Useful Notes / Notable NBA Players G Through M

There have been a number of famous NBA players to put on basketball jerseys throughout the years, many of which have been referenced or featured prominently in various forms of media themselves. The most notable—those who have been featured prominently in media outside of the game or have set records that have made them likely to be referenced in other works—are listed here, in alphabetical order by family name. For more, see Notable NBA Players A Through F and Notable NBA Players N Through Z.

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G

• Harry "The Horse" Gallatin was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1948 out of Northeast Missouri (now Truman) and soon emerged as one of the young franchise's biggest stars. He played in New York nine seasons, earning seven All-Star nods and leading the league in rebounds in 1954. The Hall of Famer retired in 1958 after a season in Detroit and went into coaching, later winning Coach of the Year in his debut season as HC of the St. Louis Hawks in 1963. Gallatin returned to the Knicks to coach his former team in 1965 and saw diminished results, leading him to leave the NBA halfway through his second season. He passed away in 2015.
• Kevin Garnett was an extremely versatile seven-foot power forward who played ten years for the Minnesota Timberwolves and holds almost every major franchise record, though he was almost always defeated in the first round of the playoffs while he was with them. The Timbs drafted him #5 overall in 1995 as the first player taken straight out of high school in two decades; his success paved the way for other prep-to-pro prospects like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.^note He wasn't the first, though: Reggie Harding in the '60s, Moses Malone in '74, and Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby in '75 all leapfrogged college first. When younger, he was famous for his trash-talking and his huge contract which forbade his General Manager to pay other good players. The "Big Ticket" won Olympic gold in 2000 and was the league MVP in '04, the year he took the T-Wolves to their sole Conference Final appearance in franchise history and the first of four straight seasons he led the league in rebounds. However, he lacked a ring until he went to the Boston Celtics in '07; in his first season there, he was named Defensive Player of the Year and helped bring the team their first title in two decades. He was considered The Heart for the Celtics, with his emotional leadership and contagious energy left a very lasting impact on the team and their fans. The 15-time All-Star was traded to the Nets as part of the Celtics' '13 fire sale and later returned to Minnesota in a '15 trade-deadline deal; still, when Garnett returned to Boston with the T-Wolves for what proved to be his last visit as a player, Celtics coach Brad Stevens called a timeout with less than a minute left to give fans a chance to honor him with a standing ovation. Garnett retired in 2016, tying the marks of Robert Parish and Kevin Willis for most seasons in the NBA at 21 (since surpassed by Vince Carter). He received his inevitable Hall of Fame call in 2020, and the Celtics retired his #5 (the T-Wolves have yet to retire his jersey due to a personal conflict he had with ownership on the way out). He also memorably played himself in Uncut Gems and was featured on the covers of NBA Live 2001 and NBA 2K 9.
• The Gasol Brothers are Spanish^note more specifically Catalan brothers, both 7'1"/2.15 m Barcelona natives, who are one of the best-known sibling pairs in NBA history. The pair were featured on Spain's cover version of NBA 2K 16 (and Pau alone made it the following year) and won Olympic silver in 2004 and 2008 for Spain (Pau also won bronze in 2012), and both prominently played with the Memphis Grizzlies, though Pau more prominently played with the Los Angeles Lakers.
  • Pau Gasol, older by about 4 years, was developed in the youth system of FC Barcelona's basketball section.^note Like its eternal rival Real Madrid (discussed with regard to Luka Dončić), FC Barcelona is also a multi-sport club that fields teams in a wide range of sports. And as with Real, only the equally legendary soccer team is well-known in the States. He played with the Barça senior side for three seasons, leading them to the ACB^note the top Spanish league, then as now generally considered the world's second-best domestic league after the NBA and Spanish Cup titles in his final season there in 2000–01. Immediately after that, he left for the NBA after the Grizzlies drafted him #3 overall (via the Hawks). The 7'1" power forward won Rookie of the Year and established himself as an outrageously skilled player for his size, combining strong inside play, an even stronger midrange game, and very good interior defense. He moved to the Lakers in 2008 and had even greater success, with two championships. Pau declined somewhat due to age and the Lakers' collapse in the 2010s, moved to the Bulls in 2014, and had something of a resurrection there, earning his last two of six All-Star selections. Injuries led him to bounce around to the Spurs and Bucks before he returned home during the 2020–21 season, signing with Barça in hopes of one last Olympic appearance for Spain; he eventually made the team for the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, during which he was elected to a seat on the International Olympic Committee for a term that ends at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Gasol announced his retirement that October, the Lakers retired his #16, and he entered the Hall of Fame in 2023. Pau is also known as one of the more cultured players in the league's history; he speaks five languages, deeply enjoys classical music and opera, and originally wanted to be a doctor, going so far as to start medical studies in Barcelona before basketball got in the way.
  • Marc Gasol arrived in the US at the same time as Pau; his parents moved from Barcelona to Memphis, bringing Marc and their younger brother^note Adrià, who himself grew to 6'9"/2.06 m, and played at UCLA for a season before returning to Spain along. Marc graduated from high school in Memphis, after which he returned to Spain to play professionally, first at Barça and later at Girona. After being named ACB MVP in 2008 season, he returned to Memphis at the same time Pau left for the Lakers. Marc developed into one of the league's better big men, being named Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 (despite NOT being named to the All-Defensive first team) and an All-Star thrice. He began his NBA career as more of a pure inside player than Pau but later developed a decent three-point shot, becoming one of an increasing number of "stretch fives"^note much like the "stretch four", except nominally a center instead of a power forward in the league. He remained in Memphis until the 2019 trade deadline, when the Grizzlies decided to blow up their roster and deal their all-time leader in minutes, rebounds, and blocks to the Raptors, where he got his own championship ring. He returned to the Lakers in 2020 as a free-agent signee, and in 2021 returned to Spain to play for Bàsquet Girona, the successor to the now-defunct club that he played for before joining the Grizzlies. He officially retired in 2024.
• Paul George drafted #10 overall by the Indiana Pacers in 2010 out of Fresno State. After two solid years, "PG-13" broke out out in his third season following an injury to Danny Granger. The swingman broke Reggie Miller's franchise record for most three-pointers in a game on his way to win the 2013 Most Improved Player award. However, he suffered a gruesome broken leg while preparing for the 2014 Basketball World Cup and didn't return until the last month of the 2014–15 regular season. He eventually returned to close to his pre-injury self, remaining a regular All-Star, winning Olympic gold in 2016, and making the cover of NBA 2K 17. He was traded in 2017 to the Thunder, mainly so the Pacers would get something in return for him before he became a free agent. Despite leading the NBA in steals in 2019, PG was dealt after the season to the Los Angeles Clippers to join fellow L.A.-area native Kawhi Leonard.
• George Gervin was a Hall of Fame shooting guard most known for his prolific scoring, trademark finger roll, and stoic demeanor (his nickname was "The Iceman", which he spun off into an iconic poster of him sitting on an icy throne). Suspended and removed from his team at Eastern Michigan after punching an opposing player in 1972, Gervin initially had no choice but to enter the ABA, starting out with the Virginia Squires before hopping to the San Antonio Spurs after they folded in 1974. He was named an All-Star in each of his 12 seasons in San Antonio (winning All-Star MVP in 1980), led the league in scoring four times, set multiple franchise records (since passed by Robinson and Duncan), and reached three Conference Finals, though he never got the Spurs to the NBA Finals, let alone a championship. In 1985, he was traded for one last NBA season with the Bulls, then played a few more in Europe and with the CBA before retiring in 1990. His #44 was retired by the Spurs, and his alma mater of Eastern Michigan renamed its arena to honor him in 2021.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a Canadian guard who has emerged as the new face of the Thunder. He was drafted #11 overall by the Clippers in 2018 as a one-and-done prospect at Kentucky. He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder after a solid rookie season in LA, steadily improving until a breakout 2022–23 season that saw him make his first All-Star appearance and All-NBA first team. His performance impoved even more dramatically the following year, taking the Thunder to the #1 seed in a hyper-competitive West while co-leading the NBA in steals. "SGA" also made the all-tournament team at the 2023 World Cup, leading Canada to a bronze medal, capped off by a win over Team USA^note which was missing many NBA superstars who chose to point to the 2024 Olympics, for which the US did qualify in the third-place match.
• Artis Gilmore was a center (seven-foot-two without Afro, seven-foot-six with) drafted by the ABA's Kentucky Colonels out of Jacksonville in 1971. He won both Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first season, led the team to the ABA championship in 1975, led the ABA in total rebounds all five years he played, and holds the ABA record for blocked shots. He wasn't quite as dominating when he went to the Chicago Bulls (who had drafted him in the seventh round out of college) during the merger but still put up some impressive numbers, including a preposterous 67% field-goal percentage one year. He's still the NBA's leader in career field goal percentage and, including NBA and ABA totals, ranks first in defensive rebounds and fourth in blocks. "The A-Train" was named an All-Star in 11 of his 18 seasons in the ABA/NBA and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011 after a two-decade wait.
• Manu Ginóbili was a Hall of Fame shooting guard and one of the greatest draft day steals in the history of the league, taken #57 overall (second-to-last at the time) by the San Antonio Spurs in 1999. At the time, he was playing in Italy with Reggio Calabria, moving to traditional power Virtus Bologna in 2000, where he led them to a EuroLeague title in his first season in Bologna and was named MVP of the competition's Final Four. Breaking into the NBA in 2002, Ginóbili quickly earned a reputation of being one of the best sixth men in the league, winning the award in '08. He also has an accomplished international record, leading Argentina to victories over the USA's Dream Team in the FIBA championships in '02 and again in the Athens Olympic Games in '04 on the way to a gold medal. One of the few players with a decidedly unique Signature Move, the pass between the legs of an opponent, he also popularized the Euro step in the league and was one of the best shooting guards in the league (though he was also known negatively for his use of flopping in order to try to draw a foul). Manu is one of only two players (the other being Bill Bradley) to have won an NBA title, the EuroLeague^note or its historic equivalent, the FIBA Europe Clubs Championship, and an Olympic gold medal in his career. He retired in 2018 as the Spurs' all-time leader in steals and 3-pointers, with the team retiring his #20.
• Rudy Gobert, a 7'1" center out of France, has become one of the league's most dominant defenders, especially at the rim (earning him the Fan Nickname "Stifle Tower"). Noted for his ridiculous length, even for his size—when he was measured for the 2013 NBA draft combine, his wingspan of 7-8.5 (2.35 m) and standing reach of 9-7 (2.92 m)^note to put it in perspective, that's a mere five inches below the top of the rim were then all-time records. The Utah Jazz picked him at #27, which was lower than he thought he would go—he wears #27 to remind him of the "snub". Gobert truly emerged in the 2016–17 season, leading the league in blocks, and was named Defensive Player of the Year the next two seasons and a third time in 2021. However, he may wind up more remembered as the first NBA player to test positive for the COVID-19 virus that soon swept the world. Gobert's diagnosis caused the league to suspend its 2019-20 season immediately in March 2020 and required the teams he played against that week to quarantine themselves.^note Shortly before his positive test, he mocked coronavirus concerns by deliberately touching all reporters' microphones and recording devices after a home game... while apparently unknowingly carrying the virus. Gobert later apologized and hoped the incident would convey the seriousness of the pandemic, which it likely did. In 2022, while coming off of leading the NBA in rebounds, the Jazz entered a dramatic rebuild and decided to trade Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for quite the haul of four different (role) players and four unprotected first round picks.
• Gail Goodrich was the Los Angeles Lakers' territorial pick in 1965 after he led UCLA to back-to-back NCAA championships. The shooting guard was nicknamed "Stumpy" for his relatively short height (6'1") and was taken away from the Lakers in 1968 by the Phoenix Suns' expansion draft. He emerged in Arizona as a dominant scorer but was still traded back to the Lakers in 1970 for center Mel Counts. This proved to be a massive mistake; while Counts proved to be a mere footnote in NBA history, Goodrich emerged as the Lakers' leading scorer on their legendary 1971-72 squad that put up a 33-win streak and championship. The five-time All-Star and Hall of Famer put up several more excellent years in L.A. and retired in 1979 after a few years with the Jazz. The Lakers retired his #25.
• Ben Gordon was a British-American undersized shooting guard (listed at 6'1") drafted by the Chicago Bulls #3 overall in 2004 out of UConn, where he won a national championship. Gordon was seen as the "face" of the "Baby Bulls", a quartet of rookies who joined the Bulls that season including Luol Deng (#7 pick, see above), Chris Duhon (second round), and Andrés Nocioni (undrafted out of Argentina), that led the team back to the postseason for the first time since Jordan's retirement despite a franchise-worst 0-9 start. Gordon became the first rookie to win Sixth Man of the Year (and placed second in Rookie of the Year voting) with clutch fourth quarter performances off the bench (trailing only LeBron in fourth quarter scoring in the league that year). The so-called "Heir Gordon" twice tied the NBA single-game record of going 9/9 on three-pointers and set several (since surpassed) franchise three-point shooting records while leading the Bulls to the playoffs thrice more. However, turnover issues, injuries, and the firing of contentious head coach Scott Skiles brought an end to his era in 2009. Gordon signed as a free agent with the Pistons (where he scored the 10 millionth point in NBA history) then got sent to Charlotte before spending time in the G-League. His post-playing career has been marred with legal troubles while Gordon was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
• Horace Grant was a power forward drafted #10 overall out of Clemson in 1987 by the Chicago Bulls (five picks after they took Scottie Pippen) and a key contributor to their first three-peat championship run. Sporting big goggles for his myopia (which became such an Iconic Item that he continued to wear them even after having LASIK surgery), he quickly developed into a defensive star (earning four NBA All-Defensive Team selections) while taking over for Charles Oakley (see the Knicks folder) as Michael Jordan's on-court bodyguard. After Jordan's first retirement, Grant emerged as the Bulls #2 star behind Pippen and set career highs in points, rebounds, and assists while making his sole career All-Star appearance. He moved onto the Magic as a free agent in '94 and made another Finals appearance, was traded to the Super Sonics in '99, reunited with his Bulls coach Phil Jackson on the Lakers in 2000 and won a fourth championship, and bounced around before retiring in '04. Grant now serves as a special advisor to the Bulls. On a more infamous note, he has long been alleged to be the main source for the controversial book The Jordan Rules which painted Jordan as a bully and brought his gambling habits to public attention, souring his relationship with Jordan. His twin brother Harvey Grant, drafted #12 out of Oklahoma the year after Horace,^note Horace had to sit out a year after transferring from Clemson due to then-current NCAA rules. also had a long NBA career with the Bullets and Trail Blazers.
• A.C. Green was not always a spectacular player, only being named an All-Star in 1990, but he holds a place in NBA history for his sheer durability. The power forward from Oregon State was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers #23 overall in 1985, and after missing three games in his second year, never missed another regular season game until his retirement in 2001, a whopping 1,192 games. The "Iron Man" won two titles during his first stint in L.A. (1985-93), bounced around to Phoenix and Dallas, returned to L.A. to win a third title in 1999-2000, and retired after a year in Miami.
• Draymond Green is the Golden State Warriors' power forward. A four-year college player at Michigan State, Green was considered a classic "tweener", not quick or athletic enough to be a guard, not big or strong enough to be a forward. In the 2012 Draft, the Warriors took a flier on him in the second round, where a useful bench player is generally considered a good result. Green's competitiveness and defensive smarts made him that useful bench player for Golden State, but when injury opened up the starting power forward position in the 2014-15 season, Green seized it with both hands and never looked back, earning four All-Star selections and being named Defensive Player of the Year in '17 after leading the NBA in steals. He's since become arguably one of the league's best frontcourt players - a uniquely versatile defender who's been known to cover point guards and centers on the same play, and an unexpected offensive weapon for the Warriors, with a respectable jump shot and the ball-handling skills to serve as a release valve for Curry. Green's versatility as a role player is likely best represented by his unique accomplishment of being the only NBA player to ever post a triple-double without scoring double-digit points. His talents have translated to the international stage as well, with Green being part of the gold-winning U.S. teams at the 2016 and '20 Olympics. But perhaps more than anything else, he's known as the Warriors' "heartbeat" - the team's vocal leader, competitive engine, and most brash, profane, and constant trash-talker. All this, combined with the sheer pride he shows in his propensity for collecting fouls and getting into scuffles on the court, has earned him the reputation as one of the league's "dirtiest" players. While he (and Warriors fans) are happy to take that label as long as the team keeps winning, his cheap shots have led to multiple suspensions at inopportune times. This was most notable in the '16 Finals, where his removal after a Groin Attack on LeBron was seen by many as the reason the Dubs were upset from completing the winningest season in NBA history on a high note.
• Hal Greer was a Hall of Fame guard who remains, decades after the end of his playing career, the Sixers' record holder for points and games/minutes played. Drafted in the second round by the then-Syracuse Nationals in 1958 out of Marshall, where he had broken multiple color barriers, Greer followed the team when they became the Philadelphia 76ers, playing 15 seasons for the franchise. His excellent jump-shot, far ahead of many in the era (to the point that he used it for his free throws), helped him secure ten All-Star nods (and win MVP of the '68 All-Star Game) and claim a championship in '67. He was also exceptionally durable for his era, leading the NBA in career games played when he retired. His #15 was retired by the Sixers, and he passed away in 2018.
• Blake Griffin was the #1 overall pick of the 2009 Draft, but a knee injury kept the power forward from Oklahoma off the court for a whole season. When he did reach the field the next year, his exceptional dunking talent helped to finally turn his Los Angeles Clippers into a team that could fill arenas after three decades as an NBA bottom-feeder. His spectacular dunks earned him All-Star nods in his first five seasons and helped him make the cover of NBA 2K 13. He became more versatile as he aged and by his last year in L.A. become fairly dependable from behind the three-point line. However, he also began to struggle with injuries; the Clips decided to blow up their roster during the 2017–18 season, trading Griffin to the Pistons. After one more All-Star year, Detroit bought his contract out in 2020, and he bounced around to the Nets and Celtics, retiring in 2024 after not playing the prior season. In the back half of his playing career, Griffin notably began to dabble in comedy, performing stand-up and even hosting a hidden camera TV show on truTV.
• Darrell Griffith was drafted #2 overall in 1980 out of Louisville by the Utah Jazz, where he played his entire 10-year career. Though he never was named an All-Star, Griffith was a beloved figure in Utah, winning Rookie of the Year, setting multiple (since surpassed) NBA records involving his three-point shooting ability, and gaining a host of colorful nicknames like "Dr. Dunkenstein" and "The Golden Griff". Upon his retirement, the Jazz retired his #35.

H

• Cliff Hagan was a Hall of Fame small forward drafted in the third round in 1953 by the Celtics, but an extra graduate season at Kentucky and two years in the Air Force delayed his entry into the NBA until 1956; before he could play for Boston, he was traded to the St. Louis Hawks as part of the deal to secure Bill Russell's rights. His excellent hook shot was a key component to the Hawks' 1958 championship, and he racked up five All-Star nods in St. Louis. Hagan spent the last three seasons of his pro career as a player-coach with the Dallas Chaparrals, notching an ABA All-Star appearance and retiring from play in 1969 while pushing 40. After one more year as the team's coach, he returned to his alma mater to serve as AD for several years.
• Tyrese Haliburton was drafted #12 overall by the Kings in 2020 out of Iowa State, but he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in the middle of his second season as a part of a massive multi-player trade. This move ultimately proved beneficial for both teams, as Haliburton has become a regular All-Star in Indiana, including leading the NBA in assists in '24.
• Richard "Rip" Hamilton was the shooting guard for the 2000s Detroit Pistons, though he was first drafted by the Wizards #7 overall in 1999 to play alongside Michael Jordan after winning the NCAA championship at UConn. Hamilton was traded to the Pistons in 2002 and was another key piece of their six straight Conference Final visits and 2004 championship. While in Detroit, a broken nose led him to wear a clear plastic facemask in every game for the rest of his career. The three-time All-Star signed with the Bulls in 2011 and retired in 2013; the Pistons retired his #32.
• Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway is one of the NBA's more notable instances of What Could Have Been. A point guard drafted #3 overall in 1993 by the Orlando Magic out of his hometown school, Memphis,^note then known as Memphis State; the school dropped "State" a year later Penny quickly became one of the league's best players, making the All-Star team four times in his first five years and winning Olympic gold in 1996. Penny was the first of Shaquille O'Neal's many superstar partners, so much in fact that the Magic decided to make him the focus of their franchise instead of Shaq, who felt ousted by the team and left for the Lakers in free agency. In hindsight, this was a bad move, as injuries began to plague Hardaway, who was eventually traded to the Suns, bouncing around the league thereafter (having a stint with the Knicks) before reuniting with Shaq in Miami in one final stop. He's now the head coach at his alma mater.
• Tim Hardaway was a point guard most famous for playing with the Miami Heat from 1996-2001; his #10 jersey has been retired by the team. Originally a member of the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him #14 overall in 1989 out of UTEP. Hardaway was responsible for leading the fast break, displaying his excellent passing and one-on-one skills to complement Mitch Richmond's slashing and Chris Mullin's shooting (the trio was nicknamed Run-TMC). A five-time All-Star, Hardaway reached 5,000 points and 2,500 assists faster than any player in NBA history at the time besides Oscar Robertson. Joining Miami in 1996, Hardaway formed a power-duo with Alonzo Mourning and, in many ways, was the Stockton to Mourning's Karl Malone, winning Olympic gold with him in 2000 and setting the Heat's then-record for career assists (since surpassed by Dwyane Wade). In 2001, he was traded to the Mavericks, then bounced around to the Nuggets and Pacers before retiring in 2003; he never won a ring. Hardaway was featured on the cover of NBA Live 98. His son Tim Jr. was drafted by the Knicks in 2013.
  • Hardaway went through a surprising amount of Character Development regarding his homophobia - he went from publicly saying that he hates gays, to admitting that he didn't know he hurt a lot of people with that statement. He's now working with The Trevor Project and The YES Institute, which he has done to educate himself on gay, lesbian, and transgender issues. In 2019, he publicly expressed his belief that his former homophobia kept him out of the Hall of Fame... at least until 2022, when he finally got in.
• James Harden is a highly accomplished—and very well-traveled—shooting guard. He was the first player ever drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder, going to them #3 overall in 2009 out of Arizona State. He started out as the third wheel of the OKC Big 3 next to Durant and Westbrook, generally coming off the bench to reinforce his teammates; he was named Sixth Man of the Year in 2012, the same year he won Olympic gold. Harden quickly improved his play around the period he literally grew his iconic thick, bushy beard. Despite his offensive prowess, Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012 so he could get a max contract and start while the Thunder reinforced their bench after their loss in the Finals. Now a full-time starter, he immediately cemented his status as one of the greatest scorers in the league, landed on the cover of NBA 2K 16 and NBA Live 18, led the league in assists in '17, and was named MVP in '18 after winning the first of three straight scoring titles and taking the Rockets to the league's best regular-season record, making him only the second player to be named Sixth Man of the Year and MVP (in the reverse chronological order of Bill Walton). His style of play reflected the increasingly analytic nature of the league, primarily taking shots from beyond the arc and in the lane (in the 2021-22 regular season, he took all of 22 midrange shots) while drawing many free throw attempts (goading so many that new shooting foul rules were implemented largely due to him). This style has drawn frequent criticisms, though Harden gives as good as he gets, being vocally critical of both the media and even other NBA players. For all of his individual success, becoming the Rockets all-time leader in 3-pointers and assists, Harden was never able to get the team past two Conference Finals appearances. Seeking the chance for a ring, he forced a trade to the Nets in 2021, reuniting with KD in a massive four-team megadeal. When that "superteam" failed to produce the desired results in part due to Harden's apparent physical regression, he was traded again to the Sixers in a deal that involved Ben Simmons as a centerpiece. He rebounded in Philly, settling in as a facilitator for Joel Embiid and again leading the NBA in assists in 2023... only to again force a trade over dissatisfaction with his contract, landing with the Clippers.
• Derek Harper was a point guard drafted #11 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 1983 out of Illinois. Harper played his first eleven NBA seasons in Dallas as one of the team's first stars, but the young franchise's low profile ensured he was never even named an All-Star. He retired in 1999 after a few years as a journeyman (with stints with the Knicks, Nuggets, Lakers, and Pistons) and stayed active in the Dallas sports scene; the Mavs would retire his #12, and he remains the franchise's all-time leader in assists and steals.
• Joe Harris is a swingman initially drafted in the second round in 2014 out of Virginia by the Cavaliers. Harris didn't last long in Cleveland and was traded and waived after just two years. He signed with the Brooklyn Nets and served as a capable long-range scoring contributor for most of the next seven seasons, setting the franchise record for career three-pointers. He now plays for the Pistons.
• Udonis Haslem was a Long Runner who played 20 seasons (2003-23) with the Miami Heat. Only Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant had comparable tenures with a single team length-wise, and while Haslem's numbers don't come close to matching their Hall of Fame careers (he barely saw the court after 2015, averaging well under ten minutes a game), that longevity is unprecedented for an undrafted player.^note At least in terms of seasons. Ben Wallace, though playing in "only" 16 seasons to Haslem's 20, appeared in over 200 games more than Haslem. A Miami native who played college ball at Florida, Haslem initially couldn't make an NBA roster in 2002, played a year in France, landed a spot on his hometown team the following year, and stuck around for two decades. His rebounding talents made him an important piece of all three Heat championship teams, and he holds the franchise record for that stat. That said, his biggest contribution was his locker-room leadership, which the Heat valued enough to keep him on the roster even after he long passed his prime. He wrapped his NBA career with a 24-point game, the most of any 42-year-old. Haslem soon moved into a position in the Heat's front office, and the team retired his #40.
• John Havlicek was one of the best defensive players in league history and competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons; only Russell and Sam Jones won more rings than him. A member of a loaded champion Ohio State roster, "Hondo" was drafted #7 overall in 1962 and quickly revolutionized the "sixth man" role. He was immortalized for his clutch steal in the closing seconds of the 1965 Eastern Conference championship and ascended to a starting role in the following years. Despite being such a dominant defender, the Hall of Famer and 13-time All-Star was arguably just as good on offense: He was an incredible scorer and remains the franchise's all-time leader. He was a perfect 8-0 in NBA Finals and won Finals MVP in '74. His #17 was immediately retired at the Boston Garden after he left the game, and he died from Parkinson's in 2019. The trophy for the Sixth Man of the Year is named in his honor.
• Connie Hawkins was a New York City high school star and playground legend playing on Iowa's freshman team^note In his day, freshmen were ineligible for varsity sports. when he became implicated in a point-shaving scandal. Despite no evidence being found against him, he was expelled from the school and banned from the NBA. He played for a year with the short-lived American Basketball League, winning the MVP award for that season. He then played with the Harlem Globetrotters for several years before joining the fledgling ABA with the Pittsburgh Pipers. He became the league's first MVP and playoff MVP when he led the team to the ABA championship in 1968. When the NBA lifted its ban on him in 1969, he joined the one-year-old Phoenix Suns at the age of 27; the team improved by 23 wins over the previous season and almost upset the Lakers (who had Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor) in the playoffs. He was the original "palm the ball" guy, even before Dr. J, able to move it anywhere he wanted one-handed and throw defenders off their game before passing, shooting, or driving to the hoop. He played with the Suns for four years, making the All-Star team in each, before being traded and playing a few more years with the Lakers and Hawks. Despite losing what many felt could have been some of his best years to the ban, he made it to the Hall of Fame, and the Suns retired his #42. He went on to work for the Suns for decades after his retirement and continued to live in the Phoenix area until his death in 2017.
• Elvin Hayes, a Hall of Fame power forward was drafted #1 overall by the San Diego Rockets after a legendary college career at Houston. In his first season, "The Big E" led the NBA in scoring, the last rookie to do so. He stayed with the Rockets through their move back to his college town in Houston until being traded to the Baltimore Bullets in 1972, where he and Wes Unseld became one of the most feared frontcourt combos of their day. An excellent scorer, especially famous for his turnaround jumper, and roughly equal to Unseld as a rebounder (he led the NBA in '70 and '74), he was critical to the Bullets' '78 championship. He made a total of 12 All-Star teams, eight with the Bullets, before being traded back to the Rockets in '81, where he finished his career three years later as the NBA's all-time leader in minutes and games played (since passed). The Rockets retired his #44 and the Wizards his #11; he remains the Wizards' all-time leading scorer and blocker.
• Gordon Hayward, a 6'8" small forward, became the face of the Utah Jazz in the mid-'10s. Hayward first entered the national consciousness as a college player at Butler, where he led the Bulldogs to within an eyelash of a national title in 2010. He declared for the Draft that spring, going to the Jazz #9 overall, and steadily improved from good to All-Star level. His decision to opt out of the last year of his contract to join the Celtics in 2017 unfortunately cut short his ascent, as he suffered a gruesome leg injury in the season opener. He missed all of that season and didn't recover completely until late in the 2019–20 season, and even then he was never the same player he was pre-injury. He moved to the Hornets after that season, where he remained until being dealt to the Thunder in a 2024 trade-deadline deal. Also One of Us, as he's a video game enthusiast, even dabbling in Professional Gaming.
• Spencer Haywood was one of the most promising prospects in college basketball history, having performed so well at Trinidad State Junior College that he landed on the 1968 Olympic team at just 19 years old, becoming the youngest U.S. basketball Olympian ever. He led that gold medal team in scoring, then led the NCAA in rebounds the next year after transferring to Detroit. The sophomore power forward decided to go pro in 1969 to help his financially struggling mother and ten siblings, and the ABA adopted a "hardship exemption" specifically for him. The Denver Rockets took him at #4 and reaped huge rewards: the 21-year-old didn't just win Rookie of the Year but led the ABA in scoring and rebounds and was named league MVP, the youngest in ABA-NBA history. This turned out to be something of a curse for Denver, as with his elite talent now established, Haywood left to seek more money from the NBA and teamed with Seattle SuperSonics' ownership to launch an antitrust suit against the NBA. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court before the league settled and adopted its own hardship exemption to permit Haywood to play. Haywood played four complete All-Star seasons in Seattle, then was traded to stints with the Knicks and Jazz. He landed with the Lakers in the 1979-80 season and technically won a championship, though his role was limited and he was fired during the Finals due to his struggles with cocaine addiction. After a year playing ball in Italy, he played two final seasons with the Bullets before retiring. The Sonics retired his #24, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
• Tom Heinsohn, a.k.a. "Mr. Celtic", was involved with the Boston Celtics organization for over six decades and for every one of their 17 championships and 21 Finals appearances prior to his death in 2020. His roots in Boston run deep, as he was Boston's territorial pick in 1956, arriving from Holy Cross right alongside Russell. Although somewhat overshadowed by Russell and several other teammates, he was named Rookie of the Year ahead of Russell, made six All-Star teams, and won eight titles with Russell and Jones (the only two players with more championship rings as players). During his playing career, Heinsohn also played a major role in the development of the NBA Players Association, succeeding fellow Holy Cross/Celtics alum Bob Cousy as president in 1958 and serving there until his retirement as a player in 1965. After seeing his #15 retired by the franchise, he became the Celtics' TV play-by-play man until becoming their head coach in 1969. In his nine seasons in that role, he was Coach of the Year in 1973 and led the Celtics to two titles ('74, '76). He returned to Celtics TV in 1981 following a dip in performance, this time on color commentary, and continued to hold that position until 2019, although by then his advanced age meant that he called only home games and served as a studio analyst when the Celtics were away. Along with Bill Russell, he is one of only five individuals to be a Hall of Famer as both a player and a coach.^note The others are Bill Sharman, Lenny Wilkens, and John Wooden.
• Tyler Herro^note pronounced like "hero" is a shooting guard drafted #13 overall by the Miami Heat in 2019 out of Kentucky. He has emerged as something of an Ensemble Dark Horse in South Beach due to his scoring prowess off the bench; Kentucky native Jack Harlow featured him in a 2020 single after his standout rookie performance in the Heat's 2020 Finals appearance, and he won Sixth Man of the Year in 2022.
• Roy Hibbert was a 7'2 center drafted by the Indiana Pacers (via the Raptors) #17 overall in 2008 out of Georgetown, which he led to the Final Four as another in a long history of great Hoya big men^note following in the footsteps of Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, and Alonzo Mourning. He became a full-time starter in his second season and quickly emerged as a strong defensive presence and double-double machine, earning All-Star honors in 2012 and 2014 while leading the Pacers to their most recent Conference Finals appearance. However, he also developed a reputation fizzling out in the postseason, including putting up four scoreless playoff games, an NBA record for a former All-Star. With frustration growing, Hibbert was traded to the Lakers in 2015, playing alongside Kobe Bryant in his final season. He moved on to stints with the Hornets and Nuggets before retiring in 2018. He also made recurring cameo appearances in the Indiana-based Parks and Recreation.
• Chavano Rainer "Buddy" Hield, aka "Buddy Buckets", is a Bahamian shooting phenom currently with the 76ers. A college star at Oklahoma, he broke out his senior year as one of the top scorers in the country and led the nation in three-point shots. Essentially an undersized "wing" (listed at 6'4"), there were concerns over his size and how his high-volume shooting would translate to the NBA, but he was selected #6 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016, becoming an increasingly rare lottery pick who played all four years in college. He got off to a hot start but was traded in the middle of his rookie season to the Kings as part of the deal to bring DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans. Hield quickly became one of the NBA's top three-point shooters, shattering franchise records while setting NBA records for most three-pointers made in a player's first three seasons (599) and fastest to make 1,000 three-pointers (350 games) while also winning the 2020 three-point competition at the All-Star weekend. Unfortunately, the Kings continued to struggle, and Hield was shipped out to the Pacers in 2022 as part of the trade to bring in Domantas Sabonis (the Kings broke their long playoff drought the season after trading him away). In Indy, Hield broke several of Reggie Miller's single-season three-point shooting franchise records but again reach the postseason. He was traded to the 76ers during the 2024 season where he became one of the few players since NBA adopted the 82 game regular season to play in more than that (84) owing to the two teams off-night scheduling and his staying healthy.
• Grant Hill was a small forward drafted #3 overall by the Detroit Pistons in 1994 out of Duke, where he gained acclaim as one of the greatest college ball players ever after leading the Blue Devils to consecutive national championships. He made an immediate impact in the pros, becoming the first rookie ever to lead All-Star Game fan balloting (though admittedly during MJ's first retirement) and the first Piston since Bing to be the league's Rookie of the Year (though he had to share honors with Jason Kidd). Hill made five All-Star teams in his first six years in the league and won Olympic Gold in 1996. Illustrating his versatility, he was also only the third player to lead his team in points, rebounds, and assists in more than one season, doing so three times.^note Wilt Chamberlain (also three times) and Elgin Baylor (twice) preceded him, and Russell Westbrook and Giannis Antetokounmpo (twice each) have since joined the club. However, despite his great individual talent, the Pistons struggled in the playoffs during his tenure, being knocked out in the first round in each of the team's four visits. With free agency looming in 2000, he went to the Orlando Magic in a sign-and-trade deal. Sadly, an ankle injury that he had suffered near the end of his final regular season in Detroit and aggravated in that season's playoffs turned into injury hell. He played a total of 47 games in his first three seasons in Orlando, and after that missed the entire 2003–04 season after a major ankle surgery followed by a life-threatening MRSA^note drug-resistant infection. He finally got to play something approaching a full season in 2004–05, though hampered by an unrelated injury, and became an All-Star for the final time. Hill remained an effective though injury-prone player with the Magic, Suns, and Clippers until retiring in 2013 to the broadcast booth. Also notable as one of the nicest men in the sport, winning the NBA Sportsmanship Award three times. Now a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks and part of the Hall of Fame's Class of 2018. His father Calvin was a Pro Bowl NFL running back.
• Kirk Hinrich^note pronounced HYNE-rik was a guard drafted #7 overall out of Kansas in 2003 and played an important role in the Chicago Bull's 2000s revival as a shooting specialist; he still holds the franchise record for three-pointers. "Captain Kirk" was traded to the Wizards in 2010 but returned to Chicago in 2012 after a stint in Atlanta; he stayed there until being traded back to Atlanta in 2016, retiring soon afterwards.
• Jrue Holiday was drafted #17 overall in 2009 out of UCLA by the 76ers. After being named an All-Star in his fourth season, the combo guard was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he played the next seven seasons and became the franchise's all-time leader in three-pointers while also serving as a capable defender. He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020 and settled in as a critical veteran leader, winning a championship in his first season and earning numerous accolades for his off-court contributions; he notably is the only player to be named Teammate of the Year three times (with only Mike Conley having received the award even twice). In 2023, Holiday was traded again to the Blazers as part of the Bucks' trade for Dame Lillard, and days later was traded to the Celtics for two players (one of them Malcolm Brogdon) and two future first-round picks.
• Jeff Hornacek, better known by his nickname "Horny", was the complementary third piece of the Utah Jazz's '90s run, though he started his career in 1986 as a second-round pick out of Iowa State for the Phoenix Suns. Horny was one of the more accurate three-point and free throw shooters of his era and added an important dimension to the Jazz offense after his arrival in 1994 after two years with the Sixers. He retired in 2000 to spend time with his family; once they were grown, he returned to the NBA as a coach, posting generally poor results with the Suns and Knicks. The Jazz retired his #14.
• Robert Horry^note pronounced ORR-ee, with a silent "h" was a solid but otherwise unremarkable journeyman who was never named to a single All-Star team. However, his name appears here due to his good fortune and "clutch gene" ensuring that he collected a whopping seven championship rings - the only player not of the '60s Celtics to have that honor. He was fairly athletic early in his career when he was drafted #11 overall in 1992 out of Alabama by the Houston Rockets (where he won his first two rings), but he became well-known as he aged for being invisible for most of a game and then hitting a big three-pointer in the final seconds to win or force overtime. For this, he got the nickname Big Shot Bob. He lands on this list due to playing the longest stretch of his career (1997-2003) with the Kobe-Shaq Los Angeles Lakers after a few years in Phoenix, contributing to the L.A. threepeat before finishing his career with two more titles from the San Antonio Spurs and retiring in 2008.
• Dwight Howard holds the Orlando Magic's franchise records for points, rebounds, and blocks, and the total NBA record for career dunks. The 6'11" (2.11 m) center was one of the best in the business before injuries and (allegedly) attitude caught up with him. Drafted #1 overall by the Magic in 2004 straight out of high school, he was heir apparent to Shaquille O'Neal (tall, prominent centers who dominate the paint at will, started their careers with the Magic, continued onward with the Lakers, are large goofballs off the court, had a knack for bricking free throws, and claimed the moniker of being the NBA's Man of Steel). Howard capitalized on the association during the 2008 and 2009 All-Star slam dunk contest when he donned a Superman costume (which Shaq did not take lightly, accusing Howard of "stealing" his nickname and identity). Howard was a dominant defender, winning Olympic Gold in 2008 and Defensive Player of the Year three straight years (2009-11). In the first two of those seasons, he led the league in blocks and rebounds (he led the NBA in the latter category five times in total) and took the Magic to the Conference Finals, winning the first to take the team to their second (and most recent) Finals appearance. Howard was the talk of many possible trades for the 2011-12 NBA season but decided to stay in Orlando for at least one more season... which was dubbed the "Dwightmare", as he was lambasted by the media for unsportsmanlike behavior (such as sitting out on a huddle during a game despite being the captain), had a feud with coach Stan Van Gundy as he again felt like he should leave, and ultimately sustained an injury that required back surgery and cost him a spot in the playoffs. Even after Van Gundy and the GM were fired, Howard still wanted out, so they dealt him to the Lakers after months of trade rumors. An underwhelming season led Howard to play shop again in 2013, signing with the Rockets and becoming the first star player to leave the Lakers in his prime through free agency. The eight-time All-Star bounced around the league, playing few games due to persistent injuries, before returning to LA as a bench player and experiencing a "less is more" Career Resurrection. After finally getting a championship ring in LA, he signed with the Sixers for a year before returning to the Lakers. He stayed there through the 2021–22 season, drew no NBA interest as a free agent, and signed with a team in Taiwan's top league. Howard was featured on the cover of NBA Live 10.
• "Sweet" Lou Hudson was a Hall of Fame swingman drafted by the St. Louis Hawks #4 overall in 1966 out of Minnesota. A prolific scorer for his era, he earned six All-Star selections in his decade with the team that witnessed their move to Atlanta. He retired in 1979 after two seasons with the Lakers and passed away in 2014, being posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.
• Kris Humphries was a power forward with a journeyman 14-year NBA career primarily as a role player off the bench. Selected #14 overall by the Jazz in 2004 out of Minnesota, he also spent time with the Raptors and Mavericks as a bench player before landing with the New Jersey Nets in 2010. There, he experienced his greatest professional success, moving into the starting lineup for the first time in his career while averaging double figure rebounds in '10-'11 and '11-'12. It was also during this time that he became most notable for marrying Kim Kardashian (the marriage itself lasting just 72 days) and becoming a fixture on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. He regressed as the team moved to Brooklyn (coinciding with a protracted legal battle of his divorce with Kim), was part of the package the Nets sent to the Celtics in trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and sojourned with brief stops on four other teams (including Washington, Phoenix, and Atlanta) before retiring in 2019.

I

• Serge Ibaka, a Congolese/Spanish power forward, made his name as the fourth-wheel-turned-third for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who drafted him #24 overall in 2008. He's most famous for his frequent shot blocks, leading the NBA in 2012 and '13 and becoming the franchise's all-time leader. With Ibaka becoming a restricted free agent in 2016, and with the possibility of losing Durant (which in the end happened), the Thunder decided to trade him to the Magic to help restock their roster. The Magic then traded him to the Raptors, where he became an integral bench player in 2019, winning his first championship. He has continued to bounce around the league ever since, moving to the EuroLeague in 2023.
• Andre Iguodala is a small forward/shooting guard who was the role player, relatively speaking, of the Golden State Warriors dynasty's starting lineup. Iguodala started the first eight years of his career with the Sixers, who drafted him #9 overall in 2004 out of Arizona. He earned himself an All-Star and two All-Defensive selections, then had a brief stint on the Nuggets and won gold in the 2012 Olympics before being traded to the Warriors in 2013. In his second season with Golden State, Iguodala was relegated to the bench for the first time in his career, but he was promoted back to a starting position in the Finals, where he successfully defended against LeBron and won Finals MVP, becoming the first regular season-long bench player to win the award as well as the only player to win it despite not starting every game of the Finals.^note For years, particularly before Curry earned his own FMVP in 2022, many fans viewed this as one of the more questionable selections to the award. LeBron got his revenge in the next Finals, where he made a decisive block on Iguodala's layup, costing the Warriors another title. He was traded from the Warriors in 2019 to the Grizzles (where he refused to play a game for) but returned to Golden State in 2021 after a brief stint in Miami, won a fourth ring with the team while mostly sitting on the bench, and retired in 2023.
• Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, a.k.a. "Big Z", is the Cleveland Cavaliers' all-time leader in blocks, playing from 1996-2010 after being drafted #20 overall out of Lithuania. After a career year in the season before LeBron's arrival, the center became one of his wingmen and got to the 2007 Finals, and even after deciding to retire in 2010 tried to get a title by following LBJ to the Heat; losing the 2011 Finals as well made the two-time All-Star call it quits. His #11 was retired by the Cavs, making him only the third European with his honor. One of the best Lithuanians who wasn't a fixture for the country's powerhouse national team (he only played in three international matches, all before he came to the NBA; the Cavs vetoed his participation in the 2008 Olympics).
• Joe Ingles is an Australian swingman who made his way to the NBA as an undrafted player after winning championships in his home country, Spain, and Israel. He played for the Utah Jazz from 2014-22 as a capable role player, setting the standing franchise record for three-pointers before moving on to stints with the Bucks and Magic. He also won Olympic bronze in 2020.
• Kyrie Irving, a point guard out of Duke, was the #1 overall draft pick in 2011 by the Cleveland Cavaliers and won Rookie of the Year. A regular All-Star known for his remarkable ball handling, he established himself as LeBron's Number Two after his return, was featured on the cover of NBA Live 14, and nailed the series-winning three-point shot in the Cavs' 2016 championship, though he was often criticized for his lack of defense. He stunned the league in 2017 by reportedly demanding a trade; the reports couldn't quite agree whether this was due to him wanting to star in his own team, get more money, play with a better supporting cast, or if the Cavs wanted to get a good deal for him. In any case, Irving was dealt to the Celtics, where he continued to develop his defensive skills and earned a spot on the cover of NBA 2K 18. Following a rather disappointing 2018–19, including rumors of locker-room tension, he left as a free agent to join Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. Despite his unquestionable talent on the court, he's continued to be a rather divisive figure known for some Conspiracy Theorist tendencies; he has frequently mentioned his belief that the world is flat and notably missed most of 2021–22 due to his refusal to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Several months of controversy during the 2022-23 season regarding his promotion of Black Hebrew Israelite media that contained anti-Semitic tropes led to him being traded to the Mavericks, a move that contributed to Dallas plummeting down the NBA standings straight out of playoff eligibility and further cemented Irving's reputation as a sort of franchise Grim Reaper. Irving was born in Australia, as his dad was playing in the country's pro basketball league at the time, but his parents returned stateside when he was two years old, and he's played for Team USA at both youth and senior level, winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He's also a member of the Lakota nation through his mother, who died of an illness when he was 4. He is also notable for playing the character "Uncle Drew", a fictional elderly former basketball star who started out in Pepsi ads before getting his own movie in 2018.
• Dan Issel is a Hall of Fame forward–center who played most of his career with the Denver Nuggets in both the ABA and NBA. He arrived in the ABA in 1970 after a storied career at Kentucky which saw him leave as the Wildcats' all-time leading scorer, a distinction he holds to this day (on the men's side). Issel began his pro career just down Interstate 64 in Louisville with the Kentucky Colonels, leading the ABA in scoring as a rookie. He was named an ABA All-Star in all five of his Colonels seasons and capped off his Kentucky career with a league title in 1975 alongside fellow former Wildcat Louie Dampier and the aforementioned Artis Gilmore ("G" folder). After the title season, he was traded to the Baltimore Claws, which folded before playing a game, and then went to Denver. He made two more All-Star Games with the Nuggets (one ABA, one NBA), continued as a very productive player who helped lead Denver to a Finals appearance in his first season, and became an icon in the Mile High City. He retired as a player in 1985 with a combined ABA–NBA point total behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Julius Erving. Issel went on to serve on the Nuggets' broadcast team, then had two stints as head coach (1992-94, 1999-2001) and one as general manager (1998-99). The team retired his #44.
• Allen Iverson was a Hall of Fame shooting guard drafted #1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996 out of Georgetown as the shortest #1 overall pick ever (listed at just 6 feet). Despite his lack of height, "the Answer" was a tough and fearless scorer, leading the league in the category four times and setting the franchise record for 3-pointers; he was also good on defense, leading it in steals thrice, and was highly durable, leading the league in minutes played in seven seasons (only Wilt Chamberlain had more). Iverson won Rookie of the Year, was named an All-Star every year of his career starting in 2000, and won MVP before taking the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001 (which they lost to the Lakers). He was also a very volatile personality off the court, but in a way became a trendsetter for the 2000s era via his no-nonsense attitude and fashion sense (corn rows, shooting sleeve, tattoos); him being featured on the covers for the first five installments of NBA 2K likely helped his reputation among young people. Frustration with the team and coaches led him to force a trade to the Nuggets in 2006; he bounced around to the Pistons and Grizzlies, briefly returned to the Sixers in 2009 before stepping down to tend to his daughter's health, dabbled in playing overseas, and officially retired in 2013. Even though he never managed to secure a ring, the Sixers retired his #3. Don't ask him about practice.

J

• Jerome James was a center known as one of the worst free agent signings in NBA history. Originally drafted by the Kings in the 2nd round of the 1998 draft out HBCU Florida A&M, the massive 7'1", 285 pounder detoured to the Harlem Globetrotters as well as stops in the Serbian, Montenegrin, and French leagues before returning to the NBA with the Supersonics in 2001. He became a starter in 2004, tallied career best numbers, and most notably, put up a monster performance in the first round of the playoffs. The Knicks signed him that offseason as a free agent to a massive five-year, $30 million deal, but he showed up to training camp out of shape (gaining nearly 40 pounds in the offseason according to some reports), battled a multitude of injuries, and played miserably in just 90 games over the life of the deal (including just four in his final two seasons in New York) before he was traded to Chicago, never playing a minute there; his signing was another major stain on the reputation of GM Isiah Thomas. After a few more seasons in Puerto Rico, he retired in 2015.
• LeBron James is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and one of very few players who could potentially rival Michael Jordan for the title of the greatest to ever play the game, winning championships with three different franchises (the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers) and setting almost every franchise career record in Cleveland. See his own page for more.
• Mike James was a journeyman point guard undrafted out of Duquesne who played for 11 different NBA teams over his 13 year career but is most notable as a One-Hit Wonder with the Toronto Raptors and one of the worst free agent signings in NBA history. Nicknamed "The Amityville Scorer"^note His hometown is Amityville, New York, James started off in some lower tier North American leagues, as well as stints in Austria and France, before becoming a bench player in the NBA for his first four seasons, even winning a championship with Detroit in '04. He joined the Raptors in 2005 and had a break out season, averaging 20.3 points (double his career average) and 5.8 assists per game while shooting top five in the league in three point percentage. He signed a big money free agent deal the following offseason with Minnesota, but badly regressed; his albatross of a contract was traded around between three different teams over the next three seasons, averaging just 7.1 PPG for the rest of his career.
• Avery Johnson, nicknamed "the Little General" for his 5'11" stature and exceptional passing ability, set multiple standing NCAA assist records while playing at HBCU Southern but went undrafted into the NBA in 1988. The point guard eventually landed a spot with the Sonics and bounced around four other teams in the early '90s, finally settling into a long-term home with the San Antonio Spurs in 1994 after being cut by the franchise twice in the prior four years. He served an important leadership role with the Spurs to round out the decade, including winning the Sportsmanship Award in '98 and helping the team win a championship in '99. He left San Antonio in 2001 and retired in '04 after bouncing around to a few more teams; the Spurs retired his #6. Most expected the 16-year veteran player to move straight into coaching, and he did, becoming the HC of the Dallas Mavericks after just one year as an assistant. The Mavs had a great deal of success under Johnson, with him even winning Coach of the Year in 2006 before taking the team to a Finals appearance, but they otherwise struggled in the playoffs (including a massive first round upset in '07 where the first seed Mavs lost to the eight seed Warriors) and he was let go in '08. Johnson later had much less impressive coaching stints with the Nets and at Alabama.
• Dennis Johnson started his career as a slam-dunking shooting guard for the Seattle SuperSonics, who drafted him in the second round in 1976 out of Pepperdine. Instantly recognizable by his freckles and reddish hair, "DJ" quickly broke out as a star, winning Finals MVP after leading the team to their sole championship in 1979. However, he frequently clashed with coaching staffs, leading to him being traded to Phoenix in 1980 before landing with the Boston Celtics in 1983, where he finally settled in. Lauded for his versatility, "DJ" was a defensive stopper (he was half the reason Magic lost the '84 Finals), an accomplished sharpshooter, and all-around clutch performer (converted a last-second layup in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals after a Bird steal) known for his "rocket launcher legs", which enabled him to jump high to grab rebounds against taller opponents. He won two more titles with the Celtics in '84 and '86, and his #3 was retired after he ended his playing career in 1990. The five-time All-Star and nine-time All-Defensive player was regularly lauded by his teammates as one of the best players they had ever seen, but his clashes with coaches and off-field legal issues potentially delayed his induction into the Hall of Fame and kept him from his goal of becoming a NBA HC outside of a short interim stint with the Clippers in 2003. At just 52 years old, Johnson died of an unexpected heart attack in 2007 while coaching the Development League's Austin Toros, and he was posthumously inducted into the Hall.
• Gus Johnson (not to be confused with the famous broadcaster) was a Hall of Fame forward who spent most of his career with the Baltimore Bullets. He started his NBA career fairly late at age 25, having struggled to obtain a college scholarship before landing at Boise Junior College (now Boise State) and transferring to Idaho. A second round pick (#8 overall) in 1963, he earned the nickname "Honeycomb" for the "sweetness" of his play, earning five All-Star nods and helping to lead the Bullets to a Finals appearance in 1971. He was traded to the Suns the following year and waived soon after, but he managed to land a spot on the Pacers that season and win a championship in the ABA before retiring. Sadly, Johnson died of brain cancer at just 48 years old; the Bullets retired his #25 shortly before his passing.
• Joe Johnson is a Long Runner who spent the peak of his career with the Atlanta Hawks. Picked by the Celtics #10 overall in 2001 out of Arkansas, he didn't make a big first impression and was traded to the Suns, where he steadily improved over four seasons before signing with the Hawks in 2005. "Iso Joe" blossomed into a seven-time All-Star in Atlanta and helped turn around a franchise that had fallen back to the bottom of the league's standings. He was traded to the Nets in 2012 and bounced around a few teams after that. He failed to make an NBA roster in 2018 but signed up for Ice Cube's BIG3, winning two MVPs in the "senior" 3-on-3 league. His performances there was enough to land him a roster spot on his original team, the Celtics, in 2021 after a nearly 20-year gap; despite not playing particularly well in very limited action, he did become the only player besides Dirk Nowitzki to score a basket for the same team at age 20 and 40.
• Kevin Johnson was the Phoenix Suns' star point guard during their run of success in the '90s. Drafted by the Cavs #7 overall out of Cal in 1987, he was traded away to the Suns in the middle of his rookie season. "K.J." won Most Improved Player in his sophomore season on the way to notching three All-Star and five All-NBA nods over the next decade in Arizona. He retired in 1998 but returned for One Last Job in the 2000 postseason to replace an injured Jason Kidd. While Johnson's career was incredibly important for Suns history, with the team making his #7 the last number the franchise retired before shifting to "honoring" its all-time greats, he has left an arguably even bigger impact on another basketball market. After retirement, he entered into politics, successfully running for mayor of his hometown Sacramento and serving from 2008-16. In that role, he played a major role in keeping the Kings from leaving for a larger market, helping to lay the groundwork for the struggling small-market team's new stadium.
• Larry Johnson was the #1 overall pick on the 1991 Draft, coming out of winning a championship with UNLV to join the Charlotte Hornets. Also known as "Grandmama" for dressing as his grandma in a commercial, he was a great player in his early years, winning Rookie of the Year and making two All-Star teams, but was never the same after a back injury. In 1996, he was traded to the Knicks, where he played the 1999 Finals before taking an early retirement in 2001.
• Earvin "Magic" Johnson was one of the most dominant players of the '80s, the leader of the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers, and a regular candidate for the best point guard of all time; see his dedicated page for more.
• Marques Johnson was drafted #3 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1977 after he won a national championship with UCLA. He helped to pioneer the power forward position and was a regular All-Star before being traded back closer to home with the Clippers in 1984. He won Comeback Player of the Year in 1986 after successfully switching to guard, but a neck injury the following year basically ended his career save for a failed comeback with the Warriors in '89. His #8 was retired by the Bucks.
• Vinnie Johnson was a combo guard initially drafted #7 overall by the SuperSonics in 1979 out of Baylor before being traded to the Detroit Pistons in 1981. In Detroit, Johnson cemented a reputation as one of the greatest sixth men in NBA history, earning the nickname "The Microwave" for his ability to quickly heat up the Pistons offense as soon as he stepped on the court. Johnson made the game-winning shot that sealed the Pistons' second straight championship in 1990. He retired after spending 1991-92 with the Spurs, and the Pistons retired his #15.
• Neil Johnston was a Hall of Fame center and one of the greatest undrafted players in league history, having played a few years in minor league baseball out of college at Ohio State before landing a successful tryout with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1951. Once in the league, Johnston soon emerged as a major threat on the court, leading the NBA in scoring three straight seasons (1953-55) while also leading it in rebounds in that third season, and he was a key part of their championship the following year. Knee injuries forced the six-time All-Star into an early retirement in 1959, right before Wilt Chamberlain's arrival; he would coach the team for the next two years. In 1978, at just 49 years old, Johnston died of a heart attack while playing basketball with his son.
• Nikola Jokić is the current face of the Denver Nuggets and has the resume to claim to be the greatest player in team history, holding the franchise records for assists and rebounds. The center from Serbia was picked by the team in the second round of the 2014 Draft (his selection was never televised due to it happening during a commercial break!) but stayed in Europe for another year, being named MVP of the Adriatic League^note basically covering the former Yugoslavia in 2015 before coming to the States. "Joker" made the All-Rookie team in 2016 (the same year he led Serbia to an Olympic silver medal) and improved his per-game totals in points, rebounds, and assists in each of the next three seasons, becoming an annual All-Star by 2019. While the 7-foot Jokić has the body of a typical inside banger—or at least did until he dropped a noticeable amount of weight during the league's COVID-19 hiatus—his greatest skill is his passing, and he's now seen as a strong candidate for the best passing big man ever. His tremendous one-handed passes (which share more in common with those of water polo than traditional basketball), coupled with his large size and excellent fadeaway, have made him one of the NBA's greatest triple-double machines. The Nuggets run their offense through him at least as much as any of their guards, and Jokić even served as point guard in the Nuggets' half-court offensive sets in 2021–22 with Jamal Murray out injured for most of that season. After leading the Nuggets to the Conference Finals in the 2020 bubble, Jokić cemented himself as one of the league's elite in '21 when he was named MVP, becoming both the first center in two decades and the lowest drafted player ever to win the award. He arguably topped this performance the following season when he became the first NBA player ever to (1) lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, and field-goal percentage, and (2) collect 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a season.^note Stats nerds will note that this is the best single-season "player efficiency rating" in NBA history, shattering a record held by Wilt Chamberlain for six decades. That was more than enough to earn Joker his second straight MVP. After signing a "supermax" contract^ExplanationThe NBA's 2017 collective bargaining agreement allows elite players who meet defined criteria for excellence, are entering their eighth or ninth season in the league, and have played with the same team since the end of their rookie contracts to sign extensions with that team that provide salaries that otherwise would not be allowed until they've been in the league 10 years. that was at the time the richest in league history by both total and average annual pay, he remained the main engine of the Nuggets' success. In 2023, after being arguably snubbed for his third straight regular season MVP and putting up a historically dominant playoff run (smashing the NBA record for most triple-doubles in a single postseason and becoming the first in NBA playoff history to lead all players in points, rebounds, and assists), Jokić led the franchise to its first Finals berth and championship after over half a century of postseason ineptitude and became the lowest drafted player to be named Finals MVP.
• Bobby Jones was a beloved figure for the Philadelphia 76ers, though he got his start with the ABA's Denver Nuggets, who acquired his rights in 1974 out of North Carolina soon after winning a silver medal in the '76 Olympics. The power forward was an excellent defender, but the Nuggets traded him to Philly in '78 due to concerns about his long-term viability—he had a number of health problems, including asthma, epilepsy, and a heart condition. "The Secretary of Defense" embraced his role as a sixth man, becoming the first to win the official award in 1983, the same year he helped the Sixers win a championship. The five-time All-Star and eleven-time All-Defensive Teamer (when counting his stints in both the ABA and NBA) retired in 1986, and the Sixers retired his #24.
• K.C. Jones served as The Lancer to Bill Russell starting in college at San Francisco, where they won back-to-back championships. The Boston Celtics took Jones after Russell with their second round pick in 1956, just before the two won Olympic gold together. The point guard won eight championships in Boston and (again, like Russell) entered coaching after his retirement in 1967. After a head coach stint with the Bullets, he returned to Boston in 1983 and took the Larry Bird-led team to four straight Finals appearances and two more championships. He surprisingly retired in 1988 after his first year missing the Finals, only to return to coaching two years later for a mediocre stint with the SuperSonics. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Celtics retired his #25; he passed away in 2020.
• Sam Jones was a shooting guard who won ten championships with the Boston Celtics, just one shy of Bill Russell. He was drafted at #8 overall in 1957 out of North Carolina Central following two years in the Army. At 6'4", Jones was the prototype of the tall guard who could run the floor, bang the boards, and have a rangy offensive game that gave opponents fits; he led the league in scoring for three seasons. "The Shooter" was known for his quickness, perfect form, and game-winning shots. He was particularly adept shooting the bank shot, where the shooter bounces the ball off the backboard en route to the basket. The Hall of Famer's #24 jersey was retired by the Celtics following his 1969 retirement. He passed away in 2021.
• DeAndre Jordan was a center drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008 out of Texas A&M. While not as flashy a player as some of the later names in this folder, Jordan was a critical piece for the Clippers finally emerging as a regular contender, playing the next decade for the organization and becoming its all-time leader in games, blocks, and rebounds. Jordan led the NBA in rebounds in '14 and '15, won Olympic gold in '16, earned his sole All-Star nod in '17, and holds the all-time NBA record for career field goal percentage. He has moved all around the NBA since 2018, settling in as a veteran role player, and picked up a ring with the Nuggets in '23.
• Michael Jordan has a legitimate claim not just to the title of "best ever" in basketball, but arguably in American sports, period. He was also likely the most marketed athlete ever and was inescapable in the '90s, during which he led the Chicago Bulls to six championships. For more information on his storied career, see his own page.

K

• Shawn Kemp, nicknamed "Reign Man", was a power forward known for his athleticism and dunking ability while playing with the Seattle SuperSonics, most notably with his infamous "Lister Blister" where he jumped on a defender and pointed to him after the dunk. The six-time All-Star unfortunately had a lot of trouble off the court, starting before he even entered the NBA; he was drafted #17 overall by the Sonics in 1989 without playing in college, having been cut from the team at Kentucky after being accused of stealing chains from a teammate. He traded to Cleveland in 1997 and quickly faded away due to struggles with his weight and substance abuse, being out of the NBA in 2003 after stints in Portland and Orlando (though he attempted numerous failed comebacks afterwards). He was featured on the cover of NBA Jam Extreme with Hakeem Olajuwon.
• Jason Kidd was a Hall of Fame point guard who played for four different teams throughout his 19-year career but is most associated with the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets. Drafted by the Mavs in 1994 #2 overall out of Cal, he was named Rookie of the Year along with Grant Hill (who entered the Hall of Fame alongside him in 2018) and played there for three seasons until he was traded to the Suns, where his point guard skills truly blossomed (with Steve Nash as his backup). When he landed with the Nets in 2001, Kidd established himself as a team leader and NBA legend, leading the league in assists five times, turning the once woeful Nets into contenders, and reaching the Finals twice in a row (only to lose to the Lakers and Spurs, respectively). He returned to the Mavs in 2008 and won his first ring with them in 2011 after 17 years of coming up short. Kidd signed on with the Knicks in 2012 but retired at the end of the season and was immediately named the new head coach of the Nets, who retired his #5. However, after a playoff berth in his first season as a head coach, he left to become head coach for the Bucks, with the Nets getting two future second-round picks as compensation. Kidd remained in that job until being fired during the 2017–18 season. In 2019, he was hired as an assistant for the Lakers, where he won a title in his first year. A year later, the Mavericks signed Kidd to replace long-time head coach Rick Carlisle. The ten-time All-Star also won Olympic gold in 2000 and '08, was featured on the cover of NBA Live 2003, and stands behind only John Stockton in career steals and assists.
• Bernard King was a Hall of Fame small forward who started his career with the Nets, who drafted him #7 overall out of Tennessee in 1977. King started out as a strong scorer, but he was dealt to the Jazz after just two seasons and dramatically flamed out in just a year due to cocaine abuse and numerous legal issues. After hitting rock bottom, King quickly began to rehabilitate his image and his play, winning Comeback Player of the Year in his first of two seasons with Golden State before landing with the New York Knicks in 1982. King became New York's star in the pre-Ewing years, earning his first of four total All-Star nods and leading the NBA in scoring in 1985. Unfortunately, late in that scoring title season, King suffered a devastating Game-Breaking Injury to his leg that took him out for almost a full year and robbed him of much of his explosiveness. The Knicks released him in 1987, but he regained some of his earlier success in a four-year stretch with the Bullets. That was ended by another knee injury; he would attempt one more comeback with his original team in the 1992-93 season before calling it a career.
• Andrei Kirilenko, one of the most versatile forwards of the early 21st century, arrived in the NBA from his homeland of Russia in 2001 after winning Russian League MVP the prior year. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, the first 10 of them for the Utah Jazz (who drafted him #24 overall in 1999). Throughout his career, he was a threat on both offense and defense, led the NBA in blocks per game in '05, and thrice accomplished the rare feat of a "5x5", amassing at least five in each of the major statistical categories in a game (only Hakeem Olajuwon had more, and they're the only players with more than one). He frequently returned to play in Russia during the off-season, winning EuroBasket MVP in 2007. During the lockout season of 2011–12, he returned to Russia to play for his former club of CSKA Moscow, won MVP there too, led Russia to Olympic bronze, then came back to the States with the Timberwolves and Nets. During the 2014–15 season, he was traded to the Sixers but refused to report for the blatantly tanking team; he was first suspended and then released. He played the last months of that season in Russia with CSKA before announcing his retirement. He's also known for his love of puns—throughout his pro career, he wore the #47, inevitably leading to the nickname "AK-47".^note Probably not coincidentally, he was born in Izhevsk, the city where the famous rifle was designed. Shortly after his retirement, he became head of the Russian Basketball Federation.
• Toni Kukoč was one of the greatest European players ever, collecting countless accolades in the continent in the late '80s and early '90s, including nabbing Olympic silver for Yugoslavia in 1988 and following it up with another for newly-independent Croatia in 1992 against the Dream Team. Their expected but still courageous defeat from Michael Jordan and the other American giants increased his popularity around the world. As chance had it, the Chicago Bulls had drafted his rights with a second round pick in 1990, clearing the way for him to join the team in '93... immediately after Jordan's first retirement. Kukoč stuck around long enough for Jordan to return tolead the Bulls on a threepeat championship run. He won Sixth Man of the Year in '96, though he developed an on-team rivalry with fellow small forward Scottie Pippen. Kukoč was traded away midseason in 2000 to Philadelphia and bounced around the league a few years before retiring in 2006 after stints in Atlanta and Milwaukee. While his time in the NBA wasn't spectacular, his rings with the Bulls plus his early accomplishments in Europe still landed him in the Hall of Fame in 2021.

L

• Sam Lacey was a center drafted #5 overall in 1970 out of New Mexico State. While never performing to the same level as the then-Cincinnati Royals later selection of Tiny Archibald, earning just one All-Star nod, he was a consistent contributor to the franchise for the next 12 seasons as they moved to Kansas City, contributing to the team reaching the Conference Finals in '81 and becoming the all-time franchise leader in games, rebounds, steals, and blocks. He retired in 1983 after spending a season apiece in New Jersey and Cleveland. The Kings retired his #44, and he passed away in 2014
• Bill Laimbeer was a center and, in many ways, the face of the Detroit Pistons "Bad Boys" era as the most disliked player of his time. A third round pick in 1979 out of Notre Dame, he was initially chosen by the Cavs and didn't even make the roster in his first year. He was traded to Detroit in 1982, where he truly blossomed into a star. While highly popular among Piston fans, Laimbeer was despised by opposing players and fans for seeming to bait officials into calling fouls on opponents by flopping to the ground after slight contact despite committing very violent fouls himself.^note Not helping things were perceptions of his privilege: early in Laimbeer's career, he joked that he was the only NBA player who made less than his dad (who was a top executive with the glass packaging company Owens-Illinois). His playstyle and attitude still made him very popular, to the point where he had his own video game, the unusual future basketball title Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball, released for the Super Nintendo in 1991. A four-time All-Star and a two-time champion, Laimbeer won the rebound title in '86 and became the Pistons' all-time leader in the stat, though the reputation he garnered among his peers and the press has so far kept him out of the Hall of Fame. He retired early in the 1993-94 season after getting into a heated argument in practice with Isiah Thomas in which he broke his teammate's hand; his #40 jersey was still retired by the Pistons. He's since gone on to a very successful coaching career in the WNBA, coaching the Detroit Shock to three championships, being named Coach of the Year a second time with the New York Liberty, and spending four seasons with the Las Vegas Aces before stepping away after 2021. Fun fact: He played a Sleestak when he was a teenager.
• Bob Lanier was a Hall of Fame center who arrived from St. Bonaventure in 1970 as the #1 overall pick, joining Bing as the second face of the Detroit Pistons and becoming the face after Bing's departure from the Motor City. An eight-time All-Star, he averaged just over 20 points and 10 rebounds during his 14-year career despite dealing with constant knee pain due to a college injury that he probably needed a year to recover from. The Pistons never were able to mount a great playoff run while he was with the team, and he was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1979–80 season as part of their rebuild. He subsequently became president of the NBPA and helped lead the Bucks to division titles in each season until retiring in 1984 after two Conference Finals appearances; both the Pistons and Bucks retired his #16. Years later, he briefly dabbled in coaching, joining the Warriors' staff of his former Bucks coach Don Nelson in 1994; Nelson resigned before the end of the season, leaving Lanier to step in as interim HC before calling it quits. He's also notable for his gigantic feet—visitors to the Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts can compare their feet to Lanier's U.S. size 22s.^note The American shoe company Allen Edmonds, in business since 1922, made its largest-ever pair of shoes for him. He passed away in 2022, and the league named its annual Community Assist Award after him shortly afterwards. Lanier had spent his final decades as a social activist, making him a worthy namesake for the award.
• Kawhi Leonard^note first name usually pronounced ka-WYE, a slashing small forward out of San Diego State, was drafted #15 overall by the San Antonio Spurs (via the Pacers), became a starter in his second season, and quickly evolved from a defensive role-player to one of the best in the NBA on both sides of the ball. He is known for his ball-hawking style of play (he won Finals MVP in 2014 for successfully guarding LeBron James and won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2015-16, leading the NBA in steals in the former season), extremely quiet demeanor, enormous hands, thriftiness^note Despite a big contract, he drove a 1997 SUV that he bought in his high school days for more than 20 years, and has an endorsement deal with a restaurant chain that gives him discount coupons., and his name, which has proven to be a magnet for puns and nicknames (most notably "Klaw"). He missed almost the entire 2017–18 season to a quadriceps injury he initially suffered in the 2017 Western Conference finals and became alienated from the team late in that season. With free agency looming in 2019, the Spurs dealt him to the Toronto Raptors, getting DeMar DeRozan as part of the trade. In his first year, Leonard not only won his second ring but became the third player to win Finals MVP with two different teams after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron (and the first to win it in both conferences).^note When Kareem won with the Bucks, they were in the Western Conference. Despite his immediate success in Canada, he chose to sign the following year with his hometown Los Angeles Clippers, where he has unfortunately struggled with injury, missing the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from an ACL tear, before returning to form.
• Lafayette "Fat" Lever was a versatile point guard who experienced the most career success with the '80s Denver Nuggets. Drafted #11 overall in 1982 by the Trail Blazers, the Arizona State product was traded to Denver in 1984. Lever was an excellent rebounder, set the franchise record for steals, and racked up more triple-doubles than any eligible player who is not in the Hall of Fame. He was traded to the Mavericks in 1990 and retired in 1994, later serving as a broadcaster and working in the Kings' front office. The Nuggets retired his #12.
• Reggie Lewis was drafted #22 overall in 1988 out of Northwestern by the Boston Celtics to eventually become Larry Bird's successor at small forward. He played sporadically in his first couple years but came into his own as a bench player. When Bird retired, Lewis was up to the challenge of replacing him, had a solid 1992-93 season, and was named an All-Star. Sadly, he died suddenly in June 1993 during an off-season practice from a heart defect. Despite the dual tragedies of Len Bias and Lewis' passings, other NBA owners were adamant that their contracts remained on the Celtics books to limit their salary cap space; their deaths likely contributed to the Celtics' nigh-unprecedented struggles on the court for the next several years, and the NBA later amended their rules to insure contracts in the case of a player's death. Despite the brevity of his career, the Celtics retired Lewis' #35.
• Damian Lillard is a point guard drafted #6 overall in 2012 by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Weber State. From his first game in the NBA, Lillard immediately broke out, being unanimously named Rookie of the Year while setting multiple rookie records. His presence turned Portland back into contenders, making the playoffs every year until an injury took him out of commission for the season in 2022. Lillard is especially noted for his play in clutch situations, dubbed "Dame Time" - for context, he is one of the two players in NBA history with multiple series-clinching buzzer beating shots. The other? Michael Jordan. He's signed two contracts that were the richest in NBA history by average salary (though not by total amount) at the time of signing. In 2022–23, Lillard became the franchise's all-time leading scorer and joined the elite club of NBA players to post over 70 points in a game. That would be his last season in Portland; he requested a trade to a title contender immediately after that season and landed with the Bucks. He was featured on the cover of NBA Live 15 and NBA 2K 21 and was named part of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
• Jeremy Lin, a point guard who has been with eight teams in the NBA alone but is most famous for his time with the New York Knicks, even though he spent only the 2010–11 season in Manhattan. The first Harvard graduate to play in the NBA in 60 years and the first Asian American ever in the league, Lin went undrafted and was cut from two NBA teams (one of which he didn't even play for during the regular season) before landing with New York. Once injuries to Carmelo and Amar'e allowed him to play, Lin unexpectedly dominated on offense, scoring a combined 136 points in his first five career starts, the most by any player since the NBA-ABA merger. He sparked an almost inexplicably huge cultural phenomenon known as "Linsanity" and became the focus of the American sports media; to this day, a "Linsanity run" is shorthand in American pop culture for any short-but-sweet run of success. Just prior to the playoffs, Lin suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, and the resulting surgery forced him to miss out on the postseason. As a restricted free agent, Lin signed an offer sheet from the Rockets (the same team that cut him before he landed on New York), a three-year, $25 million deal, which the Knicks chose not to match (which wasprobably the right call). Since that move, he has bounced all around the NBA, CBA, and most recently the Taiwanese league, never serving as a full-season starter after his first year in Houston, though he did manage to pick up a ring in his last year of the NBA on the Raptors' bench.
• Shaun Livingston was an oversized (listed at 6'7") combo guard drafted by the Clippers #4 overall in 2004 straight out of high school. He established himself as a starter by his third season but suffered one of the most gruesome injuries ever seen on an NBA court in 2007 when his knee snapped laterally while coming down from a layup resulting in multiple torn ligaments, a dislocation, and a meniscus tear. Narrowly avoiding amputation, Livingston would miss the next 1.5 years recovering, during which his Clippers contract expired. He spent time with the Heat and Thunder, as well as in the D League, but wouldn't play a full season until four years after the injury with the Bobcats. While he went down as a draft bust and the Clippers missed out on four All-Stars, Livingston at least had a happy ending to his career: he became a key role player on the Warriors during their dynastic run, being part of their first three championship teams of that era before retiring in 2019.
• Earl Lloyd was the first African-American to play in an NBA game, reaching the court a few days before three other Black players in 1950. Lloyd was a ninth round pick out of the HBCU West Virginia State by the short-lived Washington Capitols. That team folded after one season, and Lloyd went on to play six seasons with the Sixers' predecessors, the Syracuse Nationals, helping win a championship in 1955. The small forward retired in 1960 after two years with the Detroit Pistons; he stuck with the organization and a decade later became one of the first Black head coaches in the NBA after working his way up the ranks. Despite not having a spectacular career, Lloyd was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003 to commemorate the legacy of his achievement.
• Brook Lopez is the Brooklyn Nets' all-time leader in points and blocks. The center was drafted #10 overall in 2008 out of Stanford (five picks ahead of his teammate and twin brother Robin Lopez, who has also had a long NBA career as a journeyman with Portland, Chicago, and Milwaukee) and played well for the team for the next nine seasons despite occasional struggles with injuries. Brook was traded to the Lakers in 2017 and signed the following year with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he has played a critical role on defense and contributed significantly to their 2021 championship.
• Jim Loscutoff was a power forward for the dynasty Boston Celtics. The #3 overall pick of 1955 out of Oregon was a defensive specialist often described as a hatchet-man due to his strength and durability. He was Bob Cousy's unofficial bodyguard, often retaliating against opposing players who would try to hurt him. Though he was never an All-Star due to this role, he was beloved by Boston faithful and key to seven of their championship wins. His #18 jersey would've been retired by the Celtics following his retirement in 1964, but Loscutoff wanted others to wear it (see Dave Cowens in the "Players: A through F" page), so they "retired" his nickname "Loscy" instead. He died of Parkinson's in 2015.
• Kevin Love is a power forward who became the final cog in the Cleveland Cavaliers' "Big Three" that dominated the Eastern Conference for much of the 2010s. He arrived from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2014, who drafted him #5 overall (via the Grizzlies) in 2008 out of UCLA. Love was a key example of the new generation of "Stretch 4" players^note Power forwards who can shoot three-pointers reliably enough to require opposing teams to guard them out to the arc and therefore "stretch" the floor; he gained big notice when he ended up getting 30 points and 30 rebounds in a single game, which hadn't occurred in the NBA since The '80s. Play like this, plus his array of highlight full-court passes and impressive outside shooting, resulted in Love being the shining beacon of hope in an otherwise gloom and doom team. Riding off the momentum of the 2010-11 season (where he won Most Improved Player after leading the league in rebounds), he continued to provide the team great numbers and won Olympic gold in 2012, but he never made it to the playoffs in spite of his performances. With free agency approaching, the Wolves opted to trade him to Cleveland, where he earned a ring in 2015. Surprisingly, he was the last of the "Big Three" to remain in Cleveland following James and Irving's departure, leaving for the Heat during the 2022-23 season. The five-time All-Star became one of the faces of a growing movement for mental health awareness in the league, opening up about his struggles with panic attacks and the therapy he's undergone to help him overcome them. Kevin is also notable as the son of former NBA player Stan Love, who in turn is the younger brother of Mike Love as well as first cousin to Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, all four being founding members of The Beach Boys. This in turn makes Kevin a second cousin to Brian's daughters Carnie and Wendy Wilson, two-thirds of the 1990s girl group Wilson Phillips.
• Clyde Lovellette played for four NBA teams in his Hall of Fame career, but he got his start with the Minneapolis Lakers, who drafted him #9 overall in 1952 after he led the NCAA in scoring, won a national title at Kansas, and won Olympic gold. An immensely versatile center who continued the trend of high-scoring big men, the 6'9" giant helped lead the Lakers to a championship in his rookie year. The Lakers traded him to the Royals for five players in 1957; after just one season, he was traded again to the Hawks, and he finished his career by picking up two more rings while on the Celtics' bench before retiring in 1964.^note For decades, he was the only player to win rings with both of the hated rivals before being joined by Rajon Rondo. He passed away in 2016.
• Kyle Lowry was the heart and soul of the Toronto Raptors following the Demar DeRozan trade. Drafted #24 overall by the Grizzlies out of Villanova in 2006, he spent his first three seasons in Memphis before being displaced by the arrival of Mike Conley and being traded to the Rockets. He played reasonably well in Houston, but the combination of a poorly timed illness and clashes with coach Kevin McHale led to him being dealt to the Raptors in 2012 in a salary dump. There, Lowry flipped the script on his career and emerged as one of the better point guards in the league, a perennial All-Star selection, and became the franchise leader in 3-pointers, assists, and steals. Frequently compared to a pit bull for his on-court tenacity, highlighted by the fact that he played with a broken hand during the 2019 NBA Playoffs in which he was a key contributor in helping the franchise to their first NBA championship title, Lowry also won Olympic Gold in '16. In 2021, he joined the Heat in a sign-and-trade deal, then was traded to the Hornets in 2024.
• Jerry Lucas was a Hall of Fame power forward whose play helped to define the position. Lucas was a superstar center at Ohio State, which he led to a NCAA Finals appearance every year he played, earning a national title and Olympic gold in 1960. Lucas initially was ambivalent towards going pro, tried to start his own team, and ultimately went to the Cincinnati Royals (later the Sacramento Kings) in 1963 as a territorial pick. While relatively undersized for the pro game as a center, he was a perfect fit as a forward and continued his individual success, winning Rookie of the Year and six straight All-Star noms. On the court, Lucas was one of the greatest rebounders the league has ever seen; while he never led any seasons in the category due to playing the peak of his career at the same time as Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, he ranks #4 all-time at rebounds per game (15.61, behind just them and Pettit). Off the court, Lucas earned a reputation as a Bunny-Ears Lawyer; he displayed a seemingly Photographic Memory, which he heavily marketed during and after his career through performing impressive magic tricks and making countless business investments (the latter of which drove him to bankruptcy in the middle of his basketball career when many of them failed). Unfortunately, Lucas' individual talents couldn't keep the team competitive, and a new coaching regime traded the aging player off to the Warriors (where he picked up his last All-Star nod) in 1969. He was traded two years later to the New York Knicks, where he played a crucial role in their 1973 title (giving him a championship in high school, college, the pros, and the Olympics). He retired after the following season.
• Maurice Lucas was initially drafted #14 overall by the Bulls out of Marquette in 1974, but he went to the ABA instead, playing for two now-defunct teams (the Spirits of St. Louis and the Kentucky Colonels) before the Portland Trail Blazers took him in the 1976 Dispersal Draft. In Portland, the power forward took on the nickname and role of "The Enforcer", taking heat off his teammates by getting into fights; in his first season with the Blazers, his performance in one fight during the '77 Finals was viewed as a major factor in what remains the franchise's only championship. Lucas was traded in 1980 and played for five other teams before returing to Portland in 1987 for one last season before retiring; the franchise immediately retired his #20. Lucas died from bladder cancer in 2010. Former teammate Bill Walton named his aforementioned son Luke after Lucas.

M

• Ed Macauley was a Hall of Famer initially drafted by the short-lived St. Louis Bombers in 1949 as their territorial pick, coming from an acclaimed college career at his hometown Saint Louis University. When the Bombers folded after his rookie year, Macauley was picked up by the Boston Celtics. "Easy Ed" immediately broke out as a star, winning the first ever All-Star Game MVP and kicking off the Celtics' run of success. In 1956, the aging center-forward requested a trade back to his hometown, which had recently acquired a new NBA franchise in the Hawks and where his son was being treated for spinal meningitis. He was exchanged for the Hawks' #2 draft pick: Bill Russell. Macauley won a ring with the Hawks in '58 against Boston, retired from playing the next year, and served as HC for one more season. Despite his departure arguably being his biggest contribution to the Celtics' dynasty, the team retired his #22, their only non-championship player to be so honored. Macauley died in 2011.
• Dan Majerle was a swingman drafted #14 overall by the Phoenix Sun in 1988 out of Central Michigan. "Thunder Dan" was a key contributor to the team's success in the early '90s. He was traded to the Cavs in '95, played several years in Miami, and retired in 2002 after one more year back in Phoenix. The team retired his #9.
• Karl Malone was a Hall of Fame power forward for the Utah Jazz. A huge but relatively slow man drafted #13 overall in 1985 out of Louisiana Tech, he was paired with fellow Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, who was his perfect complement; the two played more games together than any pair in NBA history and elevated the franchise to its greatest run of sustained success. Stockton's passes made up for his lack of speed, enabling Malone to focus on dominating the board, which he did like few before or since. Malone became a two-time MVP ('97, '99), a 14-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA, is third all-time in career points (36,928), and leads all NBA players in career free throws attempted and made due to opponents having little option in defending him but to foul him. Nicknamed "The Mailman" for his remarkable consistency; having averaged 25 points and 10.1 rebounds in his 19 seasons, he virtually never had a down year and holds Jazz franchise records for points, minutes, and rebounds. Not to mention that he was first-team All-NBA 11 straight seasons, a record that only LeBron has matched. The same year Stockton retired, Malone went to the Lakers to try winning a title, only to lose in the finals to the Pistons, meaning he too never won a ring (though he did win two Olympic gold medals). Malone subsequently retired, and his #32 jersey was retired by the Jazz.
• Moses Malone, Hall of Fame center-forward, was the first great "prep-to-pro" player, having been drafted out of high school by the ABA's Utah Stars in 1974 and going on to a 21-year pro career. Nicknamed "The Chairman of the Boards", he still holds the records for offensive rebounds in both a single season (587) and career (7,382 total, 6,731 NBA)^note Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, the only players with more total rebounds, played before there were separate categories for offensive and defensive boards. and led the league in the category six times, including five straight seasons (1981-85). Fittingly, he bounced around a lot, first landing with the Spirits of St. Louis pre-merger, briefly joining the Buffalo Braves after the merger in 1976, and settled in with the Houston Rockets after a few weeks. Malone won MVP twice with the Rockets ('79 and '82) and led them to their first Finals appearance in 1981. During his time, he also personally tutored Hakeem Olajuwan, then with the University of Houston. He landed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1982, immediately winning another MVP and Finals MVP after taking the Sixers to another championship. During this run, he famously predicted would sweep every opponent 4-0 ("Fo', fo', fo'") and turned out to be only off by one, as Philly swept the Knicks, closed out Milwaukee in five games^note Milwaukee's only win was in Game 4, to give you a good idea on how close Malone's prediction was to coming true. and swept the Lakers in the Finals. After 1986, Malone bounced around the league with stints with the Bullets, Hawks, Bucks, Sixers (again), and Spurs; by the time the 12-time All-Star retired in 1995, he was the last former ABA player still active in the NBA. He died of a heart attack in 2015 at 60 years old.
• "Pistol" Pete Maravich played during the '70s, mostly for the Atlanta Hawks (1970-74) and New Orleans/Utah Jazz (1974-80). After leading the nation in scoring in three straight years while at LSU, he set the record for career college scoring with 3,667 points, an absolutely absurd record considering his lower-scoring era. (It took over half a century for another collegiate player, Caitlin Clark, to beat his record; he still holds the men's record.)^note Note that this does not include 741 points he scored as a junior-varsity freshman and that there was no three-point line or shot clock at the time. Maravich was an exceptional outside shooter, and someone calculated that, had there been a three-point line, his scoring average would have risen from 44 to 57 points a game. One male player did seriously threaten the record—Antoine Davis, who ended his career at Detroit Mercy in 2023 three points shy of the record. However: (1) Davis got to play for FIVE years, thanks to the NCAA giving every player active in the COVID-disrupted 2020–21 season an extra year of eligibility. (2) Not only did he have the benefit of the three-point line, he made more threes than any other player in NCAA history (again, partially thanks to the extra year). As for Clark, she had four years and the three-point line. For his part, Maravich's oldest son considers comparisons to his father's and Clark's records to be apples and oranges. While not quite as prolific in the NBA, he remained an exceptional scorer, earning five All-Star nods and the scoring title in 1977, and dazzled fans with his dexterity and ball tricks. His teams never quite lived up to his skills; he didn't really fit in with the Hawks, and while the newly formed Jazz moved mountains to trade for him to help sell tickets in the Big Easy, this likely contributed to the team's very poor start that led to their move to Utah. Maravich retired in 1980 after a very brief stint with the Celtics, missing a shot at a championship by a year. Sadly, his other claim to fame was his early death from an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of 40, which happened while he was playing a casual game of basketball at a church.^note One of the other players in said game was James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, the Christian ministry responsible for Adventures in Odyssey. When the 50 greatest players were selected in 1996, he was the only one who was deceased, despite being born decades later than some of the others. Both the Hawks and Jazz retired his jersey number (#44 and #7, respectively), as did the Pelicans, a team he never played for but who owe a great deal to what Maravich did to popularize basketball in Louisiana.
• Stephon Marbury was drafted #4 overall in 1996 by the Bucks out of Georgia Tech but was immediately traded to the T-Wolves for Ray Allen. After playing second fiddle to Kevin Garnett, Marbury was traded in 1999 and blossomed into a two-time All-Star in his stints with the Nets and Suns. His career seemed to reach its peak in 2004, when he was traded to the New York Knicks, selected for the U.S. Olympic Team, and featured on the cover of NBA Ballers. Things quickly took a turn for the worse; his Olympic team became the first to fail to win gold in the NBA era (settling for bronze), the Knicks struggled, and his own production (and, according to him, his mental health) slumped. After five seasons of poor basketball and clashes with Thomas, coaches, and the Knicks themselves, Marbury briefly joined the Celtics before leaving the NBA. He wasn't out of basketball, though, not by a long shot: he continued to play for another nine years in China, becoming one of the faces of the sport in that country after racking up numerous championships and personal honors, and became a head coach in the CBA after retiring in 2018.
• Boban Marjanović is a center from Serbia who, upon signing his first NBA contract in 2015 at 27 years old after several years playing in Europe, became the tallest player currently in the NBA at 7'4" (now tied with Victor Wembanyama). "Bobi" has never been a top player in the States, but his size and equally gigantic personality made him a fan favorite. The journeyman has played for the Spurs, Pistons, Clippers, Sixers, Mavericks, and Rockets, but he's most notable for appearing in dozens of commercials (mostly playing off his height and accent) and in films (playing an assassin in both John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Self Reliance).
• Cedric Maxwell was a small forward drafted #12 overall out of Charlotte in 1977. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he was one of the few bright spots on the pre-Bird Boston Celtics and one of the most accomplished NBA players to never be named an All-Star. Best known for his moves near or beneath the basket, he was very effective in the low post, faking defenders into the air, drawing contact, then making high percentage shots (and sometimes drawing a foul) using either his jump-hook close to the basket or going up against the glass. Maxwell was known for being a colorful trash-talker, mocking Lakers' forward James Worthy's inability to make free throws during overtime of game 4 of the 1981 Finals by walking across the lane between free throws with his hands around his own neck; while his own stellar performance won him Finals MVP, that action was more memorable to many fans. After winning a second title, Maxwell was eventually supplanted by Kevin McHale (see below) and was traded to the Clippers before ending his career in 1988 with the Rockets. His #31 was retired by the Celtics, and he has worked as a color commentator for the team since 2001.
• Ovinton J'Anthony "O.J." Mayo was a shooting guard drafted by the Grizzlies #3 overall in 2008. Mayo had a legendary but controversial prep career, as he bounced between three schools due to incidents with drug possession and allegedly assaulting a referee. He intended to go straight into the NBA, but its draft eligibility rule changes forced him to played collegiately for a year at USC. He earned all-conference honors and led the team to the NCAA tournament... but this was all stricken from the record books by NCAA sanctions when it came out that Mayo had accepted illicit payments (part of the same investigation that resulted in Reggie Bush being stripped of his Heisman Trophy). Still, he had an impressive start to his pro career, finishing runner-up for Rookie of the Year. However, issues including fights with teammates and a banned substance suspension saw him relegated to the bench by the end of his rookie contract. Free agent stints in Dallas (where he conflicted with star Dirk Nowitzski) and Milwaukee (where he missed significant time with a fractured ankle) didn't go much better. In 2016, he was "dismissed and disqualified" from the NBA for a drug violation. He never applied for reinstatement with the NBA, making his suspension the longest in league history not related to gambling. He has since moved on to play internationally.
• Bob McAdoo was a Hall of Fame center and the biggest star of the Buffalo Braves before the team became the Clippers. Drafted #2 overall in 1972 out of North Carolina, McAdoo was one of the first big men to be renowned for his shooting prowess. He was named Rookie of the Year, won MVP in 1975, and was the last player to average over 30 points and 15 rebounds per game in a season. However, he was traded to the Knicks in the middle of the 1976-77 season as part of the Braves' effort to tank their own attendance, get out of their lease, and change markets to California. He remained a star for a few seasons with the Knicks, but injury trouble soon led to him bouncing all around to the Celtics, Pistons, and Nets before he too landed in California... with the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers. McAdoo won two championships for the talent-packed team, playing a sixth man role. The Lakers cut him in 1985, and after a very brief stint with the Sixers, he moved to Italy and played for another six years, winning two EuroLeague titles and a host of accolades as one of the greatest players in Italian League history. After he retired in 1992 following over two decades of playing pro basketball, he was hired by the Miami Heat (more specifically his former Lakers coach Pat Riley) as an assistant coach in 1995; he held onto that job for another two decades, being part of three championship-winning staffs before transitioning to a scout/advisor role.
• JaVale McGee is a journeyman now with the Kings, his ninth team (preceded by the Wizards, Nuggets twice, Sixers, Mavs twice, Dubs, Lakers, Cavaliers, Suns). He played the longest for Washington, which drafted him #18 overall in 2008 out of Nevada, but is more famous for his time with the Golden State Warriors, where he flipped the script on his lackluster career once joining the team at the same time as Durant, winning two rings and going from serviceable backup to part-time starter. He moved up to a full-time starter at center with the Lakers, where he won a third ring. However, McGee is perhaps most notable for his parentage: his mother Pamela was a Hall of Famer who played in the early WNBA late in her career, making JaVale the first NBA player with a WNBA parent; when he won a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he and Pamela also became the first mother-son duo to win Olympic gold for their respective careers.
• George McGinnis was an Indiana native who played for the Hoosiers before signing with the Indiana Pacers two years before he would be eligible for the NBA. The power forward quickly emerged as a dominant force in the ABA, earning three All-Stars, helping to lead the Pacers to two championships (winning Playoff MVP in the latter), and being named league MVP in 1975 after claiming the scoring title. While he initially turned down the chance to move to the NBA when the 76ers drafted him in the second round in '73, he attempted to leverage his MVP title into a lucrative deal with the Knicks; the NBA came down hard on him and the organization, forcing McGinnis to go to Philly. "Big Mac" remained productive in NBA stints, earning another three All-Star nods in Philly and Denver and helping take the Sixers to a Finals appearance. The Nuggets later traded him back to his original team in 1980 for a young Alex English, in hindsight one of the more lopsided NBA trades ever. McGinnis retired in 1982, had his #30 retired by the Pacers, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
• Jon McGlocklin, nicknamed "Mr. Buck" for his association with the Milwaukee Bucks every year since the start of the franchise, started his pro basketball career as a swingman drafted in the third round in 1965 by the Royals. He lasted just two seasons in Cincinnati and one in San Diego before being taken by the Bucks in the 1968 expansion draft. Known for his high-arcing, long-distance "rainbow arc" shots, he helped the Bucks win their first title in '71 and played for the team until retiring in 1976 as the last original member of the franchise. He immediately became the team's main color commentator, a position he has held ever since. The Bucks retired his #14.
• Tracy McGrady was a Hall of Fame swingman. A prep-to-pro drafted #9 overall in 1997, his early years were wasted on the Raptors bench, and he signed with the Orlando Magic in 2000 to escape the shadow of his cousin Vince Carter. In Orlando, he became a regular All-Star, earned Most Improved Player in his first year, and led the league in scoring in consecutive seasons (2003-04). When he was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2004, T-Mac formed a formidable duo with Yao Ming, though injuries to the both of them prevented Houston from getting out of the first round. Afterwards, he bounced around the league (playing for the Knicks, Pistons, and Hawks) and even played in China before retiring as a member of the 2013 Spurs who lost in the Finals; this was the only time the seven-time All-Star played outside of the first round. He was featured on the cover of NBA Live 07.
• Dick McGuire was a point guard drafted #7 overall out of St. John's in 1949 by the New York Knicks. He immediately broke the young BAA's single-season assist record as a rookie and earned seven All-Star nods, the last two coming in his later seasons with the Detroit Pistons. McGuire became the Pistons' player-coach in his last playing season (1959-60) before taking the HC role full-time, later serving the same role with the Knicks before being demoted to make way for Red Holzman. He stayed on working with the franchise until his death in 2010, and his #15 (shared with Earl Monroe) is retired by the franchise. Despite his many accomplishments, Dick might be better known as the brother of famed college coach and broadcaster Al McGuire; the two remain the only brothers to both be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
• Kevin McHale was a Hall of Fame forward. Drafted at #3 overall in 1980 out of Minnesota by the Boston Celtics, he was a three-time champion, a seven-time All-Star, and two-time Sixth Man of the Year. McHale was particularly frustrating to play against, out-leaping, out-spinning, and out-maneuvering defender after defender throughout his career in what he called the "torture chamber". During the 1981 playoff series versus the Sixers, McHale helped save the Celtics' series-clinching Game 6 win by blocking and recovering Andrew Toney's potential game-winning shot. In the 1984 Finals versus the Lakers, McHale famously flung Kurt Rambis down by his throat as the Lakers' forward raced to the basket, which touched off a bench-clearing scuffle; Boston later won the series in seven. Despite all his defensive prowess, he was also an excellent scorer, coming up just behind Bird in many franchise scoring records (and setting one of his own for most points in a two-game span). Following his retirement in 1993, McHale was hired by the Minnesota Timberwolves, first as a TV commentator but soon as vice president, GM, and sometimes head coach; he was notably responsible for both drafting Kevin Garnett (granting the T-Wolves their greatest streak of relevancy) and trading him away to the Celtics (where KG brought McHale's old team another title). He was fired after 2009 but later moved to become HC with the Rockets in 2011; despite generally solid results, he was fired early in the 2015-16 season after a slow start. His #32 is retired by the Celtics.
• Nate McMillan was drafted in the second round out of NC State in 1986 and spent the next two decades with the Seattle SuperSonics as a player and coach, earning the nickname "Mr. Sonic". McMillan played 12 years in Seattle as a guard, never an All-Star but a capable defender who led the NBA in steals in '94. He moved straight into coaching, serving as an assistant before becoming HC from 2000-05 before bouncing around to stints with the Trail Blazers (2005-12), Pacers (2016-20), and Hawks (2020-23). The Sonics retired his #10.
• Tom Meschery was a power forward drafted #7 overall by the Philadelphia Warriors in 1961. The St. Mary's product is perhaps most notable for being the first foreign-born player to be named an All-Star; the son of Russian emigrants who fled the October Revolution, he was born in Manchuria and spent part of his childhood in a Tokyo internment camp before making it to the U.S. after World War II. Meschery was taken by the SuperSonics in the 1967 expansion draft, retired in 1971, and briefly coached in the ABA before choosing a career as a teacher, author, and poet. The Warriors retired his #14.
• Khris Middleton has been Giannis Antetokounmpo's indispensable running mate through the Milwaukee Bucks' run of success. A second-round pick out of Texas A&M by the Pistons in 2012, the swingman spent one disappointing season there before being traded to the Bucks right in time to join the newly drafted Giannis. As Giannis developed and the Bucks improved, he developed into a reliable scorer (holding the franchise record for three-pointers) and solid defender, becoming a regular All-Star and a major contributor to the Bucks winning the '21 championship; an MCL injury sustained during the next season's playoffs was viewed by many as a key reason for the Bucks' failure to repeat.
• George Mikan was considered the original "best ever" and a founding father for the sport, even earning the nickname "Mr. Basketball" for pioneering the center position and being the first player to amass 10,000 career points. The 6'10" bespectacled player out of DePaul was responsible for making basketball a sport for big men, due to his then-dominant rebounding, shot blocking, and hook shot; the latter was honed by the "Mikan Drill" still used by many high school and college teams today. His dominance ended up resulting in some new rules that are still around to this day (i.e., the shot clock, goaltending, the foul lane). Another sign of his dominance: in his career, which spanned only a decade before injuries cut it short, he won seven pro championships (two with the NBL, one for the BAA, and four with the NBA). The first came in his rookie 1946-47 season with his original team, the Chicago American Gears, which would have likely been forgotten in the halls of time without him; he spent the rest of his career and his other six rings with the Minneapolis Lakers. On top of his rings, he won NBL MVP in his first year with the Lakers, an All-Star MVP in '53, four scoring titles, a rebounding title, and was a part of the first four NBA All-Star games and first five All-NBA Teams. After his playing days ended in 1956, he briefly coached the Lakers, founded the ABA (and thus popularizing the three-point line), and was vital for creating the Minnesota Timberwolves, resulting a statue of him near their home arena. Mikan suffered severe health problems in his later years, including losing a leg to diabetes; this, combined with the meager $1700/month pension the league offered for pre-1965 players, created financial difficulty for his family. At Mikan's death in 2005, then-current Laker superstar Shaquille O'Neal offered to pay for his funeral in tribute to Mikan's contributions — "Without #99, there is no me," he said. Pension increases for pre-1965 players subsequently became a major issue in the NBA's collective bargaining negotiations. Unsurprisingly, pro basketball's first superstar was a member of the Hall of Fame's inaugural class. The trophy for Most Improved Player is named in his honor.
• Darko Miličić was a Serbian center drafted #2 overall by the Detroit Pistons (via the Grizzlies) in 2003. He's listed on this page not because he had a great career but because he is known as one of the biggest busts in league history, as well as the biggest international bust. One of the youngest players ever drafted to the NBA at just 17, he was picked right after LeBron James and in front of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, but he never became an Hall of Fame-caliber player like them; in fact, he barely saw the court in his three years in Detroit and was decent at best in his stops with five other teams (the Magic, Grizzlies, Knicks, Timberwolves, and Celtics) before leaving the NBA in 2013. Incidentally, he won a championship before any of these all-time greats in his rookie season while mostly sitting on the bench, as the Pistons were already a good team who had lucked into a good draft pick^note The Grizzlies traded the rights to their first round pick to the Pistons for veteran journeyman Otis Thorpe, who played just 42 games for the team.; fans have speculated for years what kind of dynasty Detroit could have been had they managed to add a genuine superstar to their already strong roster. He now works as a farmer.
• Reggie Miller was the face of the Indiana Pacers during The '90s and early 2000s and one of the greatest three-point scorers in the history of the league. A five-time All-Star, the former league leader in three-pointers, and a Hall of Famer, he spent his entire 18-year career with the Pacers and is widely regarded as the franchise's all-time greatest player; his #31 jersey was retired by the team, and he holds the Pacers records for points, games, minutes, assists, and steals. Drafted #11 overall out of UCLA in 1987, he was famous for his perimeter sharpshooting that came in useful in sealing games. He was accurate from all ranges, leading the league in free throw percentage in five seasons and joining the 50-40-90 club in 1994. Miller earned the nickname "Knick Killer" for his classic game-winners against New York and even posted game-winners over Michael Jordan, taking the Bulls to the full seven games in the '98 conference finals, one of six he played in. However, he only actually made it to the 2000 Finals and never won a championship (though he did win Olympic gold in 1996). Noted for his frequent taunting of film director Spike Lee, a Knick fan and owner, most notably by flashing him the choke sign; also notable for being right in the middle of the "Malice at the Palace" between the Pacers and the Pistons (see Ron Artest/Metta World Peace's entry below), which only got him suspended for one game. When he was taken out in his final game, Reggie was given a standing ovation, even by the referees and the opposing Pistons players. He and his older sister Cheryl, a college basketball legend who played about a decade before the WNBA started, are the only sibling pair inducted as players into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.^note The other sibling pair in the Hall, Dick and Al McGuire, were inducted respectively as a player and a coach. He has served as a commentator on TNT since his retirement in 2005.
• Donovan Mitchell is a 6'1" shooting guard who became one of the league's most explosive young players in the last part of the '10s. Picked #13 overall out of Louisville in 2017 by the Utah Jazz (via the Nuggets), he immediately emerged as a star, averaging over 20 points and finishing runner-up to Ben Simmons for Rookie of the Year. Nicknamed "Spida" due to his acrobatic playstyle, Mitchell became the first rookie since Carmelo Anthony more than a decade earlier to be the scoring leader for a playoff team with a winning record and won the Slam Dunk Contest during that season's All-Star weekend. He increased his scoring average in each of the next two seasons, making his first All-Star appearance in 2020 and returning every season since. His playoff scoring average so far has been better than his regular-season numbers. Notably, Mitchell had two 50-point games in the Jazz's losing effort against the Nuggets in the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs; Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson are the only other players who have done so in a single playoff series. However, that wasn't enough to get the Jazz over the hump, and in 2022 they traded Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a haul of picks and role players. He has continued to play well in Cleveland, posting a 71-point performance in his first year there and returning them to the playoffs for the first time since LeBron's departure.
• Sidney Moncrief was a 6'4" Hall of Fame guard who played all but the last of his 11 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks (finishing in 1990 with the Hawks). Picked in the first round in 1979 out of Arkansas, he quickly established himself as a solid scorer and one of the league's best defenders. "Sid the Squid" made five All-Star/All-NBA appearances, won the first two Defensive Player of the Year awards^note first presented in 1983, and helped keep the Bucks one of the more competitive teams in the East, though the Sixers and Celtics kept the team from advancing past the Conference Finals three times. Moncrief's #4 is retired by the Bucks.
• Johnny Moore was a second round pick out of Texas by the Sonics in 1979, but the point guard didn't make the team and didn't start playing in the NBA until the following year with the San Antonio Spurs. He soon became a favorite among Spurs fans, enabling George Gervin's massive scoring with his passing ability and leading the NBA in assists in '82. His career hit a road block in '86 when he contracted a rare form of meningitis, but he still played a few more years of pro ball with the Nets, Spurs, and a few minor leagues. The Spurs retired his #00.
• Earl "The Pearl" Monroe was a Hall of Fame guard renowned for his flashy "playground" style. Drafted #2 overall in 1967 out of HBCU Winston-Salem by the Baltimore Bullets, "Jesus" won Rookie of the Year and an All-Star selection while helping lead the team to a Finals appearance in 1971. Once the Bullets were swept in that series, Monroe pushed for a trade and received one to the New York Knicks, where he and Walt Frazier formed the "Rolls-Royce backcourt" that reached four straight Conference Finals, two NBA Finals appearances, and a championship in 1973. The four-time All-Star retired in 1980, and both the Knicks and the re-named Wizards retired his jersies worn with the respective franchises (#15 and #10).
• Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant is a star point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies who, despite once being high school teammates with five-star prospect Zion Williamson (mentioned below for New Orleans), was never taken as a serious option by high-major D-I college programs and played for Murray State. While he remained under the radar in his freshman season, Morant quickly became a high-riser for the NBA in his sophomore season, leading the NCAA in assists and becoming both the first NCAA player ever to average over 20 points and 10 assists for a season and the first natural mid-major university player to get drafted in the top five since the late 1990s, going to Memphis at #2 overall in 2019.^note According to veteran sportswriter Pat Forde, neither of the previous two top-5 draftees from mid-major schools qualified as "true mid-majors". Lamar Odom (#4 in 1999 out of Rhode Island) was a highly touted recruit who "took a rather scandalous route to a second-tier program," and Adam Morrison (#3 in 2006) was out of Gonzaga, which by that time was generally recognized as a major program despite its membership in the mid-major West Coast Conference. He quickly proved that his success at Murray State was no fluke, helping the Grizzlies return to respectability again after the loss of their "Grit and Grind" core. After winning Rookie of the Year, Ja was named Most Improved Player in his third season, also seeing his first All-Star selection. During and after the 2022-23 season, Morant faced suspensions due to multiple incidents of brandishing firearms in public.
• Adam Morrison was a star small forward in college at Gonzaga, helping to elevate the program's national status from notable mid-major to perennial contender. He led the nation in scoring in 2006 and was drafted with the #3 overall pick by the Charlotte Bobcats, the first selection the team made with Michael Jordan as owner. Unfortunately, his talents did not translate as a pro, and he was benched midway through his rookie season after shooting a miserable 37% and being among the league worst on defense. He tore his ACL in the preseason of his second year, missed the next year, and barely saw the court when he returned. He was traded to the Lakers, where he again barely saw the court but picked up a couple of rings as a bench player in '09 and '10 before being cut. He played internationally for a few years, returned to Gonzaga as an assistant coach, and now coaches at his former high school and is part of Gonzaga's radio broadcast team. Though he goes down as a massive bust, with the Bobcats missing out on four future All-Stars, he is also notable for being one of the most prominent pro athletes to suffer from type 1 diabetes and has brought significant attention to the disease.
• Alonzo Mourning was a legendary center for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat. Originally drafted at #2 overall in 1992 out of Georgetown by Charlotte, he quickly broke out as a star but forced a trade to Miami in 1995. Paired with Tim Hardaway, his tenacity on defense twice earned him back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1999-2000 (he led the NBA in blocks both years) and 7 All-Star appearances. He was the centerpiece of the Pat Riley-coached Heat, averaging close to 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and dominating the paint with his intimidating shot-blocking; he holds the franchise record for blocks for both the Hornets and Heat. Known for his intensity and standoffish demeanor, "Zo" was viewed as a Heel by many and was The Rival to Larry Johnson, his former teammate in Charlotte. Shortly after winning Olympic gold in 2000, Mourning was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare kidney disease, which derailed his career and led to him briefly signing with the Nets. Mourning was close to retirement before a kidney transplant allowed him to return to the game even as he was reduced to a backup role. In 2005, at the twilight of his career, he made his way back to Miami just in time to win his only ring with the Heat. After his retirement in 2008, his #33 jersey was the first that the Heat chose to retire.
• Chris Mullin led the Golden State Warriors during their brief glimmer of promise in the late '80s/early '90s. A star at Queens' St. John's who won 1984 Olympic Gold as an amateur, he was drafted #7 overall in 1985. After going through rehab for alcoholism, Mullin emerged as part of the Hall of Fame trio "Run TMC" comprised of himself, Tim Hardaway, and Mitch Richmond. Mullin was a scoring threat who earned five All-Star nods and won another gold with the 1992 Dream Team before injuries began to catch up with him. After spending 1997-2000 as a role-player for the Larry Bird-coached Pacers, he spent one last season back with the Warriors before retiring; the team retired his #17. He later had fairly underwhelming runs as the team's GM and as his alma mater's HC.
• Calvin Murphy is the shortest male Hall of Famer ever, coming in at just 5'9" yet shining as one of the biggest NBA stars of the '70s. Drafted by the then-San Diego Rockets out of Niagara in the second round in 1970, the "Pocket Rocket" only earned one All-Star nod in 1979 but was still a key part of the Rockets' success in their first decade in Houston, standing out both as one of the most accurate shooters of his era and a feared enforcer. Murphy retired with the Rockets in 1983 and had his #23 retired by the franchise. Unfortunately, his reputation later took a massive hit when he was accused of sexual abuse by five of his daughters in 2004, though he was found not guilty.
• Jamal Murray is the Denver Nuggets' all-time leader in three-pointers. Drafted #7 overall^note with the final pick the Nuggets received from the Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony trade five years prior in 2016 out of Kentucky, the Canadian point guard quietly developed into a critical contributor to the Nuggets' run of success in the Jokić era. Murray has become known for his scoring output and clutch play, both critical in the Nuggets' first ever title run in 2023, yet has never being named an All-Star. The following year, he became the first player in NBA history to hit two last-second, game-winning shots in the same playoff series (round one against the Lakers).
• Dikembe Mutombo, or, in full, Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo was a legendary center out of DR Congo. He spent 19 seasons in the NBA, with five each for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, and Houston Rockets, picking up eight All-Star nods. Mutombo had never been in the States before enrolling at Georgetown with ambitions of becoming a doctor. However, his 7'2" frame and athleticism changed those plans. He starred alongside Alonzo Mourning (see Miami Heat) before being picked #4 overall in 1991 by the Nuggets. In his five seasons there, he led the league in blocks thrice and picked up the first of his record four Defensive Player of the Year awards (a record later tied by Ben Wallace) in 1995. Going to the Hawks in 1996 as a free agent, he won his other three DPOY awards ('97, '98, '01) and led the league in rebounds twice. After being traded away in 2001, he made NBA Finals trips with the Sixers and Nets, then spent a couple years with the Knicks before finishing his career in Houston (after being traded from the Knicks to Chicago, then to Houston without playing a game for the Bulls), retiring behind only Hakeem Olajuwon in career blocks but having never won a championship. The Nuggets and Hawks both retired his #55, and he made the Hall of Fame in 2015. Mutombo, however, may be even better known for his humanitarian work, mainly in Africa. Most notably, he spearheaded the building of a major hospital in his hometown of Kinshasa. He's the only two-time winner of the NBA's Citizenship Award. Mutombo was also well known for his signature taunt, waving his index finger to an opposing player after a blocked shot, and his distinctive deep, gravelly voice.