In the 76 years that the NBA has been around, people from nearly every city, country and continent have participated on the biggest stage.
162 of those players have been natives from the our very own Wolverine State. With that being said, Let’s take a glance at some of Michigan’s best players and what an NBA roster consisting of them might look like.
The All-Michigan Starting Five
To only pick five players to start the team seems not only unfair, but impossible. So many highly skilled humans have hailed from the state with the Great Lakes. However, for the sake of this article, hard choices have to be made.
- Point Guard: Magic Johnson
Sort of a no brainer that one of the greatest point guards on this side of heaven would also be the best from his state.
- Shooting Guard: George Gervin
Nicknamed, “The Ice Man” for his cool demeanor, but also his cold blooded mentality on the hardwood.
- Small Forward: Dave DeBusschere
The 2-time champion and 6-time All-star is an NBA legend and a hometown hero
- Power Forward: Chris Webber
Former first overall pick, and Sacramento Kings legend. Webber is without question one of Michigan’s most talented sons.
- Center: Mel Daniels
An ABA legend, Daniels accomplished everything a player could dream of. Multiple championships, numerous MVP’s, rebounding titles, All-star selections, All-NBA selections, and to top it all off, he was enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
The Bench (all still great players)
As I mentioned, with so many great players in Michigan’s history it’s sad that any one of them would have to be pushed to the bench. These next few players are still elite basketball players and deserve every ounce of respect.
- F Draymond Green
- G Devin Booker
- G Steve Smith
- F Glen Rice
- G Jason Richardson
- G Dan Majerle
- G Jalen Rose
- F Rudy Tomjanovich
- F Shane Battier
- G John Long
Honorable Mentions
Some players while still good enough to be in the NBA didn’t quite stack up to the others from their own state. These are some players who just missed the cut, or could possibly be there one day in the future. (no order)
- Miles Bridges
- Kenyon Martin
- Rick Barry
- JaVale Mcgee
- Ralph Simpson
- Morris Peterson
- Kyle Kuzma
- BJ Armstrong
- Xavier Tillman
- Robert Traylor
- Jay Vincent
- Terry Mills
- Sam Vincent
- P.J. Brown
- Don Nelson
- Grant Long
- Wilson Chandler
- Chris Kaman
- Jay Vincent
You’d be hard-pressed to find a state with more homegrown NBA talent than Michigan.