond at the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 19, 2015
9.
Bowling Green Falcons
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The Bowling Green Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Bowling Green State University, located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Falcons participate in NCAA Division I in the Mid-American Conference, BGSU is one of only 15 universities in the nation that plays Division I FBS football and Division I mens ice hockey. The Falcons have won three conference championships in womens basketball in 2005,2006, and 2007. The womens soccer team captured the conference crown, the Falcons main rivals are the Toledo Rockets, separated by just 20 miles of Interstate 75 in northwestern Ohio, the two schools celebrate a heated rivalry in several sports. The best known of these games is the football game. The winner now takes home a bronzed I-75 road sign, the winner used to take home the Peace Pipe, a Native American peace pipe placed upon a wood tablet. The Falcons are a historical MAC powerhouse winning ten conference championships, the Falcons and Kent State also compete for the Anniversary Award which commemorates the two institutions founding in 1910 with the passing of the Lowry bill. Famous Falcon football players include Kory Lichtensteiger, Shaun Suisham and Don Nehlen, notable Bowling Green coaches include College Football Hall of Fame members Doyt Perry and Don Nehlen, as well as Ohio State coach Urban Meyer. The womens basketball team has won ten tournaments, eleven regular season championships. The womens basketball team has made the NCAA tournament nine times, the 2006-07 team became the first womens basketball team from the MAC to reach the Sweet Sixteen after defeating 10th-seeded Oklahoma State 70–60 and upset 2nd-seeded Vanderbilt 60–59. The current head coach of the Falcons is Jennifer Roos, in her first full season as head coach, Roos led the team to the third round of the WNIT. Roos served on the staff of previous BGSU Womens Basketball head coach Curt Miller, Miller also led the Falcons to five conference tournament championships and six consecutive regular season championships. The Falcons defeated Minnesota-Duluth 5–4 in the fourth overtime, the game is the longest NCAA ice hockey game ever played. The game was broadcast on WBGU, called by John Bowers, John is now with the Cleveland Indians. Prominent coaches Ron Mason and Jerry York spent time as coaches at Bowling Green before leaving for very successful stints at Michigan State. The Falcons are currently coached by former Miami RedHawks assistant coach and player and he replaced interim head coach Denis Williams who took over for Scott Paluch for the 2009-10 season. Paluch had been the Falcons head coach from the 2002-03 season through the 2008-09 season, over seven seasons, Paluch posted a record of 84-156-23, with his best season coming during the 2004-05 season in which the Falcons finished in 5th place in the CCHA with a 16-16-4 record. Under Paluch, the Falcons only got past the CCHA Tournament First Round once, defeating Lake Superior 2 games to 1, named in honor of former football coach Doyt Perry, the stadium was opened in 1966 replacing University Stadium
Bowling Green Falcons
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Bowling Green Falcons
10.
Anderson Arena
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The arena, which opened in 1960, served as the home arena for the Bowling Green mens and womens basketball teams and womens volleyball team until 2011. Following their season finales in 2010 and 2011, the moved into the newly built Stroh Center on the east side of campus. It originally had a capacity of 4,700 people for basketball games. For gymnastics meets, the capacity is 2,800, the arena is named after Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Harold Anderson, who coached Bowling Greens mens basketball team from 1942–63, leading the Falcons to three NCAA tournament appearances. Anderson Arena played host to the game of the 1983 Mid-American Conference Mens Basketball Tournament. The arena also hosted first round games for the NCAA Division I Womens Basketball Tournament in 1989,1993 and 1994, by the dawn of the new millennium, problems arose with the arena. There were only two restrooms in the entire arena--a serious problem whenever attendance was anywhere near capacity and it lacked a number of modern conveniences, such as air conditioning. The concession facilities were well behind the times and its acoustics and seating arrangement for concerts left much to be desired. Most severely, it was nowhere near compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Bowling Green mens basketball team won their final regular season game at Anderson Arena, defeating Buffalo 73–63. Carol A. Cartwright and Ellen Anderson, the daughter of former coach, the ceremony included a video tribute and a few speeches were given reminiscing the history of the arena. The final commencement ceremonies at the Anderson Arena occurred on May 6–7,2011 with 1,958 undergraduate and graduate students receiving their diplomas in four ceremonies over the two days
Anderson Arena
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Anderson Arena
11.
Basketball Hall of Fame
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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as the sports most complete library, in addition to promoting and preserving the history of basketball, dedicated to Canadian physician and inventor of the sport James Naismith, it was opened and inducted its first class in 1959. As of the induction of the Class of 2016 on September 9,2016, the Naismith Hall of Fame was established in 1959 by Lee Williams, a former athletic director at Colby College. In the 1960s, the Basketball Hall of Fame struggled to raise money for the construction of its first facility. The Basketball Hall of Fames Board named four inductees in its first year, in addition to honoring those who contributed to basketball, the Hall of Fame sought to make contributions of its own. In 1979, the Hall of Fame sponsored the Tip-Off Classic and this Tip-Off Classic has been the start to the college basketball season ever since, and although it does not always take place in Springfield, Massachusetts, generally it returns every few years. In the 17 years that the original Basketball Hall of Fame operated at Springfield College, the popularity of the Basketball Hall of Fame necessitated that a new facility be constructed, and in 1985, an $11 million facility was built beside the scenic Connecticut River in Springfield. As the new hall opened, it also recognized women for the first time, with such as Senda Berenson Abbott. In 2002, the Basketball Hall of Fame moved again—albeit merely 100 yards south along Springfields riverfront—into a $47 million facility designed by renowned architects Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, the buildings architecture features a metallic silver, basketball-shaped sphere flanked by two similarly symmetrical rhombuses. The dome is illuminated at night and features 80,000 square foot, including numerous restaurants, the second Basketball Hall of Fame was not torn down but rather converted into an LA Fitness health clubs. The current Basketball Hall of Fame features Center Court, a basketball court on which visitors can play. Inside the building there are a gallery, many interactive exhibits, several theaters. A large theater for ceremonies seats up to 300, the honorees inducted in 2002 included the Harlem Globetrotters and Magic Johnson, a five-time NBA champion, three-time NBA finals MVP and Olympic gold medalist. As of 2011, the current Basketball Hall of Fame has greatly exceeded attendance expectations, despite the new facilitys success, a logistical problem remains for the Basketball Hall of Fame and the City of Springfield. Urban planners at universities such as UMass Amherst have called for the I-91 to be moved, in 2010, the Urban Land Institute announced a plan to make the walk between Springfields Metro Center and the Hall of Fame easier. Since 2011, the induction process employs a total of seven committees to both screen and elect candidates, since 2011, the Veterans and International Committees also vote to directly induct one candidate for each induction class. Contributor Direct Election Committee Note that other committees may choose to elect contributors, for example, the 2014 class included two contributors. However, each screening committee is limited as to the number of candidates it can put forth to the Honors Committee—10 from the North American Committee, any individual receiving at least 18 affirmative votes from the Honors Committee is approved for induction into the Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
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A basketball sculpture soars into the sky above the Basketball Hall of Fame in
Springfield, Massachusetts.
Basketball Hall of Fame
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The entrance to the former site of the Basketball Hall of Fame near
Metro Center Springfield.
12.
Bill Orwig
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James Wilfred Bill Orwig was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football and college basketball at the University of Michigan and he later served as the athletic director at the University of Toledo, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and the Indiana University Bloomington. Raised in Toledo, Ohio, Orwig was an athlete in high school. He received three varsity letters in basketball and one in football, after graduating from Michigan, Orwig was a successful high school football and basketball coach from 1931 to 1945 in Benton Harbor, Michigan and Toledo. He helped develop a program for the occupation forces in Germany and became the athletic director, football coach. He accepted a job as director at the University of Nebraska in 1954. In 1961, he was hired as director at Indiana University and led the Hoosiers from a four-year NCAA probation to 37 Big Ten Conference championships. He hired Bobby Knight as basketball coach at Indiana, and has been inducted into the Halls of Fame at Indiana, Michigan and Toledo. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Orwig won letters in football, basketball, baseball and swimming at Scott High School, and won all-state honors in football and basketball. He played guard for the University of Michigan basketball team three years, from 1928 to 1930, helping the team win the Big Ten Conference championship in his junior year and he was picked as an All-Big Ten basketball player in 1930. He also played at the end position for the Michigan football team in 1928, while at Michigan, he was a member of Phi Mu Delta fraternity and a member of the Michigauma society. He graduated from the School of Education in 1930, from 1930 to 1931, Orwig was a graduate assistant working with Michigans freshman football team, and also tutoring freshman player and future U. S. President Gerald R. Ford. In May 1931, Orwig succeeded Wally Weber as head coach at Benton Harbor High School in Benton Harbor. In five years at Benton Harbor, the team won 75% of its games. Orwig also coached the basketball and tennis teams, and in 1934 and he also coached Earl Brown at Benton Harbor, who went on to be an All-American at Notre Dame. In 1936, he moved back to his hometown, Toledo, at Libbey, Orwigs teams won three state football championships and six city basketball crowns. He worked with the U. S. State Department during World War II, Orwig was hired in 1946 as the athletic director at the University of Toledo, where he helped reinstate the athletic programs after the end of World War II. He was also the Toledo Rockets football coach, leading the team to a 15–4–2 record, in one season as Toledos basketball coach, he led the team to a 19–6 record
Bill Orwig
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Orwig from 1929 Michiganensian
13.
Warren Steller
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Warren Steller was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He served as the football coach at Bowling Green State Normal Schoo—now known as Bowling Green State University—from 1924 to 1934. Steller was also the basketball coach at Wesleyan University in 1922–23 and at Bowling Green in 1924–25. In addition, he was the baseball coach at Wesleyan in 1923 and at Bowling Green in 1925 and again from 1928 to 1959. Steller attended Oberlin College, where he played football, basketball, and baseball, in 1921, the Oberlin football team beat Ohio State, 7–6, the last time an intrastate opponent beat Ohio State. In 1965, Bowling Green renamed its baseball stadium Warren E. Steller Field in dedication to the former coach, in 1921, Oberlins football team beat Ohio State, 7–6, at Columbus. The Ohio State team had gone to the Rose Bowl the previous season and that was the last time an intrastate team beat Ohio State. Steller scored the touchdown after the team made an 85-yard march down the field in the third quarter, culminating in a short pass across the goal line. Ohio States coach, John Wilce, was so upset by the loss that he made his stay on the field after the game for a special practice session. Stellers 1944 baseball team at Bowling Green was Ohio college champions, Bowling Green Athletic Hall of Fame profile Warren Steller at the College Football Data Warehouse
Warren Steller
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Warren Steller
14.
Doyt Perry
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Doyt L. Perry was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as football coach at Bowling Green State University from 1955 to 1964, compiling a record of 77–11–5. During his tenure as coach, Perry led the Bowling Green Falcons to five Mid-American Conference titles, one of the most successful coaches in school history, Perry was elected to College Football Hall of Fame in 1988. The teams football stadium, Doyt Perry Stadium, is named in his honor, before coming to Bowling Green, Perry was a backfield coach at Ohio State University from 1951 to 1954, serving on the same staff as Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. He coached the 1954 Buckeyes, who won the 1955 Rose Bowl, Perry was also the head coach at Upper Arlington High School in Upper Arlington, Ohio in 1943 and from 1946 to 1950. Doyt Perry at the College Football Hall of Fame Doyt Perry at the College Football Data Warehouse Doyt Perry, A Coach For Life, WBGU-PBS documentary
Doyt Perry
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Doyt Perry
15.
Earl Krieger
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Earl Carlton Irish Krieger was an American football and basketball player, coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and official in football and basketball. He was the head football coach at Bowling Green State Normal School—now known as Bowling Green State University—serving for one season in 1921. Krieger played college football at Ohio University, from which he graduated in 1920 and he played professional football in the National Football League, for the Detroit Tigers in 1921 and the Columbus Panhandles in 1922. In addition to coaching at Bowling Green, Krieger was also a member of the coaching staffs at his alma mater. For 25 years until his retirement in 1953, he worked as a football and basketball official for the Big Ten Conference and he was also a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Associations football rules committee. Krieger died at the age of 64 on November 10,1960, earl Krieger at the College Football Data Warehouse Career statistics and player information from Pro-Football-Reference • Databasefootball. com
Earl Krieger
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Krieger pictured in Athena 1920, Ohio yearbook
16.
Ray B. McCandless
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Raymond Beebe McCandless was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. In addition, he was the baseball coach at Bowling Green State Normal in the spring of 1924. McCandless played football at Nebraska Wesleyan, McCandless at the College Football Data Warehouse
Ray B. McCandless
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McCandless pictured in The Key 1924, Bowling Green yearbook
17.
Louis Orr
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Louis McLaughlin Orr is an American mens college basketball coach. Orr was most recently the head coach at Bowling Green State University. Orr was the coach at Seton Hall University from April 4,2001 until his firing on March 24,2006. He was formerly an assistant at Xavier University, Providence College and his alma mater Syracuse University, Orr attended Withrow High School where he was coached by Charles Cadle. Orr played at Syracuse from 1976 to 1980 and was part of the famed Bouie & Louie Show with teammate Roosevelt Bouie, after graduating from Syracuse in 1980, he was the 28th pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, selected by the Indiana Pacers. He played two seasons with the Pacers, which included one playoff appearance, after that, he moved on to the New York Knicks, and played for six years, with three playoff berths. Orr averaged career highs rebounds and points for the Knicks with 12.7 and 4.9, respectively and he scored over 5,500 career points as a pro. He got his first assistant coaching job in 1990 with Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio, then, in 1994, he began serving under Pete Gillen at Providence and soon he was an assistant under Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orangemen. During his tenure there, he rose to become a noted assistant, Syracuse reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament twice in during Orrs time there. In 2000, Orr received his first head coaching job, accepting the position as coach of the mens basketball team at Siena College. In his lone year at Siena, Orr led the Saints to a tie for first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and a 20–11 record. Siena broke many records that year as well. Orr became the first former Big East player to become a coach in the conference after he was hired in 2001 by Seton Hall after Tommy Amaker left to become the head coach at Michigan. In his first year in the Big East Conference, Orr went 12–18, by his fifth season at Seton Hall, Orr had led the Pirates to two NCAA Tournaments in three years. In the 2004 NCAA Tournament, Seton Hall defeated the 9th seed Arizona in the first round before falling to 1st seed Duke in the second round, during the 2005–06 season, Orr led Seton Hall to a 9–7 record in the Big East and an 18–12 record overall. Seton Hall received was seeded 10th in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and played the 7th seed Wichita State, in his first season at Bowling Green, Orr posted a 13–17 overall record and 7–9 record in the MAC, finishing 5th in the East Division. The following season, Orr led Bowling Green to their 10th MAC regular season title after the Falcons posted an 11–5 conference record, although the top seed in the conference tournament, Bowling Green would fall in the tournament semifinals to eventual champion Akron. As the MAC regular season champion, Bowling Green received a bid to the 2009 National Invitation Tournament
Louis Orr
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Louis Orr
18.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as the sports most complete library, in addition to promoting and preserving the history of basketball, dedicated to Canadian physician and inventor of the sport James Naismith, it was opened and inducted its first class in 1959. As of the induction of the Class of 2016 on September 9,2016, the Naismith Hall of Fame was established in 1959 by Lee Williams, a former athletic director at Colby College. In the 1960s, the Basketball Hall of Fame struggled to raise money for the construction of its first facility. The Basketball Hall of Fames Board named four inductees in its first year, in addition to honoring those who contributed to basketball, the Hall of Fame sought to make contributions of its own. In 1979, the Hall of Fame sponsored the Tip-Off Classic and this Tip-Off Classic has been the start to the college basketball season ever since, and although it does not always take place in Springfield, Massachusetts, generally it returns every few years. In the 17 years that the original Basketball Hall of Fame operated at Springfield College, the popularity of the Basketball Hall of Fame necessitated that a new facility be constructed, and in 1985, an $11 million facility was built beside the scenic Connecticut River in Springfield. As the new hall opened, it also recognized women for the first time, with such as Senda Berenson Abbott. In 2002, the Basketball Hall of Fame moved again—albeit merely 100 yards south along Springfields riverfront—into a $47 million facility designed by renowned architects Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, the buildings architecture features a metallic silver, basketball-shaped sphere flanked by two similarly symmetrical rhombuses. The dome is illuminated at night and features 80,000 square foot, including numerous restaurants, the second Basketball Hall of Fame was not torn down but rather converted into an LA Fitness health clubs. The current Basketball Hall of Fame features Center Court, a basketball court on which visitors can play. Inside the building there are a gallery, many interactive exhibits, several theaters. A large theater for ceremonies seats up to 300, the honorees inducted in 2002 included the Harlem Globetrotters and Magic Johnson, a five-time NBA champion, three-time NBA finals MVP and Olympic gold medalist. As of 2011, the current Basketball Hall of Fame has greatly exceeded attendance expectations, despite the new facilitys success, a logistical problem remains for the Basketball Hall of Fame and the City of Springfield. Urban planners at universities such as UMass Amherst have called for the I-91 to be moved, in 2010, the Urban Land Institute announced a plan to make the walk between Springfields Metro Center and the Hall of Fame easier. Since 2011, the induction process employs a total of seven committees to both screen and elect candidates, since 2011, the Veterans and International Committees also vote to directly induct one candidate for each induction class. Contributor Direct Election Committee Note that other committees may choose to elect contributors, for example, the 2014 class included two contributors. However, each screening committee is limited as to the number of candidates it can put forth to the Honors Committee—10 from the North American Committee, any individual receiving at least 18 affirmative votes from the Honors Committee is approved for induction into the Hall of Fame
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
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A basketball sculpture soars into the sky above the Basketball Hall of Fame in
Springfield, Massachusetts.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
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The entrance to the former site of the Basketball Hall of Fame near
Metro Center Springfield.
19.
Senda Berenson Abbott
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Senda Berenson Abbott was a pioneer of womens basketball, authoring the first Basketball Guide for Women. She was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor on July 1,1985, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and she modified existing mens basketball rules for women in 1899. Abbott was the sister of the art historian Bernard Berenson and a great-great-aunt of the photographer Berry Berenson, Senda Berenson was the first person to introduce and adapt rules for womens basketball to Smith College. Born as Senda Valvrojenski, she immigrated to the United States when she was seven years old and her parents were Albert and Judith Valvrojenski. When Senda was born, she had an older brother Bernard and she would later have another younger brother and two younger sisters. Albert Valvrojenski grew up following a track of classical Jewish learning. However, he became a practitioner of Haskalah, a European movement which advocated more integration of Jews into secular society. However, after his home and lumber business were burned to the ground, he lived with his in-laws and he enrolled his son Bernard with a Hebrew and Aramaic tutor, under this pressure. He decided to move to the United States, where he could raise his family according to his own beliefs and he moved alone to the United States in 1874, locating in the West End of Boston. He became a peddler of pots and pans, selling his wares in local towns near Boston. Albert changed his surname to Berenson soon after his arrival, as part of his Westernization and he worked hard for months, and then sent for his family in 1875. Albert stopped attendance at synagogue, and Bernard did not have the traditional Bar Mitzvah coming of age ritual and he insisted that the family speak only English, and attempted to sever ties to the Jewish traditions. Despite this, his children did not fully abandon their faith, Bernard described himself as Jewish, and continued to practice some Jewish rituals. The family had moved to a section of Boston with almost fifty families from their neighborhood, some of whom were relatives. Bernard attended Boston Latin School one of the most prestigious schools in the country, when he completed his studies there, he moved to Cambridge, in preparation for his enrollment at Harvard. He and Senda were very close, and she, now in her midteens, spent time in Cambridge, bernards circle of friends included Isabella Stewart Gardner, Ralph Adams Cram and George Santayana, the latter two having met each other through Bernard. Following his graduation from Harvard, Bernard moved to Europe, eventually settling in Italy, sendas goal was to emulate her brother. Senda did not have much interest in athletics as a child, and preferred music, literature and she was frail and delicate in her childhood, which interfered with her schooling
Senda Berenson Abbott
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Senda Berenson
Senda Berenson Abbott
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Senda Berenson in 1888
Senda Berenson Abbott
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Exterior of Alumnae Gymnasium at Smith College. The upper windows look into the gymnasium where the first women's basketball games were played in 1892
Senda Berenson Abbott
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College basketball tickets, issued for interclass women's basketball games in 1897 and 1900.
20.
Nate Archibald
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Nathaniel Tiny Archibald is an American retired professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City–Omaha Kings, in 1991, he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Archibald was a willing passer and a shooter from midrange. However, it was his quickness and speed and shiftiness that made him difficult to guard in the open court and he returned to the team as a junior. During his time without basketball, Archibald briefly flirted with dropping out of school after having been largely truant in past years, but with the help of two mentors, Floyd Layne and Pablo Robertson, Archibald turned it around. Despite only playing in blowouts as a junior, the shy, quiet teen managed to blossom into a star, being named team captain. Off the court, Archibald began to school regularly and worked to improve his poor academic standing. To improve his chances of playing college basketball, Archibald enrolled at Arizona Western College. He had three seasons at El Paso, from 1967 to 1970 under Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. Archibald was selected in the round of the 1970 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals. He was also drafted by the Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association, in 1972–73 season, Archibald led the NBA in scoring and assists, becoming the only player to win the titles in both categories in the same season. His scoring average of 34.0 points per game broke the NBA record for a guard and his 910 assists that season was also an NBA record at the time, breaking Guy Rodgers mark of 908. He was named the Sporting News NBA MVP that season, Archibald played for the Kansas City Kings from 1970 to 1976. Although he was the Kings most popular player, he was traded to the New York Nets for two draft picks and two players in 1976, injured for much of the 1976–77 season, he was traded by the Nets to the Buffalo Braves before the 1977–78 season. Archibald tore his achilles tendon and never played a game for the Braves. Buffalo traded him to the Boston Celtics as part of a 7-player deal before the start of the next season and his career at the Celtics started poorly. He showed up 20 pounds overweight, however, he adjusted and helped guide the Celtics to the best record in the NBA for three consecutive years. Archibald won his first and only NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in the 1980–81 season alongside young NBA star Larry Bird, Archibald was an All-NBA First Team selection three times and an All-NBA Second Team selection two times
Nate Archibald
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Archibald in 1974
21.
Sergei Belov
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Sergei Alexandrovich Belov was a professional basketball player, most noted for playing for CSKA Moscow and the Soviet Union national basketball team. In 1991, Belov was named by FIBA as the Best FIBA Player ever and he became the first international player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 11,1992. He was also inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors in 2008, Belov was born in the village of Nashchyokovo, Shegarsky District, Tomsk Oblast, Soviet Union. He trained at Trud Voluntary Sports Society, and later at Armed Forces sports society, in 1968, he became an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. He became an Honored Coach of Russia in 1995, and served as President of the Russian Basketball Federation, Belov died on October 3,2013 in Perm, Russia. At the age of twenty, Belov made his debut in the USSR League, with the team of Uralmash Sverdlovsk and he then played with CSKA Moscow for twelve years. With CSKA, he won the USSR League championship eleven times, the USSR Cup twice, as a member of the Soviet Union national basketball team for fourteen years, Belov helped them win a gold medal, and three bronze medals at the Olympic Games. He also helped them to become the FIBA World champions in 1967 and 1974, and the FIBA European champions in 1967,1969,1971, Belov was the head coach of CSKA Moscow, with whom he won the USSR League championship in 1982 and 1990. He was also the coach of Ural Great Perm
Sergei Belov
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Sergei Belov in the year 2012.
Sergei Belov
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Belov lighting the
Olympic Cauldron during the
22nd Olympics opening ceremony in
Moscow, 1980
22.
Dave Bing
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David Bing is an American businessman, retired Hall of Fame basketball player, and former mayor of Detroit, Michigan. After starring at Syracuse University, Bing played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association as a guard for the Detroit Pistons, Washington Bullets, and Boston Celtics. During his career, he averaged over 20 points and six assists per game and made seven NBA All-Star appearances, after retiring, the Pistons celebrated his career accomplishments with the retirement of his #21 jersey. In addition, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, upon his retirement from professional basketball, Bing founded Bing Steel, a processing company that earned him the National Minority Small Business Person of the Year award in 1984. Soon the business grew into the multimillion-dollar Detroit-based conglomerate, the Bing Group, after winning the primary, Bing then defeated Interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. and was sworn in as mayor in May 2009. Later that year, Bing was re-elected to a full term, however he lost most of his power to Detroits emergency manager Kevyn Orr, had numerous health problems, and suffered approval ratings as low as 14%. Bing thus did not seek re-election in 2013 and was succeeded by politician and businessman Mike Duggan, Bing was born November 24,1943 in Washington, D. C. to mother Juanita, a housekeeper, and father Hasker, a bricklayer and deacon for the Baptist Church. He was the child of four living in a two bedroom, one-story house in the northeast part of town. In his childhood, Bing received the nickname Duke from his father, because, according to Bing, the family could not afford emergency surgery, leaving the eye to heal on its own and diminishing his vision thereafter. Bings father also suffered a head injury during the boys childhood. While working a construction site, a brick fell four stories onto his head, the episode led young Bing to promise himself that he would never work in such a profession. In athletics, Bing played basketball, but older children often told him he was too small for the game. However, he played well, triumphing over older and bigger children as future Motown musician Marvin Gaye. Bing and Gaye forged a friendship, which continued later in life, despite his basketball play, Bing, a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson, focused primarily on baseball, the neighborhoods preferred game. Despite his fuzzy vision, he excelled in baseball at Spingarn High School, nevertheless, the schools head basketball coach William Roundtree encouraged him to revisit basketball. Roundtree became a figure to Bing, who decided to join the team. He developed into a double-digits per game scorer, noted for his jump shot and he continued also to compete in baseball into his senior year, but was forced to choose between it and basketball when a scheduling conflict between two tournaments arose. At the tournament, Bing led his team to victory and earned MVP honors, all in all, in high school, Bing was a three-year letter winner, all–Inter High, all-Metro, and all-East member
Dave Bing
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Mayor Dave Bing in 2009
Dave Bing
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Bing playing for the
Detroit Pistons
Dave Bing
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Mayor Bing delivers a speech.
23.
Bob Cousy
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Robert Joseph Bob Cousy is an American retired professional basketball player and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Cousy played point guard with the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963, Cousy was initially drafted as the third overall pick in the first round of the 1950 NBA draft by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, but after he refused to report, he was picked up by Boston. He was also named to 12 All-NBA First and Second Teams, also known as Cooz, he was regularly introduced at Boston Garden as Mr. Basketball. After his playing career, he coached the Royals for several years, Cousy then became a broadcaster for Celtics games. Upon his election to the Hall of Fame in 1971 the Celtics retired his #14 jersey and he was also the first president of National Basketball Players Association. Cousy was the son of poor French immigrants living in New York City. He grew up in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattans East Side and his father Joseph was a cab driver, who earned extra income by moonlighting. The elder Cousy had served in the German Army during World War I, shortly after the war, his first wife died of pneumonia, leaving behind a young daughter. He married Julie Corlet, a secretary and French teacher from Dijon, at the time of the 1930 census, the family was renting an apartment in Astoria, Queens, for $50 per month. The younger Cousy spoke French for the first 5 years of his life and he spent his early days playing stickball in a multicultural environment, regularly playing with African Americans, Jews and other ethnic minority children. These experiences ingrained him with a strong anti-racist sentiment, an attitude he prominently promoted during his professional career, when he was 12, his family moved to a rented house in St. Albans, Queens. That summer, the elder Cousy put a $500 down payment for a $4,500 house four blocks away and he rented out the bottom two floors of the three-story building to tenants to help make his mortgage payments on time. Cousy took up basketball at the age of 13, as a student at St. Pascals elementary school, the following year, he entered Andrew Jackson High School in St Albans. His basketball success was not immediate, and in fact he was cut from the team in his first year. The next year, however, he was cut during the tryouts for the school basketball team. That same year, he out of a tree and broke his right hand. The injury forced him to play left-handed until his hand healed, in retrospect, he described this accident as a fortunate event and cited it as a factor in making him more versatile on the court. During a Press League game, the school basketball coach saw him play
Bob Cousy
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Cousy, circa 1959–63
24.
Louie Dampier
–
Louis Louie Dampier is an American retired professional basketball player. A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association. He also was one of just two players to all nine ABA seasons with the same team, the other was Byron Beck of the Denver Rockets. After the ABA–NBA merger in 1976 Dampier also played three seasons in the National Basketball Association with the San Antonio Spurs, Dampier was inducted as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Dampier was born in Indianapolis and played at Southport High School in the suburb of Southport and he also played in an annual all-star game featuring top high-school players from Indiana and Kentucky. Dampier was an athlete at the University of Kentucky, playing baseball as well as basketball. This game spearheaded the end of segregation in college basketball. During his three years at Kentucky, Dampier was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Southeastern Conference selection and he was also named Academic All-SEC twice and Academic All-American once. Upon graduation from Kentucky in 1967, Dampier scored 1,575 points, at the time third-most in school history behind only Cotton Nash, in 1967 the Cincinnati Royals selected Dampier in the fourth round of the NBA Draft and the Kentucky Colonels selected him in the ABA draft. Dampier eventually signed with the Kentucky Colonels of the fledgling ABA, in each of the ABAs first three seasons, both Dampier and Carrier averaged at least 20 points per game. Both were three-point field goal specialists, but especially Dampier who made 500 during a three-year stretch, at the conclusion of the ABAs history, Dampier made a career-record 794 3-point field goals. He also finished first all-time in the ABA in games played, minutes played, points scored, during the 1970–71 season, he hit 57 consecutive free throws for what was then a pro record. Seven times, he was named an ABA All-Star and he was a unanimous choice for the ABA Top 30 team. He played on the Colonels 1975 ABA championship team, which featured a later Kentucky standout, Dan Issel, after the 1976 season, the ABA ceased operations with Kentucky and two other teams folding. Dampier was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft, playing mostly as a role player behind George Gervin, Dampier averaged 6.7 points in 232 NBA games. Dampier later served as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets, several divisions in the 21st century semi-pro ABA were initially named after stars of the old ABA, including Dampier. The league was divided into the Red, White. Today, the league is divided into 12 regions based geographically, Dampier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September,2015
Louie Dampier
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Dampier in 1979
Louie Dampier
–
A jersey honoring Dampier hangs in
Rupp Arena
25.
Bob Davies
–
Robert Edris Davies was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s. Alongside Bobby Wanzer he formed one of the best backcourt duos in the NBAs early years, Davies and Wanzer led the Rochester Royals to the 1951 NBA championship. Davies was also a basketball coach at the Seton Hall University and was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 11,1970. Although Bob Cousy is often considered the originator of the behind-the-back dribble and his Seton Hall coach, Honey Russell, once said, He had such uncanny control of the ball behind his back that it never concerned me. He made it look as easy as the conventional dribble, Davies entered Seton Hall in 1938 on a baseball scholarship, but Russell persuaded him to concentrate on basketball after seeing him practice once. Never a high scorer—his best college average was 11.8 points a game—Davies was a consummate passer and play-maker, known as the Harrisburg Houdini, Davies led Seton Hall to 43 consecutive victories from 1939 into 1941. An All-American guard in 1941 and 1942, Davies joined the U. S. Navy during World War II, after the war, he joined the Rochester Royals and played with them through the 1954–55 season. Davies helped lead the Royals to an NBL title in 1946, Davies was named to the NBA All-NBA First-Team four straight years, from 1949 through 1952, and he led the NBA in assists with 321 in 1948–49. In his 10 NBL/NBA seasons, Davis scored 7,770 points, averaging 13.7 a game and he added 904 points and 182 assists in 67 playoff games. He was one of the ten players named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971, Davies coached Seton Hall in 1946–47, while playing with the Royals, and compiled a 24-3 record. After retiring as a player, he coached Gettysburg College for two seasons, winning 28 games while losing 19, the No.11 jersey worn by Davies during his playing days with the Rochester Royals was retired by the team. The Sacramento Kings, the present holders of the franchise, continue the honor
Bob Davies
–
Bob Davies
26.
Clyde Drexler
–
Clyde Austin The Glide Drexler is an American retired professional basketball swingman. During his career, he was a ten-time All-Star, and named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 as part of the 1992 United States mens Olympic basketball team and an NBA Championship in 1995 with the Houston Rockets. He is a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee He currently serves as a commentator for Houston Rockets home games. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Drexler lived in the South Park area in Houston, Texas, and attended Ross Sterling High School in Houston, where he was a classmate of tennis player Zina Garrison. As a sophomore, he made the varsity team, and tried out for the basketball team. Drexler played as a 6 ft 6 in center as a senior and he began receiving attention from college coaches following a 34-point, 27-rebound performance against Sharpstown High School during a 1979 Christmas tournament. Lewis that Drexler was the best player he had faced in high school, Drexler majored in finance and worked at a bank during the summer. Lewis recalled in 2003 that he received hate mail from Houston supporters and alumni for recruiting Drexler. Drexler and Young, along with Larry Micheaux and new recruit Hakeem Olajuwon, comprised the Phi Slama Jama basketball fraternity that gained attention for its acrobatic. New players were initiated into the fraternity by having to stand underneath the basket as Drexler drove in from halfcourt, Houston made the first of Drexlers two straight Final Four appearances in 1982, where they lost to eventual champions North Carolina. He averaged 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as a forward as Houston finished 25–8. The 1982–83 campaign saw Houston return to the Final Four ranked No.1 and they were matched up against No. Drexler declared for the NBA draft as a junior, leaving Houston with career averages of 14.4 points,3.3 assists and 9.9 rebounds in three seasons. In the 1983 NBA draft Drexler was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 14th overall pick and he averaged 7.7 points in 17.2 minutes per game in his rookie season. His second season was his breakout season, in which he averaged 17.2 points,6 rebounds,5.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. In his third season, Drexler made his first All-Star team while averaging 18.5 points,5.6 rebounds,8 assists and 2.6 steals. In the 1989–1990 season, Drexler led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals, averaging 26.4 points and 7.8 rebounds, in the 1990–1991 season Drexler led Portland to a franchise best 63–19 record. Heavily favored to win the West, the Los Angeles Lakers upset the Trail Blazers by winning the Western Conference Finals, in the 1991–92 season he made the All-NBA First Team and finished second to Michael Jordan in MVP voting
Clyde Drexler
–
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler
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Drexler performs a
slam dunk as a member of the
Houston Cougars men's basketball team
Clyde Drexler
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One of only five numbers retired by the
University of Houston men's basketball team, Drexler's No. 22 hangs in
Hofheinz Pavilion.
27.
Joe Dumars
–
Joe Dumars III is an American retired basketball player in the National Basketball Association. At 63 Dumars could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was an effective defender. He played for the Detroit Pistons from 1985 until 1999, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and Isiah Thomas combined to form one of the best backcourts in NBA history. Initially a shooting guard, Dumars moved to point guard following Thomas retirement in 1994, Dumars was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Dumars served as the President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons from 2000 to 2014, Dumars was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Dumars mother, Ophelia, was a custodian at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches while his father, Dumars grew up in an athletic family, but basketball was not his favorite sport as a child. Football was more popular in the region and all five of his brothers were defensive standouts at Natchitoches Central High School and his brother David later played professional football in the USFL. Dumars followed in his footsteps playing defensive back on the football team until junior high school when a big hit on the field directed him toward basketball. Big Joe built a hoop, made of an old bicycle wheel and half of a wooden door, in the Dumars backyard where young Joe spent hours practicing his jump shot. During his four years at McNeese State University, Dumars averaged 22.5 points per game and he finished his college career as the 11th leading scorer in NCAA history. Drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft, he played guard for the Detroit Pistons for his entire career, from 1985 to 1999. He won two championships as a player in 1989 and 1990, and was voted the 1989 Finals MVP, according to Jordan, Dumars was the best defender he ever faced in the NBA. During his career, he was selected to the All-Star team six times, in 14 seasons, all with the Pistons, Dumars scored 16,401 points, handed out 4,612 assists, grabbed 2,203 rebounds and recorded 902 steals. Although he was a member of the famed Bad Boys teams known for their play and demeanor, he became personally known for his quiet. He was the first recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award which has named the Joe Dumars Trophy. His number 4 jersey was retired by the Pistons in March 2000 and he has the distinction as being the only Pistons player to ever wear this number. He played for the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship, Dumars became the Pistons President of Basketball Operations prior to the 2000–01 season. During the 2005–06 season, Detroit recorded its best regular-season record in franchise history, the Pistons made it to the Eastern Conference Finals six straight years under Dumars watch
Joe Dumars
–
Joe Dumars
28.
Walt Frazier
–
Walter Clyde Frazier is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association. As their floor general, he led the New York Knicks to the only two NBA Championships, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. Upon his retirement from basketball, Frazier went into broadcasting, he is currently a commentator for telecasts of Knicks games on the MSG Network. He lives in Harlem with his partner, Patricia James. He is the father of a son referred to both as Walt Jr. and, later, Walt III, Frazier is a member of the prestigious Fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha. The eldest of nine children, Frazier attended Atlantas David Tobias Howard High School and he quarterbacked the football team and played catcher on the baseball team. He learned basketball on a rutted and dirt playground, the facility available at his all-black school in the racially segregated South of the 1950s. After Howard, Frazier attended Southern Illinois University, Frazier became one of the premier collegiate basketball players in the country. He was named a Division II All-American in 1964 and 1965, as a sophomore in 1965, Frazier led SIU to the NCAA Division II Tournament only to lose in the finals to Jerry Sloan and the Evansville Purple Aces 85-82 in overtime. In 1966, he was ineligible for basketball. SIU moved up from Division II to Division I, Frazier was named MVP of the 1967 tournament. Frazier was selected by the New York Knicks with the 5th pick in the 1967 NBA draft, while playing for them, he picked up the nickname Clyde due to wearing a similar hat to Warren Beatty, who played Clyde Barrow in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1968 and he was an NBA All-Star seven times, was named to the All-NBA First Team four times, the All-NBA Second Team twice, and the All-Defensive First Team seven times. With Frazier, the Knicks captured the NBA championships in 1970 and 1973, in 1971, the New York Knicks traded for star guard Earl the Pearl Monroe to form what was known as the Rolls Royce Backcourt with Frazier. That pairing is one of few backcourts ever to feature two Hall of Famers and NBA 50th Anniversary Team members. Frazier held Knicks franchise records for most games, minutes played, field goals attempted, field goals made, free throws attempted, free throws made, center Patrick Ewing would eventually break most of those records, but Fraziers assists record still stands. After 10 years in New York, Frazier ended his career as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, won 2 NBA championships with the New York Knicks. Fraziers #10 jersey was retired by the New York Knicks on December 15,1979, in 1987, Frazier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Pete Maravich and Rick Barry
Walt Frazier
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Walt Frazier working as Knicks announcer during a game
Walt Frazier
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Frazier (left) and
Lucius Allen (right)
29.
Nikos Galis
–
Nikolaos Georgalis, commonly known as either Nikos Galis, or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek-American professional basketball player. He was named one of FIBAs 50 Greatest Players in 1991, is a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame and was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008. Galis is widely regarded as one of Europes greatest scorers ever to play the game and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Galis played the point guard position during his college years at Seton Hall University. He spent most of his career in Aris, before having a stint with Panathinaikos. He is the EuroLeagues all-time leader in points per game, leading the competition in scoring eight times, in the premier European club scene, he reached the EuroLeague Final Four on four occasions, three consecutive ones with Aris, and another one with Panathinaikos. An eight-time Greek league champion, Galis is the leagues leading scorer. Among his myriad accomplishments, he holds the EuroBasket record for highest career scoring average, and was the scorer of four EuroBasket tournaments in 1983,1987,1989. In addition to that, he holds the FIBA World Cup record for highest career scoring average, as well as for most points scored in a single tournament. Following the stunning success of the EuroBasket title in 1987, he won the Mr. Europa Player of the Year and the Euroscar awards the same year. Nicknamed Iron Man, Nick The Greek, and The Gangster, Galis is highly revered in Greece and his years at Aris lifted Greek basketball from relative obscurity, to global power status, with Galis being the figure that eventually inspired thousands of Greeks to take up the game. Galis was born in Union City, New Jersey, the child of a poor immigrant family from the Greek islands of Rhodes and Nisyros, Nick took up boxing in his early years, after his father, George Georgalis, who had also been a boxer in his youth. He was persuaded to give up boxing by his mother, Stella Georgalis, as a result, he started playing basketball and attended Union Hill High School in Union City. After high school, Galis enrolled at Seton Hall University, where he played basketball as a member of the Seton Hall Pirates. The same year, he took part in the Pizza Hut All-American game alongside Bird. Galis coach at Seton Hall, Billy Raftery, would state that Galis was the best player he ever coached. Finishing his collegiate career in 1979, Galis signed with agent Bill Manon, Manon did not have Galis work out with any NBA team. Galis was eventually selected by the Boston Celtics in the 4th round of the 1979 NBA Draft and it was then that Galis decided to pursue a professional career in Greeces Basket League
Nikos Galis
–
Nikos Galis with
Aris B.C.
Nikos Galis
–
Galis with
Panathinaikos B.C..
30.
George Gervin
–
Gervin averaged at least 14 points per game in all 14 of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game. Gervin is widely regarded to be one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history, Gervin was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Martin Luther King High School in Detroit and he was a Detroit Free Press All-State selection in 1970. He transferred to Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan and averaged 29.5 points as a forward in 1971–72. While competing in an NCAA College Division national semifinal game in Evansville, Indiana, Gervin was suspended for the following season and eventually was removed from the team. Invitations to try out for the Olympic and Pan-American teams were withdrawn, Gervin initially played for the Pontiac Chaparrals of the Eastern Basketball Association, where he was spotted by Johnny Kerr, a scout for the Virginia Squires of the ABA. Kerr signed Gervin to the Squires for a $40,000 a year contract, Gervins time in Virginia would be short-lived, however. The Squires finances had never been stable, and they had forced to start trading their best players to get enough money to stay alive. In the space of four months, they traded Julius Erving. During the 1974 ABA All-Star Weekend, rumors abounded that the Squires were in talks about dealing Gervin for cash, the rumors turned out to be true, on January 30, Gervin was sold to the Spurs for $228,000. The ABA tried to block the trade, claiming that by trading their last legitimate star, however, a court sided with the Spurs. Within two years, the Squires were no more, after two seasons in the ABA, Gervin became NBA eligible in time for the 1974 NBA draft. The Phoenix Suns selected Gervin in the round with the 40th pick, however Gervin elected to stay in the ABA. With Gervin as the centerpiece, the Spurs transformed from a primarily defense-oriented team into an exciting fast-breaking team that played what coach Bob Bass called schoolyard basketball. Gervins first NBA scoring crown came in the 1977–78 season, when he narrowly edged David Thompson for the title by seven hundredths of a point. With the scoring crown in hand, he sat out some of the third, larry Kenon would become a free agent and sign with the Bulls after the following season. Prior to Michael Jordan, Gervin had the most scoring titles of any guard in league history, in 1981, while sitting out three games due to injury, Gervins replacement, Ron Brewer, averaged over 30 ppg. When Gervin returned, he scored 40+ points, when asked if he was sending a message, Gervin said, Just the way the Lord planned it and added, Ice be cool
George Gervin
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Gervin in 2008
George Gervin
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Gervin as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in the American Basketball Association.
31.
Gail Goodrich
–
Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He is best known for scoring a then record 42 points in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs. Michigan, Goodrich was the leading scorer on that team. In 1996,17 years after his retirement from professional basketball, Goodrich scored 29 points in the championship game despite breaking his ankle in the third quarter. Goodrich has said that he had wanted to attend the University of Southern California. But coach John Wooden of UCLA ultimately showed much more interest in Goodrich than did USC, like many Division I colleges, USC was wary of Goodrichs short stature. He was only 5 ft 8 in his year in high school and even at his ultimate height of 6 ft 1 in. Goodrich attended UCLA, where he finished as the schools leading scorer. He was a two-time All-America and the Helms Foundations Co-Player of the Year in 1965, in the 1965 NCAA championship game, he scored a record 42 points as UCLA beat favored Michigan. This record stood until 1973 when UCLAs Bill Walton scored 44 in the finals vs. Memphis State, while at UCLA, Goodrich was also a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. A tenacious and fiery competitor, Goodrich used intelligent ball-handling skills, the left-handed junior guard was the teams main scorer. He finished with an average of 21.5 points per game, for the first time, a UCLA team won all 30 of its games en route to the schools first NCAA title. Goodrich and Keith Erickson were the returning starters from the team that won UCLAs first national title in 1964. As a senior, the Bruins repeated as NCAA champions as Goodrich scored 24.6 points per game, at UCLA, Goodrich helped compile a 78-11 three-year record. In both of those seasons, Goodrich was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team. Goodrich at the finished as UCLAs all-time leading scorer which is now broken by Don MacLean. Although many believed Goodrich was too small for the game and too frail for the pros, Goodrich, through perseverance and discipline. Goodrich was nicknamed Stumpy, a moniker bestowed upon him by teammate Elgin Baylor, because of Goodrichs height, Goodrich was a territorial pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1965 NBA draft. As a rookie in 1965–66, he averaged about 15 minutes per game as a guard behind starters Jerry West
Gail Goodrich
–
Goodrich autographing ball in 2001
32.
Hal Greer
–
Harold Everett Greer is an American retired professional basketball player. Born in Huntington, West Virginia, he attended Douglass Junior and Senior High School in Huntington and he played college basketball at Marshall University and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA in 1958. Greer played for Syracuse for five seasons, raising his average to 22.8 points a game in 1961. He was selected for the NBA All-Star team that year, in 1963, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia to become the Philadelphia 76ers. There, Greer became well known as a teammate of Wilt Chamberlain, in the 76ers 15 playoff games that season, Greer averaged a team-best 27.7 points. Greer had an unusual but highly effective free throw technique, shooting a jump shot from the charity stripe and he is usually considered the third-best guard of the 1960s, behind Oscar Robertson and fellow West Virginia native Jerry West. Greer played in 10 NBA All-Star Games and was the MVP of the 1968 game when he went 8-for-8 from the field and scored 21 points and he also was chosen to the All-NBA Second Team seven times, and scored more than 20,000 points during his NBA career. His hometown has honored his success by renaming 16th Street, which carries West Virginia Route 10 as the main artery between the area and Interstate 64, as Hal Greer Boulevard. Hal Greer is recognized as the only African-American athlete enshrined in a sports hall of fame from West Virginia. In 1982, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Slater Martin, Frank Ramsey, Willis Reed, coach Clarence Gaines, and contributor Alva Duer. Two-time All-Conference Team high scorer and Conference MVP AP All-America Honorable Mention Led Marshall in 71 games as its first black scholarship athlete Averaged 19.4 ppg and 10, Boston Celtics, also leads all 76ers players in career points
Hal Greer
–
Greer in 1969
33.
Richie Guerin
–
Richard Vincent Richie Guerin is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. The 64 Guerin played with the National Basketball Associations New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks franchise where he spent nine years. On February 15,2013, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Guerin had been elected as one of its 2013 inductees and he served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1947 to 1954. While a reservist, Guerin attended Iona College from 1950 to 1954 where he scored 1,375 points in 67 games playing for coach Jim McDermott, after graduation, Guerin served on active duty at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia for two years. The Knicks drafted Guerin with the 8th pick in the round of the 1954 NBA draft while still on active duty. After leaving the Marine Corps, Guerin would begin his professional career in 1956. As a high-scoring point guard in the late 1950s and early 1960s and his feisty on-court style and wisecracking off-court demeanor played well to Madison Square Garden crowds. Guerin was a machinelike scorer, a passer, a smart playmaker. The explosive Guerin also set Knicks single-game records for scoring, with 57 points in 1959 and his 57-point game stood as a Knicks record until Bernard King scored 60 on Christmas Day in 1984. A fan and media favorite, Guerin played in six consecutive NBA All-Star Games, as a team, however, New York struggled, reaching the playoffs only once during Guerins tenure. He was traded to the St. Louis Hawks midway through the 1963–64 season and spent the eight years as the teams player-coach. With St. Louis, Guerin played alongside such greats as Bob Pettit, Lou Hudson, Lenny Wilkens, Guerin helped the Hawks to nine consecutive playoff appearances and was named NBA Coach of the Year for 1967–68. Guerin grew up in the Bronx and stayed close to home when he enrolled at Iona College in 1950 where he played center for coach Jim McDermott. New York selected him in the 1954 NBA draft, but Guerin could not join the Knicks until he had completed two years of service in the Marines, New York was struggling through the mid-1950s at or near the bottom of the Eastern Division. Among the only bright spots during that period were high-scoring guard Carl Braun, point guard Dick McGuire, turnover on the team was high. Guerin joined the club in 1956 and quickly established himself, in only his second season he made the NBA All-Star Team for the first of six straight years. In his third year Guerin led the Knicks in assists and ranked second in scoring and he dished out a team-record 21 assists against St. Louis on December 12,1958. The 21 assists he totaled were also Madison Square Garden high until John Stockton broke the record 41 years later and that year New York made its only postseason appearance with Guerin on the team, losing to the Syracuse Nationals in a first-round sweep
Richie Guerin
–
Guerin in February 2014
34.
Nat Holman
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Nat Holman was one of the early pro basketball players and one of the games most important innovators. Known for his exceptional ball-handling and his shooting, Holman was a star player at New York University. He was also an important part of the Original Celtics, who were no relation to the Boston Celtics, also a gifted passer and excellent floor leader, Holman was a prototype of later playmakers. Although he played pro basketball until 1930, he took over the coaching position at the City College of New York in 1920. Known as Mr. Basketball, Holman guided CCNY to the grand slam of college basketball. In 1951, Holmans CCNY team became involved in a point shaving scandal involving seven different schools. While several CCNY players, including Ed Warner and Ed Roman were arrested, the scandal eventually led CCNY to de-emphasize athletics and suspend Holman after the 1951-52 season. He returned for brief stints in 1954-56 and 1958–59, retiring for good in 1959, Holman compiled a 421–190 record in 37 seasons at CCNY, retiring in 1959. Holman also founded Camp Scatico in 1921 and ran the camp until he sold it to his niece, in 1922, Nat Holman wrote a book on basketball technique titled Scientific Basketball. In his later years, he lived and died at the Hebrew Home for the Aged in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, list of select Jewish basketball players Basketball Hall of Fame profile Nat Holman at Find a Grave
Nat Holman
–
Nat Holman 1933
Goudey Sport Kings card
35.
Allen Iverson
–
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American retired professional basketball player who played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played both the guard and point guard positions. Iverson was an eleven-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005, Iverson attended Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, and was a dual-sport athlete. He earned the Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in football and basketball, and won the Division AAA Virginia state championship in both sports. After high school, Iverson attended Georgetown University for two years, where he set the record for career scoring average and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years. Following two successful years at Georgetown, Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first overall pick and he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. Winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02 and his regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks sixth all-time, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan. Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season, Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies, Iverson was rated the fifth-greatest NBA shooting guard of all time by ESPN in 2008. He officially announced his retirement from basketball on October 30,2013. On April 4,2016, Iverson was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Allen Iverson was born on June 7,1975 in Hampton, Virginia to a single 15-year-old mother, Ann Iverson and he attended Bethel High School, where he started as quarterback for the school football team, while also playing running back, kick returner and defensive back. He also started as point guard for the basketball team. During his junior year, Allen was able to both teams to Virginia state championships, as well as earning The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both sports. On February 14,1993, Iverson and several of his friends were involved in an altercation with several patrons at an alley in Hampton. Allegedly, Iversons crowd was raucous and had to be asked to quiet down several times, shortly thereafter, a huge fight erupted, pitting the white crowd against the black crowd. During the fight, Iverson allegedly struck a woman in the head with a chair and he, along with three of his friends who are also black, were the only people arrested. Iverson, who was 17 at the time, was convicted as an adult of the charge of maiming by mob
Allen Iverson
–
Iverson in 2008
Allen Iverson
–
Allen Iverson attempting a free throw against the Lakers
Allen Iverson
–
Allen Iverson and then-teammate
John Salmons
Allen Iverson
–
Allen Iverson during his tenure with the Nuggets
36.
Buddy Jeannette
–
Harry Edward Buddy Jeannette was a professional basketball player and coach. Jeannette was widely regarded as the premier backcourt player between 1938 and 1948 and he was named to the First Team of the National Basketball League four times, and won titles with the NBLs Sheboygan Red Skins in 1943 and Fort Wayne Pistons in 1944 and 1945. Jeannette also won a title with the American Basketball Leagues Baltimore Bullets in 1947, in the 1948 BAA playoffs, he became the first player-coach to win a professional championship. After his playing career ended in 1950, he coached the original Bullets for one more season and he then became the head coach at Georgetown University for four seasons, leading the team to an appearance in the 1953 National Invitation Tournament. Jeannette returned to the ranks of coaching in the NBA to lead the modern Baltimore Bullets twice, once for a full season. He later would coach the American Basketball Associations Pittsburgh Pipers for part of a season, in 1994, Jeannette was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Jeannette attended Washington and Jefferson College, in Washington, Pennsylvania, sources Peterson, Robert W. Seeds of the NBA. Cages to Jump Shots, Pro Basketballs Early Years, Buddy Jeannette at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Buddy Jeannette
–
Buddy Jeannette
37.
Dennis Johnson
–
He was an alumnus of Dominguez High School, Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine University. A prototypical late bloomer, Johnson overcame early struggles and had a successful NBA playing career, drafted 29th overall in 1976 by the Seattle SuperSonics, Johnson began his professional career as a shooting guard. He eventually led the Sonics to their only NBA championship in 1979, after a short stint with the Phoenix Suns, he became the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics, with whom he won two more championships. Johnson was voted into five All-Star Teams, one All-NBA First and one Second Team, apart from his reputation as a defensive stopper, Johnson was known as a clutch player who made several decisive plays in NBA playoffs history. The Celtics franchise has retired Johnsons #3 jersey, which hangs from the rafters of the TD Garden, on April 5,2010, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame officially announced that Johnson had been posthumously elected to the Hall. He was formally inducted on August 13 and he is considered by several sports journalists to be one of the most underrated players of all time. Dennis Wayne Johnson was born the eighth of sixteen children, to a worker and a bricklayer who lived in Compton, California. After high school, he worked odd jobs, including a $2. 75-per-hour job as a forklift driver. During this period, Johnson grew to a height of 63, and developed what some described as rocket launcher legs. Jim White, the coach at Los Angeles Harbor College, had watched Johnson play street basketball, feeling that Johnson excelled in defense, White asked him to enroll. Johnson gave up his jobs and developed into a young guard, averaging 18.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. However, the young guard lacked discipline, often clashed with White and was thrown off the three times in two years. At the end of his college career, two universities offered Johnson scholarships, Azusa Pacific University and Pepperdine University. Johnson chose the latter, and in his year in college, he averaged 15.7 points,5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. After that year, Johnson made himself eligible for the 1976 NBA draft, NBA teams were wary of drafting a player with character issues, and Johnson was known to be a troublemaker. In his rookie year, the 1976–77 NBA season, Johnson, playing backup to the experienced Sonics backcourt tandem of Slick Watts and Fred Brown, the Sonics finished with a 40–42 record and missed the 1977 NBA Playoffs, leading head coach Bill Russell to resign. Johnson revelled in this new role, improving his averages to 12.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. During this period Johnson played shooting guard and was known for his slam dunking
Dennis Johnson
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Dennis Johnson
38.
Magic Johnson
–
Earvin Magic Johnson Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player and current president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons, after winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his players, he retired again for four years. Johnsons career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and he led the league in regular-season assists four times, and is the NBAs all-time leader in average assists per game, at 11.2. Johnson was a member of the 1992 United States mens Olympic basketball team, after leaving the NBA in 1992, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that travelled around the world playing exhibition games. Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, Johnson became a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame—being enshrined in 2002 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as a member of the Dream Team. He was rated the greatest NBA point guard of all time by ESPN in 2007 and his friendship and rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series, are well documented. Since his retirement, Johnson has been an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and safe sex, as well as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, broadcaster and motivational speaker. Named by Ebony magazine as one of Americas most influential businessmen in 2009, Johnson has numerous business interests. Johnson also is part of a group of investors purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. Earvin Johnson Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan to Earvin Sr. a General Motors assembly worker, and Christine, Johnson, who had six siblings, was influenced by his parents strong work ethic. Earvin Jr. would often help his father on the garbage route, Johnson grew up in Lansing, and came to love basketball as a youngster. His favorite basketball player was Bill Russell, whom he admired more for his many championships than his athletic ability and he also idolized players such as Earl Monroe and Marques Haynes, and practiced all day. Magic Johnson came from an athletic family and his father played high school basketball in his home state of Mississippi, and Johnson learned the finer points about the game from him. Johnsons mother, originally from North Carolina, had played basketball as a child. By the time he had reached the grade, Johnson had begun to think about a future in basketball. He had become a dominant junior player, once scoring 48 points in a game
Magic Johnson
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Johnson in 2007
Magic Johnson
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Johnson (right) battles
Boston 's
Cedric Maxwell in
1985 NBA Finals
Magic Johnson
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Johnson with the Lakers, c. 1987
Magic Johnson
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Magic Johnson's star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
39.
Sam Jones (basketball)
–
Samuel Sam Jones is an American retired professional basketball player at shooting guard and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was known for his quickness and game-winning shots, especially during the NBA Playoffs and he has the second most NBA championships of any player, behind his teammate Bill Russell. He was also one of 3 Boston Celtics to be part of the Celticss 8 consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. Jones attended and graduated from North Carolina Central University, where he was a four-year letterwinner for Hall of Fame coach John McLendon, Jones scored 1,745 points, which is still second in school history. He was a three-time All-CIAA league selection,41, is retired and hangs in the Eagles arena. Jones was 6-foot-4 and weighed 200 lb, Boston Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach took a trip south to scout North Carolina players who had just won the national championship. Former Wake Forest coach Bones McKinney told Auerbach he could visit Chapel Hill, eventually, in the 1957 NBA draft, the Philadelphia Warriors selected North Carolinas Lennie Rosenbluth with the sixth pick. Boston selected Jones two picks later, even though Auerbach had never seen Jones play, Jones played all of his 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association NBA with the Celtics. He was known as a scorer, with more than 15,000 points in his career. He participated in five All-Star Games, and is recognized as one of the best shooting guards of his generation. Jones was named to the All-NBA Second Team three straight years and he played on 10 championship teams — a total exceeded only by teammate Bill Russell in NBA history. Jones was originally claimed by the Minneapolis Lakers, but he returned to college to earn his degree upon completion of military service, jones’ perfect form when shooting a jump shot, along with his great clutch shooting, led opponents to nickname him The Shooter. He was particularly adept shooting the bank shot, in which the shooter bounces the ball off the backboard en route to the basket. Many coaches, including UCLAs great John Wooden, believe that when a shooter is at a 20- to 50-degree angle to the backboard and inside 15 feet, a bank shot is always the preferred shot. At 6-foot-4, Jones was the prototype of the guard who could run the floor. One of the Jones Boys in Boston, Sam teamed with K. C. Jones in the Celtics backcourt to create havoc in NBA arenas around the country and he led Boston in scoring in the 1962–63 NBA season, 1964–65 NBA season and 1965–66 NBA season. He produced four seasons averaging 20 points or better. He owns Bostons fourth-best single-game scoring output and he scored 2,909 points in 154 playoff games, 26th best in history
Sam Jones (basketball)
–
Jones playing for the
Celtics in 1969.
40.
Michael Jordan
–
Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player, businessman, and principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets. Jordan played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Chicago Bulls and his biography on the NBA website states, By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, Jordan played three seasons for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels national championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick. He quickly emerged as a star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames Air Jordan. He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball, in 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a three-peat. Jordan retired for a time in January 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Wizards. Among his numerous accomplishments, Jordan holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average and highest career playoff scoring average. In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN and he became a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015. Jordan is also known for his product endorsements and he fueled the success of Nikes Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself, in 2006, he became part-owner and head of basketball operations for the then-Charlotte Bobcats, buying a controlling interest in 2010. In 2015, Jordan became the first billionaire NBA player in history as a result of the increase in value of NBA franchises and he is the third richest African American, behind Oprah Winfrey and Robert F. Smith. Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Deloris, who worked in banking and his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a toddler. Jordan is the fourth of five children and he has two older brothers, Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan, Jr. one older sister, Deloris, and a younger sister, Roslyn. Jordans brother James retired in 2006 as the Command Sergeant Major of the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U. S. Army. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he highlighted his athletic career by playing basketball, baseball and he tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year, but at 511, he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend, Harvest Leroy Smith, was the only sophomore to make the team, motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laneys junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40-point games
Michael Jordan
–
Jordan in 2006
Michael Jordan
–
Jordan playing for the Laney High School varsity basketball team in 1979-80.
Michael Jordan
–
Michael Jordan's jersey in the rafters of The
Dean Smith Center
Michael Jordan
–
Jordan (center) in 1987
41.
Nancy Lieberman
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Lieberman is regarded as one of the greatest figures in American womens basketball. In 2000, she was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame, Lieberman is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Lieberman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 1,1958, to Jerome and she was raised Jewish, but has become a born-again Christian. Her family lived in Brooklyn, when she was born, but soon moved to Far Rockaway and her mother brought up the children after a separation and divorce. While growing up, she was interested in a variety of sports, playing baseball, softball and football with boys. She played basketball primarily on pickup teams with boys, not playing on a team until she was a high school sophomore. During one instance when Lieberman was practicing dribbling techniques indoors, because it was cold outside, when she did not stop, her mother punctured the basketball with a screwdriver. Lieberman found another ball and continued, but her mother punctured that one as well and this continued until five balls were ruined. Nancy then decided she had better go outside before she ran out of basketballs, during the school year, she played for her high school team, but in the summer, played with an AAU team in Harlem, the New York Chuckles. At age 17, Lieberman was named to the USA Basketball team roster and she would play for the team in the 1975 USA Womens Pan American Team, three years younger than the next youngest teammates. The games were planned for Santiago, Chile, then Sao Paulo, Brazil and finally held in Mexico City. The Pan Am team had failed to win the gold in 1967 and 1971 and this year, the team would be more successful, compiling a 7–0 record, and winning the gold medal for the first time since 1963. Lieberman continued with the USA team to the 1976 Olympics in Montreal in the first-ever Womens Olympic Basketball Team Competition, shortly after turning 18, Lieberman became the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a medal as the United States captured the Silver Medal. Lieberman was named to the representing the USA at the 1979 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei. The USA team won all six games en route to the gold medal, Lieberman earned a spot on the Jones Cup All-Tournament Team Lieberman finished her USA Basketball career with the Pan American Team, at the 1979 games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From 1976 to 1980, Lieberman attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, during that time, she and her team won two consecutive AIAW National Championships and one WNIT Championship in 1978. Lieberman also won three consecutive Kodak All-America awards, Lieberman was one of six young adults to win the Young American Award from the Boy Scouts of America in 1980. Lieberman earned the nickname Lady Magic, a nod to Earvin Magic Johnson of NBA fame, Lieberman set a school record for career assists that still stands today
Nancy Lieberman
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Lieberman presenting trophy to Moriah Jefferson
42.
Pete Maravich
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Peter Press Pistol Pete Maravich was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and played for three NBA teams until injuries forced his retirement in 1980. He is still the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer with 3,667 points scored, all of his accomplishments were achieved before the three-point line and shot clock were introduced to NCAA basketball and despite being unable to play varsity as a freshman under then-NCAA rules. One of the youngest players ever inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in an April 2010 interview, Hall of Fame player John Havlicek said that the best ball-handler of all time was Pete Maravich. Pete Maravich was born to Petar Press Maravich and Helen Gravor Maravich in Aliquippa, Maravich amazed his family and friends with his basketball abilities from an early age. He enjoyed a close but demanding father–son relationship that motivated him toward achievement, Maravichs father, Petar Press Maravich, the son of Serbian immigrants and a former professional player-turned-coach, showed him the fundamentals starting when he was seven years old. Obsessively, Maravich spent hours practicing ball control tricks, passes, head fakes, Maravich played high school varsity ball at Daniel High School in Central, South Carolina, a year before being old enough to attend the school. While at Daniel from 1961 to 1963, Maravich participated in the schools first-ever game against a team from an all-black school, in 1963 his father departed from his position as head basketball coach at Clemson University and joined the coaching staff at North Carolina State University. The Maravich familys subsequent move to Raleigh, North Carolina, allowed Pete to attend Needham B and his high school years also saw the birth of his famous moniker. From his habit of shooting the ball from his side, as if he were holding a revolver, from there Pistol Maravich graduated from Needham B. Broughton High School in 1965 and then attended Edwards Military Institute, at that time NCAA rules prohibited first-year students from playing at the varsity level, which forced Maravich to play on the freshman team. In his first game, Maravich put up 50 points,14 rebounds and 11 assists against Southeastern Louisiana College. In only three years playing on the varsity team at LSU, Maravich scored 3,667 points—1,138 of those in 1968,1,148 in 1969, and 1,381 in 1970—while averaging 43.8,44.2, and 44.5 points per game. For his collegiate career, the 65 guard averaged 44.2 points per game in 83 contests, during this first year, Maravich scored 741 points in freshman competition. Second, Maravich played before the advent of the three-point line and this significant difference has raised speculation regarding just how much higher his records would be, given his long-range shooting ability and how such a component might have altered his play. Writing for ESPN. com, Bob Carter stated, Though Maravich played before freshmen were eligible for the varsity and before the 3-point shot was established, third, The shot clock was not instituted until fifteen years after Maravich left LSU. The shot clock speeds up play, mandates an additional number of field goal attempts, eliminates stall tactics, had the shot clock been in effect during Maravichs career at LSU, he would have scored many more points per game. More than 40 years later, however, many of his NCAA, Though he never appeared in the NCAA tournament, Maravich played a key role in turning around a lackluster program that had posted a 3–20 record in the season prior to his arrival
Pete Maravich
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Maravich in 1977
43.
Slater Martin
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Slater Nelson Dugie Martin Jr. was an American professional basketball player and coach who was a playmaking guard for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was born in Elmina, Walker County, Texas and played in seven NBA All-Star Games, Martin was one of the NBAs best defensive players in the 1950s, playing for the George Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers that won four NBA championships between 1950 and 1954. In 1956, he joined Bob Pettits St. Louis Hawks, Martin was an alumnus of Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, where he led his school to two state basketball championships in 1942 and 1943. He is also a graduate of University of Texas at Austin, throughout his career with the Longhorns, he averaged 12.7 points per game. He was head coach of the Houston Mavericks of the American Basketball Association in the 1967–68 season and part of 1968–69, Martin was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 3,1982 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is so far the only Longhorn to be so honored and his jersey number 15 was retired by the University of Texas on January 31,2009, making him only the second Longhorn basketball player to have his number retired. He died of an undisclosed illness on October 18,2012, in Houston, Texas, aged 86
Slater Martin
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Slater Martin
44.
Bobby McDermott
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Robert Bobby McDermott was an American professional basketball player in the 1930s and 1940s. He was known as a shooter and has been called the greatest long-distance shooter in the history of the game by contemporaries. His grandson is businessman Bill McDermott, during the 1940s the most common offenses were motion offenses that were supposed to open up players close to the goal. This was because most players were awful shooters, the most common defenses were zones that clogged passing lanes and packed the paint. For zone defenses to be successful, all the defenders have to be close together, McDermott spread the defenders like nobody ever did before. He was a shooter for his day but not legendarily accurate. His free throw percentage was below 80% most of his career, however, he could score from anywhere within the half court. Al Cervi, a defensive player who often had to guard him, said of McDermott, Oh. If he shot ten times from thirty feet, Id guarantee hed make eight in game conditions and he could shoot from almost anywhere on the court. At a time when most teams played a deliberate slow-up style and scoring less than 30 wasnt just common, it was expected, McDermott frequently scored more than 20 points, and scored as many as 36. McDermott dropped out of school after just one year, and was picked up by the Brooklyn Visitations after making a name for himself on the playgrounds. He continued the trend in the American Basketball League and he led the league in scoring, and helped Brooklyn win the 1934-35 ABL championship against the dominant Philadelphia Sphas in their prime. He spent a year in the New York Professional League where he set a record for most points with 32. He played with the recently reorganized Original Celtics for the three years. From 1941-46 he was at his peak and he improved his shot and for the first time his free throw percentage rose above 80%. He continued to get accurate and dangerous while keeping his legendary range. The Pistons won over 80% of their games and made five consecutive NBL finals appearances and they won NBL titles in 1944 and 1945, as well as the World Professional Basketball Tournament in Chicago. McDermott became a player-coach during 1946 and he took up the same position when he moved to the Chicago Gears
Bobby McDermott
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Bobby McDermott
45.
Tracy McGrady
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Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player who played professionally in the National Basketball Association. He is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, McGrady entered the NBA straight from high school after being selected in the 1997 NBA draft with the ninth overall pick in the first round by the Toronto Raptors. He played in the NBA for the Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and he also played for the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association. In 2013, after the Spurs lost that years NBA Finals he announced his retirement from the NBA, McGrady was ranked #75 on SLAM Magazines Top 75 Players of All-Time in 2003. McGradys style of play has been compared to that of George Gervin, kobe Bryant has cited Tracy McGrady as the toughest player he ever played against. In April 2017, McGrady was announced as an inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2017, Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr. was born in Bartow, Florida. He played high school basketball and baseball at Auburndale High School in Auburndale and he then transferred to Mount Zion Christian Academy, in Durham, North Carolina. McGrady created a buzz after his performance in the Adidas ABCD Camp. He was named High School Player of the Year by USA Today, McGrady was selected with the ninth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 NBA draft. For most of the 1997–98 season, he received playing time. McGrady has described his year as hell, feeling lonely in Toronto. Late in the season, Walker resigned and McGrady began playing more under new coach Butch Carter on the condition that McGrady improve his work ethic, before the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, the Raptors drafted McGradys distant cousin Vince Carter. The two became inseparable, teammate Dee Brown once said, They say theyre cousins, but Siamese twins is more like it. By the 1999–2000 season, the duo had developed a reputation for their athleticism, McGrady, now playing significant minutes, was a contender for the Sixth Man of the Year Award before being elevated to Torontos starting backcourt in late March. Behind McGrady and Carters play, the Raptors finished the season with a 45-37 record, for the year, McGrady averaged 15.4 points,6.3 rebounds,3.3 assists, and a career-high 1.9 blocks per game. In the first round of the postseason, the Raptors were swept by the New York Knicks, after the 2000 Playoffs, McGrady became a free agent, signing a six-year, $67.5 million contract with the Orlando Magic. Hill would play in four games during the 2000–01 season and 47 games total throughout his tenure with the team, forcing McGrady into a larger leadership. He was also voted the leagues Most Improved Player, with a 43-39 record, the Magic entered the playoffs as the Easts seventh seed, matched up with the Bucks
Tracy McGrady
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McGrady in December 2006, during his tenure with the Houston Rockets.
Tracy McGrady
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In 2004, McGrady joined the
Houston Rockets.
Tracy McGrady
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McGrady shooting over Wizards guard
Deshawn Stevenson.
Tracy McGrady
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McGrady during his tenure with the
New York Knicks in 2010.
46.
Reggie Miller
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Reginald Wayne Reggie Miller is an American retired professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-point shooting, especially in situations and most notably against the New York Knicks. When he retired, he held the record for most career 3-point field goals made and he is second on the list behind Ray Allen. A five-time All-Star selection, Miller led the league in free throw accuracy five times, Miller is widely considered the Pacers greatest player of all-time. His No.31 was retired by the team in 2006, currently, he works as an NBA commentator for TNT. On September 7,2012, Miller was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Miller was born in Riverside, California. He was born with hip deformities, which prevented him from walking correctly, after a few years of continuously wearing braces on both legs, his leg strength grew enough to compensate. One of five siblings, he comes from an athletic family and his brother Darrell is a former Major League Baseball player, his sister Tammy played volleyball at Cal State Fullerton, and his older sister Cheryl is a Hall of Fame basketball player. Cheryl was a member of the 1984 U. S. gold-medal winning Olympic basketball team and is an analyst for Turner Sports, one of the family anecdotes Reggie liked to recall was when Cheryl used to beat him in games of 1-on-1 prior to his professional career. According to Reggie, they quit playing when he could finally block Cheryls shots, Miller claims his unorthodox shooting style was developed to arc his shot over his sisters constant shot blocking. The Millers also had a son Saul, Jr. who became a musician, Miller attended Riverside Polytechnic High School and the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a degree in history. In the 1984–1985 NCAA season he helped the UCLA Bruins to an NIT championship, the Three-point field goal was instituted for the 1986–1987 season,69 of his 247 field goals were from three point range that year. One of his most memorable performances was in the January 24,1987 game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, another notable game was a win against defending national champion Louisville and Pervis Ellison on February 28,1987. Miller scored 33 points in the half, which is still the school record. His final game was a loss in the round of the 1987 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament to Wyoming. He finished second in scoring at UCLA behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As of 2009, he holds the UCLA single-season records for most league points, highest league scoring average. He also holds several individual game records, Miller was selected by the Pacers with the 11th pick in the 1st round of the 1987 NBA draft
Reggie Miller
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The Miller-led Pacers played home games at
Market Square Arena from 1987 to 1999.
Reggie Miller
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Reggie Miller
Reggie Miller
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Miller's public feud with film director
Spike Lee generated controversy for several years in the NBA playoffs.
Reggie Miller
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Miller waves the green flag at the
2005 Indianapolis 500, days after his final game with the Pacers
47.
Earl Monroe
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Vernon Earl Monroe is an American retired professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association, both teams have retired Monroes number. Due to his success and flashy style-of-play, Monroe was given the nickname Earl The Pearl. Born in Philadelphia, Monroe was a legend from an early age. His high school teammates at John Bartram High School called him Thomas Edison because of the moves he invented. Monroe rose to prominence at a level while playing basketball at then Division II Winston-Salem State University, located in Winston-Salem. Under Hall of Fame coach Clarence Big House Gaines, Monroe averaged 7.1 points his freshman year,23.2 points as a sophomore,29.8 points as a junior and an amazing 41.5 points his senior year. In 1967, he earned NCAA College Division Player of the Year honors, in 1967, the two-time All-American was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in the first round of the NBA draft. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in a season in which he averaged 24.3 points per game and he scored 56 points in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the third-highest rookie total in NBA history. It was also a record, later broken by Gilbert Arenas on December 17,2006. He and teammate Wes Unseld quickly became a combination in Baltimore. He said, The thing is, I dont know what Im going to do with the ball, on February 6,1970, he set an NBA record with 13 points in one overtime in a double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons. After the 1970–1971 season, Monroes agent Larry Fleischer told the Bullets of Monroes wishes to be traded to the Lakers, Bulls, after four games into the 1971–1972 season, he traveled to Indianapolis to discuss a transfer to the American Basketball Associations Indiana Pacers. He was then traded to the New York Knicks later in the season, on December 1,2007 the Washington Wizards retired Monroes number 10 jersey. In 1971, Monroe was traded to the New York Knicks and that pairing is one of few backcourts ever to feature two Hall of Famers and NBA 50th Anniversary Team members. A four-time NBA All-Star, Monroe retired after the 1980 season due to knee injuries. He had played 926 NBA career games, scored 17,454 total points, Monroe had his number 15 jersey retired by the Knicks on March 1,1986. Even Monroe admits that his flowing, fluid, silky-smooth on-court style of play was unique and he has said, You know, I watch the games and even now I never see anyone who reminds me of me, the way I played
Earl Monroe
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Monroe in 2013
Earl Monroe
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Monroe interacting with the public at
Barnes & Noble book signing in New York.
48.
Calvin Murphy
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Standing at a height of 5 feet 9 inches, Murphy has the distinction of being the shortest NBA player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and to play in an NBA All-Star Game. Before basketball, Calvin Murphy was a world-class baton twirler and he says he was bullied into it as his mother and all six of her sisters were twirlers. As an 8th grader, in 1963, he won a championship in baton twirling. His reputation as a twirler earned him invitations to perform at sporting events. In 1977, at the height of his career in Houston. He played basketball for Norwalk High School, where he was All-State three times and All-America twice and he is a member of the Connecticut Coaches Association Hall of Fame and a Connecticut Sportswriters Gold Key Award winner. Norwalk High Schools address is now 23 Calvin Murphy Rd. in his honor, Murphy attended Niagara University, where he was a three-time All-American. He scored 2,548 points in 77 games, one of his best games was a 68-point outing against Syracuse University at Niagaras Gallagher Center. In 1970, he led Niagara to the NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round, where they lost to Villanova. During his career he was famous for being one of The Three Ms, along with Pete Maravich and Rick Mount, Murphy is a member of the Iota Phi Theta fraternity. Murphy was drafted by the San Diego Rockets as the first pick in the round of the 1970 NBA draft. In his first season, Murphy was nominated to the NBA All-Rookie team, a diminutive guard at 5 feet 9 inches, Murphy was known for his quickness and defensive ability. Murphy was one of the best free-throw shooters ever, setting NBA records for most consecutive free throws made, both records have since been broken. He set many other records within the Rockets organization, including that of leading scorer until that record was broken in 1994 by Hakeem Olajuwon. The Rockets made it to the NBA Finals in 1981, losing to the Boston Celtics in six games, after retiring from the NBA in 1983, Calvin Murphy was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. After retirement, Murphy continued to work for the Rockets organization in numerous roles and he is currently the halftime and post-game analyst for local Rockets broadcasts. Murphy is confirmed to have fathered fourteen children by nine different women, in 2004, he faced trial in Houston for sexually abusing five of his daughters. He was acquitted of charges in December of that year
Calvin Murphy
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Calvin Murphy
49.
Harlan Page
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Harlan Orville Pat Page was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was one of basketballs first star players in the early 1900s, the 59 Chicago native played guard at the University of Chicago and was known as a defensive specialist. While leading Chicago to three championships, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively named him an All-American each time and named National Player of the Year in 1910. Page also played football at Chicago, walter Camp selected him as a second-team All-American at the end in 1908 and a third-team All-American at the same position in 1909. Following his playing days, Page embarked on a coaching career and he served as the head basketball coach at the University of Chicago, Butler University and the College of Idaho, compiling a career college basketball record of 269–140. In 1924, he coached Butler to the AAU title, in addition, Page coached baseball at the University of Chicago from 1913 to 1920 and again in 1931, amassing a record of 63–35. In 1962, he was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, Harlan Page at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Harlan Page at the College Football Data Warehouse Harlan Page at College Basketball at Sports-Reference. com
Harlan Page
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Harlan Page
50.
Gary Payton
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Gary Dwayne Payton is an American former professional basketball player. He started at the point guard position and he is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. He also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat and he was nicknamed The Glove for his excellent defensive ability. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on September 8,2013, Payton is widely considered one of the best point guards of all time and is the only point guard that has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times and he was also a nine-time NBA All-Star and a nine-time All-NBA Team member. Considered the NBAs reigning high scorer among point guards in his prime, Payton was born in Oakland, California. He played high school basketball at Skyline High School in Oakland, California, along with former NBA player Greg Foster, before attending Oregon State University in Corvallis, in his second year, his grades plummeted and he was declared academically ineligible. His dad encouraged him to focus on school, and he was allowed to play again, throughout his four-year career at OSU, he became one of the most decorated basketball players in OSU history. During his senior year, Payton was featured on the March 5,1990 cover of Sports Illustrated magazine as the nations best college basketball player. He was a consensus All-American in 1990, a three-time All-Pac-10 selection and he was the MVP of the Far West Classic tournament three times and was the Pac-10 Player of the Week nine times. He also was named to the Pac-10s All-Decade Team, during his career at OSU, the Beavers made three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance. He was elected into OSUs Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, Payton was the second overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, and spent his first 12½ seasons with the Sonics. Entering the league to star-studded expectations, Payton struggled during his first two seasons in the league, averaging 8.2 points per game during that span. However, he proved himself to be one of the leagues top point guards, while, during the 1990s Payton. He earned his first of 9 consecutive All-NBA team selections when he was chosen to the All-NBA Third team in 1994. Payton would go on to make the All-NBA First-Team in 1998 and 2000, All-NBA Second Team in 1995,1996,1997,1999, and 2002, and All-NBA Third Team in 1994 and 2001. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team a record nine consecutive seasons, and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1996 and he has been selected to the NBA All-Star Team nine times and was voted as a starter in 1997 and 1998. He was a member of the gold medal-winning 1996 and 2000 U. S. Mens Olympic Basketball Teams
Gary Payton
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Payton as a member of the Miami Heat in 2007.
Gary Payton
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Payton looks to make the pass.
