1.
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
2.
Decatur, Alabama
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Decatur is a city in Morgan and Limestone counties in the State of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as The River City, is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake and it is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County. The population in 2010 census was 55,683, Decatur is also the core city of the two-county large Decatur, Alabama Metropolitan Area which had an estimated population of 153,374 in 2013. Combined with the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the two create the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area, of which Decatur is the second largest city and this city is also known as the Dirty D. This town lit OML Like many southern cities in the early 19th century, Railroad routes and boating traffic pushed the city to the front of North Alabamas economic atmosphere. The city rapidly grew into an economic center within the Tennessee Valley and was a hub for travelers. Throughout the 20th century, the city experienced steady growth, but was eclipsed as the economic center by the fast-growing Huntsville during the space race. The city now finds its economy based on manufacturing, cargo transit, and hi-tech industries such as General Electric. The city was incorporated as Decatur in 1821 and it was named in honor of Stephen Decatur, after he was killed in a duel in 1820, President Monroe directed that the Alabama town be named for him. In the early 1830s, Decatur was the terminus of the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad. In 1850 the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad was incorporated into the Memphis & Charleston Railroad, because of its location on the Tennessee River at the strategically important crossing of two major railroads, Decatur was the site of several encounters during the American Civil War. When the Union army occupied the city early in the war, bricks from some of the churches in town were used to build stoves and chimneys for the buildings that housed soldiers. The four buildings that remained are the Old State Bank, the Dancy-Polk House, the Todd House, while the city was under Confederate control, plans for the Battle of Shiloh were mapped out within the Burleson-Hinds-McEntire House. These activities make the one of the most historic buildings in Decatur. New Decatur, Alabama was a city that rose out of the ashes of former Decatur west of the railroad tracks, New Decatur was founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1889. However, residents of the older Decatur resented the new town, animosity built until New Decatur renamed their town Albany, after Albany, N. Y. in September 1916. The impetus to meld the two came from the need for a bridge, instead of a ferry, across the Tennessee River. The Decatur Kiwanis Club was formed with an number of members from each town to organize efforts to get the state to build the bridge
3.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
4.
Clark Atlanta University
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Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, in the U. S. state of Georgia. It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College, Clark Atlanta University is a member of the United Negro College Fund and is the largest institution in the Atlanta University Center Consortium. By the late 1870s, Atlanta College had begun granting degrees and supplying black teachers. In 1929–30, it began offering graduate education exclusively in various liberal arts areas and it gradually added professional programs in social work, library science, and business administration. At this same time, Atlanta University affiliated with Morehouse College, the story of the Atlanta University over the next twenty years from 1930 includes many significant developments. Graduate Schools of Library Science, Education, and Business Administration were established in 1941,1944, the Atlanta School of Social Work, long associated with the university, gave up its charter in 1947 to become an integral part of the university. In 1957, the controlling Boards of the six institutions ratified new Articles of Affiliation, the new contract created the Atlanta University Center. The influence of Atlanta University has been extended through professional journals and organizations, including Phylon, du Bois, a member of the center. Clark College was founded in 1869 by the Methodist Episcopal Church and it was named for Bishop Davis Wasgatt Clark, who was the first President of the Freedmans Aid Society and became Bishop in 1864. A sparsely furnished room in Clark Chapel, a Methodist Episcopal church in Atlantas Summerhill section, in 1871, the school relocated to a new site on the newly purchased Whitehall and McDaniel Street property. In 1877, the School was chartered as Clark University, an early benefactor, Bishop Gilbert Haven, visualized Clark as the university of all the Methodist schools founded for the education of freedmen. Also in 1883, Clark established a theology department, named for Dr. Elijah H. Gammon, the Gammon School of Theology in 1888 became an independent theological seminary. It is part of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Clark Atlanta Universitys main campus houses 37 buildings on 126 acres and is 1.5 miles from the center of Atlanta. Pfeiffer Hall Holmes Hall Merner Hall Bumstead Hall – vacant for renovations Ware Hall Beckwith Hall Residential Apartments – now called James P. Brawley Hall when the original James P. The Isabella T. Clark Atlantas Center for Functional Nanoscale Measures has produced more black Ph. D. s in Nanoscale Science than any HBCU in the nation. Clark Atlanta is annually ranked on the list of The Washington Monthly of Best Colleges and Universities, Clark Atlanta has a Carnegie classification of Research University – High Research Activity and is one of only four Historically Black Colleges and Universities to earn such a distinction. The preeminent scheduled event of CAU Experience is the induction ceremony. At the ceremony, new students are officially inducted as Clark Atlanta University students
5.
National Basketball League (United States)
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The National Basketball League was a professional mens basketball league in the United States established in 1937. After the 1948–49 season, its twelfth, it merged with the Basketball Association of America to create the National Basketball Association, the predecessor of this league was the Midwest Basketball Conference in 1935. It changed its name in 1937 in an attempt to attract a larger audience, the league was created by three corporations, General Electric, Firestone and Goodyear. It was primarily made up of Great Lakes area small-market and corporate teams, scheduling was left to the discretion of each of the teams, as long as the team played at least ten games and four of them were on the road. Games played increased yearly as the popularity of basketball and the NBL grew in America. Games consisted either of four quarters or three fifteen-minute periods. The choice was made by the home team, some of the teams were independent, while others were owned by companies that also found jobs for their players. Chicago newspaper sports editor Leo Fischer acted as president of the NBL from 1940–44, in 1946, the Basketball Association of America incorporated resulting in a three-year battle with the NBL to win both players and fans. The BAA played its games in cities and venues. On August 3,1949, representatives from the 12-year-old NBL and 3 year old BAA met at the BAA offices in New Yorks Empire State Building to finalize a merger, maurice Podoloff was elected head of the new league. The new National Basketball Association was made up of 17 teams that both small towns and large cities across the country. Unlike the records and statistics of the rival BAA, NBL records and statistics are not considered valid in official NBA totals for records, the history of the NBL falls into three eras, each contributing significantly to the growth of professional basketball and the emergence of the NBA. The first dynasty centered on the Oshkosh All-Stars and their center Leroy Cowboy Edwards, the middle years saw the emergence of the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, who were later instrumental in the survival of the NBA during its infancy. The final period of note during the NBLs existence centered on George Mikan, the Oshkosh All-Stars, who appeared in the championship series five consecutive years and won two titles, were led by rugged 64 center Leroy Cowboy Edwards. Edwards was a consensus NCAA All American and Helms Foundation College Player of the Year as a member of the 1934–35 University of Kentucky Wildcats. He left Kentucky after two years, only the one varsity season, to pursue a basketball career, which was unheard of at the time. He led the NBL in scoring three consecutive seasons, 1937–38 to 1939–40 and he set numerous NBL and professional basketball scoring records and is generally credited with the introduction of the 3 second rule in basketball which is still in existence today. Edwards played all 12 NBL seasons with the Oshkosh All-Stars and retired just prior to its merger with the BAA to form the NBA, the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons—so nicknamed because they were owned by Fred Zollner, whose company made pistons for engines—were led by tough veteran Bobby McDermott
6.
Harlem Globetrotters
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The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater, and comedy. Over the years they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 122 countries and territories, the teams signature song is Brother Boness whistled version of Sweet Georgia Brown. Their mascot is an anthropomorphized globe named Globie, the team plays over 450 live events worldwide each year. The team is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment. The executive offices for the team are located in suburban Atlanta, the Globetrotters originated in the south side of Chicago, Illinois, in the 1920s, where all the original players were raised. In 1928, several players left the team in a dispute and that autumn, several of the players, led by Tommy Brookins, formed a team called the Globe Trotters and toured Southern Illinois that spring. Abe Saperstein became involved with the team as its manager and promoter, by 1929, Saperstein was touring Illinois and Iowa with his basketball team called the New York Harlem Globe Trotters. In fact, the Globetrotters did not play in Harlem until 1968, the Globetrotters were perennial participants in the World Professional Basketball Tournament, winning it in 1940. In 1952, the Globetrotters invited Louis Red Klotz to create a team to them on their tours. This team, the Washington Generals, were the Globetrotters primary opponents up until 2015, the Generals were effectively stooges for the Globetrotters, with the Globetrotters handily defeating them in thousands of games. In 1959, the Globetrotters played nine games in Moscow after Saperstein received an invitation from Vasily Gricorevich, the team, which included Wilt Chamberlain, was welcomed enthusiastically by spectators and authorities, they met Premier Nikita Khrushchev and collectively received the Athletic Order of Lenin medal. However, according to one report, spectators were initially confused, A Soviet audience of 14,000 sat almost silently, as if in awe and it warmed up slightly in the second half when it realized the Trotters are more show than competition. The Globetrotters brought their own opponent—not the Washington Generals, but the San Francisco Chinese Basketeers, a review in Pravda stated, This is not basketball, it is too full of tricks but praised the Globetrotters skills and suggested that they have some techniques to show us. The American press—particularly Drew Pearson—made note of the fact that the Globetrotters were paid the equivalent of $4,000, which could be spent only in Moscow. The games were used as evidence that U. S. –Soviet relations were improving, that Moscow was backing off its criticism of race relations inside America, many famous basketball players have played for the Globetrotters. Greats such as Wee Willie Gardner, Connie The Hawk Hawkins, Wilt The Stilt Chamberlain, the Globetrotters signed their first female player, Olympic gold medalist Lynette Woodard, in 1985. The Globetrotters have featured 13 female players in their illustrious history, baseball Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Bob Gibson, and Ferguson Jenkins also played for the team at one time or another. Because almost all of its players have been African American, and because of the involved in many of the Globetrotters skits
7.
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
8.
Bob Davies
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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
9.
Leroy Edwards
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Leroy Edwards, nicknamed Cowboy and Lefty, was one of the greatest basketball players of his era. He was an NCAA All-American at the University of Kentucky and also one of the most lauded players in the United States National Basketball Leagues history. Edwards was a 6 ft 5 in center who starred at Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis, Edwards played one season of varsity basketball at the University of Kentucky. Due to NCAA rules, college freshmen were not allowed to play varsity sports at the time, as a freshman in 1933–34, he set a college scoring record 24 points per game in 17 games as he guided the Kentucky freshmen team to an undefeated season. In 1934–35, his year and his first of varsity eligibility. Averaging nearly 20 ppg, he set a season point record that lasted until 1947 when teams began playing more games each season. One loss was to a very good Michigan State squad and the other to New York University at the old Madison Square Garden, NYU and Kentucky were considered the best two college teams in the country at that time and playing for the national championship. A then-record 16,500 fans attended the match, a controversy occurred when sports writers said that Kentucky would have won this game if the two NYU players who were hanging onto Edwards throughout the game had fouls called on them. Edwards is generally recognized as the responsible for the implementation of the three-second rule. Enacted in 1936, it was designed to limit rough play near the basket. The rule limits the players can remain in the area in front of the basket known as the paint or free-throw lane. The rule has been modified and is used today. In a different game that season, Edwards set another college basketball record, after coach Adolph Rupps retirement in 1972 he was asked who was the best center he had ever seen play the game and his answer was Leroy Edwards. He said Edwards was the strongest player that he ever coached, Edwards, selected to the First Team All-Southeastern Conference, was also named the Helms Athletic Foundation National College Player of the Year. When Edwards decided to play professional basketball he was considered the player in the country. In 1936 he signed his first pro contract with the Oshkosh All-Stars and this league was the forerunner to the National Basketball Association. He played for them from 1936 to 1949 and he was a prolific scorer with either hand, left or right, could shoot from the outside and was an excellent defensive player. He accomplished so much at a time when game scores and point totals were lower than today
10.
Gene Englund
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Englund was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He attended Kenosha High School in Kenosha where he graduated in 1936, when deciding where to play college basketball, he decided to stick close to home and enrolled at the University of Wisconsin. As a 6 ft 5 in, 205-lb forward and center, Englund was a player for the late 1930s. He broke out during his season in 1940–41 when he was team captain. He scored 162 points in Big Ten Conference games, which set a new scoring record at the time. Additionally, he led Wisconsin to the schools first and only basketball national championship when they defeated Washington State. At the end of the season Englund was named a consensus Second Team All-American, when Englund graduated from college in the spring of 1941, the major professional basketball league was the National Basketball League. From the 1941–42 season through the 1943–44 one, and again from 1946 to 1949, Englund won the NBL Championship as a rookie in 1941–42, leading his team in scoring while making seven field goals and three free throws en route to 17 points. The All-Stars also lost the NBL championships in 1942–43 and 1945–46 while Englund played for them, most of the way into the 1948–49 season with Oshkosh, then-coach Lon Darling resigned and Englund took over as a player-coach for the remainder of the year. He compiled a 3–1 regular season record and a 3–4 playoffs record as coach, at age 32 in 1949–50, Englund was well past his basketball playing prime. He lasted only one season in the NBA, splitting the year with first the Boston Celtics, after playing in 24 games for the Celtics while averaging 8.2 points per game, he was traded on January 29,1950 for John Mahnken. Englund finished the year out by appearing in 22 games for Tri-Cities, after his playing career was over, Englund became an official for the Big Ten and NBA. He died on November 5,1995 in Winnebago, Wisconsin
11.
Buddy Jeannette
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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
12.
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
13.
George Mikan
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George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. nicknamed Mr. Mikan had a successful playing career, winning seven NBL, BAA, and NBA championships, an NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy, and three scoring titles. He was a member of the first four NBA All-Star games, after his playing career, Mikan became one of the founders of the American Basketball Association, serving as commissioner of the league. He was also vital for the forming of the Minnesota Timberwolves, in his later years, Mikan was involved in a long-standing legal battle against the NBA, fighting to increase the meager pensions for players who had retired before the league became lucrative. In 2005, Mikan died after a battle with diabetes. Since April 2001, a statue of Mikan shooting his trademark hook shot graces the entrance of the Timberwolves Target Center, George Mikan was born in Joliet, Illinois, as an American of Croatian descent. As a boy, he shattered one of his knees so badly that he was kept in bed for a year, in 1938, Mikan attended the Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and originally wanted to be a priest, but then moved back home to finish at Joliet Catholic. Mikan did not seem destined to become an athlete, when Mikan entered Chicagos DePaul University in 1942, he stood 610, weighed 245 pounds, moved awkwardly because of his frame, and wore thick glasses for his near-sightedness. However, Mikan met 28-year-old rookie DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer, who saw potential in the bright and intelligent, put into perspective, Meyers thoughts were revolutionary, because at the time it was believed that tall players were too awkward to ever play basketball well. In the following months, Meyer transformed Mikan into a confident, Meyer and Mikan worked out intensively, and Mikan learned how to make hook shots accurately with either hand. This routine would become known as the Mikan Drill. In addition, Meyer made Mikan punch a speed bag, take dancing lessons, from his first National Collegiate Athletic Association college games for DePaul on, Mikan dominated his peers. In addition, Mikan also surprised the world with his unique ability of goaltending. In todays basketball, touching the ball after it reaches its apex is a violation and we would set up a zone defense that had four men around the key and I guarded the basket, Mikan later recalled his DePaul days. When the other took a shot, Id just go up. As a consequence, the NCAA and later the NBA, outlawed goaltending, after the end of the 1945–46 college season, Mikan signed with the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League, a predecessor of the modern NBA. He played with them for 25 games at the end of the 1946–47 NBL season, Mikan led the Gears to the championship of the World Basketball Tournament, where he was elected Most Valuable Player after scoring 100 points in five games, and also voted into the All-NBL Team. However, before the start of the 1947–48 NBL season, Maurice White, the president of the American Gear Company, White planned to create a 24-team league called the Professional Basketball League of America, in which he owned all the teams and arenas. However, the folded after just a month, and the players of Whites teams were equally distributed among the 11 remaining NBL franchises
14.
Lenny Wilkens
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Leonard Randolph Lenny Wilkens is an American retired basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association. He is also a 2006 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. S, during the 1994–95 season, Wilkens set the record for most coaching wins in NBA history, a record he held when he retired with 1,332 victories. Wilkens is now second on the list behind Don Nelson, who broke it in 2010 and he won the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award for the 2010–11 NBA season. Wilkens grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and his father was African American and his mother was Irish American. Wilkens was raised in the Roman Catholic faith, at Boys High School, Wilkens was a basketball teammate of longtime Major League Baseball star Tommy Davis. Wilkens was a two-time All-American at Providence College and he led the team to their first NIT appearance in 1959, and to the NIT finals in 1960. When he graduated, Wilkens was, with 1,193 points, in 1996, Wilkens No.14 jersey was retired by the college, the first alumnus to receive such an honor. In honor of his accomplishments, Wilkens was one of the inaugural inductees into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Wilkens was drafted sixth overall by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1960 NBA draft and he began his career with eight seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, who lost the finals to the Boston Celtics in his rookie season. The Hawks made the playoffs consistently with Wilkens but never reached the finals. Wilkens placed second to Wilt Chamberlain in the 1967–1968 MVP balloting, Wilkens was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for Walt Hazzard and spent four seasons there. He averaged 22.4 points,6.2 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game in his first season for the SuperSonics and he was named head coach in his second season with the team. Wilkens was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers before the start of the season in a highly unpopular trade. Wilkens ended his career spending two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and one with the Portland Trail Blazers, Wilkens scored 17,772 points during the regular season, was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and was named the 1971 NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1971. With Seattle, he led the league in assists in the 1969–70 season, from 1969 to 1972 with Seattle, and in his one season as a player with Portland, he was a player-coach. He retired from playing in 1975 and was the coach of the Trail Blazers for one more season. After a season off from coaching, he became coach of the SuperSonics when he replaced Bob Hopkins who was fired 22 games into the 1977–78 season after a dismal 5-17 start. He coached in Seattle for eight seasons, winning his only NBA championship in 1979 and he would go on to coach Cleveland, Atlanta, Toronto and New York
15.
Ray Allen
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Walter Ray Allen Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association. After playing three seasons of basketball for Connecticut, Allen entered the NBA in 1996 and went on to play for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics. One of the most accurate three-point and free throw shooters in NBA history, he was a ten-time NBA All-Star and he also won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 2000 United States mens basketball team. Allen is the NBAs all-time leader in career three-point field goals made in both the regular and postseason and he has acted in two films, one of which was a lead role in the 1998 Spike Lee film, He Got Game. The third of five children, Allen was born at Castle Air Force Base near Merced, California, a military child, he spent time growing up in Saxmundham in England, Altus in Oklahoma, Edwards Air Force Base in California, and Germany. He attended high school in Dalzell, South Carolina, where he led Hillcrest High School to a state championship. Allen attended the University of Connecticut from 1993 to 1996 after being recruited by assistant coach Karl Hobbs, while at UConn, he was named USA Basketballs Male Athlete of the Year in 1995. In 1995–96, his college season, Allen was a first-team All-American. Allen finished his UConn career third on the Huskies career scoring list with 1,922 points, in 2001, Allen was named honorary captain of the 25-member UConn All-Century Basketball Team. On February 5,2007, his name and number were honored at Connecticuts Gampel Pavilion during the Huskies of Honor ceremony at halftime of the basketball game against the Syracuse Orange. Allen was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the pick of the 1996 NBA draft. Immediately after his selection, Allen and Andrew Lang were traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to fourth pick Stephon Marbury. Allen made his NBA debut on November 1,1996 where he started and played 28 minutes and scored 13 points in a win against fellow rookie Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. On January 12,1997 Allen put in one of his strongest efforts of the season in a win against the Golden State Warriors contributing 22 points,6 assists,3 steals and a new career high of 9 rebounds. Continuing his strong season, on March 25,1997 Allen scored a new career high of 32 points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. Allen was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 1996, after an injury-riddled 2003–04 season, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team and, alongside teammate Rashard Lewis, led the Sonics to the Conference Semifinals in 2005. Allen told the press if the Lakers remained a mediocre squad, in about a year or two he will be calling out to Jerry Buss that we need some help in here. When asked about Allens comments, Bryant responded, Dont even put me, after the 2004–05 season, Allen signed a 5-year, $80 million contract extension
16.
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
17.
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
18.
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
19.
Maurice Cheeks
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Maurice Edward Mo Cheeks is an American retired professional basketball player and currently an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. He has also served as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers. Cheeks was born in Chicago, and attended DuSable High School and he attended West Texas State University from 1974 to 1978. Cheeks was an all-Missouri Valley Conference player for three seasons, as he averaged 16.8 points per game and shot nearly 57% for his collegiate career. He is currently the leading scorer in WTSU/WTAM history. After college, Cheeks was selected as the 36th pick in the round of the 1978 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. As a result, he was named to four straight NBA All-Defensive squads from 1983 to 1986, in NBA history, Cheeks ranks fifth all-time in steals and eleventh all-time in assists. At the time of his retirement from the NBA in 1993, Cheeks was the NBA all-time leader in steals and he averaged 11.7 points per game for his career and notched over 2 steals per contest. After retirement, Cheeks spent one year coaching in the Continental Basketball Association and he coached under head coaches John Lucas, Johnny Davis, and Larry Brown, and he was an instrumental part of the Philadelphia team that reached the 2001 NBA Finals. In 2001, he was hired as Portland Trail Blazers head coach and he led the team to two playoff berths in four years as coach, but could not get past the first round. He was fired after a start to the 2004–05 campaign. On April 25,2003, during a game between the Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks, Cheeks aided 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert in singing the American national anthem. After Gilbert forgot the words at At the twilights last gleaming, Cheeks rushed over to help her and they finished it together, Cheeks and Gilbert received a standing ovation after the song was over. In 2005, Cheeks was named as coach of the 76ers. Cheeks was popular among Sixers fans because of his tenure with the Sixers. The move was praised by Sixers star Allen Iverson, who worked with Cheeks during his run as Sixers Assistant Head Coach. However, he missed the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, frustrations began to grow with Sixers veterans Allen Iverson and Chris Webber, who were not happy with the teams direction. During the 2006–07 season, Iverson would be traded to the Nuggets and Webber would be released, on February 20,2007, the 76ers extended Cheeks contract one year despite his losing record as coach
20.
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
21.
Louie Dampier
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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
22.
Clyde Drexler
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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
23.
Joe Dumars
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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
24.
Walt Frazier
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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
25.
Nikos Galis
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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
