NBA All-Star 2024 suggestions off Feb. 16 with the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Panini Rising Stars, culminating within the 73rd All-Star Game on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (8 ET, TNT).
With the league’s annual star-studded occasion taking place in Indiana, we’d be remiss to not pay homage to among the best gamers raised in a state that produced six Hall of Famers. So, we determined to place collectively an all-time beginning 5 of gamers born or raised in Indiana, with out regard for position.
As you possibly can see, our beginning 5 matches within the mildew of right this moment’s period of position-less basketball:
G: Oscar Robertson
F: Larry Bird
F: Glenn Robinson
F: George McGinnis
F/C: Shawn Kemp
Oscar Robertson
Born in Tennessee, Robertson moved to Indianapolis at 18 months old. He ultimately grew to become the primary participant to common a triple-double for a whole season. Robertson achieved that feat in simply his second season and remained the one participant to do it for greater than 50 years (till Russell Westbrook matched it in 2016-17).
Nicknamed the “Big O,” Robertson was thought-about the NBA’s first large guard at 6-foot-5 and 210 kilos. A Hall of Famer and member of the NBA’s thirty fifth, fiftieth and seventy fifth Anniversary Teams, Robertson was named Rookie of the Year in 1960-61, performed in 12 consecutive All-Star Games and was named NBA MVP (1963-64). He additionally helped the Milwaukee Bucks win their first NBA championship in 1971.
Larry Bird
Bird grew up in French Lick, Ind., and have become Springs Valley High School’s all-time main scorer earlier than reviving the NBA within the Nineteen Eighties alongside his rival, Magic Johnson. The Celtics legend is the one participant in NBA historical past to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in a profession.
The 12-time NBA All-Star received three championships (1981, ’84, ’86) and both held or shared 27 Celtics data when he retired in 1992. The 1980 Rookie of the Year and Hall of Famer additionally received three NBA MVP awards and two NBA Finals MVPs.
Glenn Robinson
A local of Gary, Ind., Robinson didn’t begin enjoying organized basketball till the ninth grade. But that didn’t cease him from main Roosevelt High School to a state championship as a senior, along with being named Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American. Later nicknamed “Big Dog,” Robinson led his highschool to 73-7 file.
Milwaukee chosen the previous Purdue standout No. 1 general in 1994, and Robinson was first-team All-Rookie in 1994-95 after averaging 21.9 factors, 6.4 rebounds and a couple of.5 assists. The two-time All-Star additionally hung out with the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers, earlier than retiring on the heels of his solely championship as a reserve in 2005 for the San Antonio Spurs.
George McGinnis
Born in Alabama, McGinnis grew up in Indianapolis and attended Washington High School, the place in 1969 he won Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana. The 1973 ABA Finals MVP and 1975 ABA MVP helped the Indiana Pacers seize two of their three ABA championships and posted the primary 50-point triple-double in NBA/ABA postseason historical past (1975).
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, McGinnis performed seven seasons within the NBA. He performed for the Philadelphia 76ers (1975-78) and Denver Nuggets (1978-80) and made three All-Star squads earlier than being traded to the Pacers in 1980 to play his final 2 1/2 seasons. The Pacers retired McGinnis’ No. 30 jersey in 1985, making him simply certainly one of 4 Pacers (Roger Brown, Mel Daniels and Reggie Miller being the others) to have his jersey raised to the rafters.
In December 2023, McGinnis died after succumbing to issues from a cardiac arrest. He was 73.
Shawn Kemp
The six-time All-Star ahead performed two seasons as a middle later in his profession. But “Reign Man” is usually recognized for his high-flying days with the Seattle TremendousSonics, main his squad alongside Gary Payton to the NBA Finals in 1996. The Elkhart, Ind. native declared for the 1989 NBA Draft at 19 and was taken seventeenth general regardless of not enjoying school ball.
One of essentially the most athletic and dominant energy forwards of his period, Kemp debuted within the NBA three weeks earlier than his twentieth birthday, making him the league’s youngest participant. Kemp performed most of his profession in Seattle but additionally hung out with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic.
Honorable Sixth Man: Zach Randolph
Four-time All-Star Clyde Lovellette deserves point out right here. But the nod goes to Randolph, a Marion, Ind. native, and two-time All-Star, who performed 17 seasons with 5 groups. Randolph served because the lynchpin of the “Grit and Grind” era in Memphis.
Current NBA stars with Indiana ties
Grizzlies stars Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. have been standout highschool gamers in Indiana.
G: Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies – Richmond, Indiana
G: Mike Conley, Jr.*, Minnesota Timberwolves – Indianapolis, Indiana
G: Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers – Gary, Indiana
F: Gordon Hayward, Oklahoma City Thunder – Indianapolis, Indiana
F: Jaren Jackson Jr.**, Memphis Grizzlies – Carmel, Indiana
F: Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets – Indianapolis, Indiana
* — Conley was born in Arkansas however moved to Indiana simply earlier than beginning junior highschool. Conley performed highschool basketball at Lawrence North High in Indianapolis.
** — Jackson was born in Plainfield, N.J., however grew up in Carmel, Ind., and performed highschool basketball in Indianapolis and La Porte.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior author for NBA.com. You can e-mail him right here, discover his archive right here and follow him on X.
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