Top 20 former Michigan State Spartans to play in the NBA

19. Greg Kelser

Fans of the Detroit Pistons may better know Greg Kelser by his moniker Special K, as fellow Fox Sports Detroit commentator George Blaha so affectionately calls him.

Before he became half of one of the league’s all-time great commentating pairs, Kelser had a strong four seasons at Michigan State. After helping lead the Spartans to their 1979 NCAA title against Larry Bird‘s Indiana State Sycamores, Kelser was selected fourth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1979 NBA Draft.

Kelser’s career, however, did not live up to its expectations. After a strong first two years in Detroit, where he averaged a combined 13.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and nearly one block per game, Kelser’s use and efficiency never again mounted to the production of his first two seasons.

After leaving Detroit in 1981 and bouncing between teams, Kelser’s career ended after only six seasons with a decent 49 percent shooting average, but point and rebounding averages of only 9.7 and 4.6, respectively.

For Pistons fans, though, there is no truer optimist of the team.