The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the professional basketball league in the United States of America. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sports industry. Every basketball player dreams of playing in the NBA. In this article, we will talk about the best 5 NBA players from Louisiana.
5. Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler hails from New Orleans, Louisiana. He played for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets. Drexler played 15 seasons in the NBA, starting his professional career in 1983 and retiring in 1998. The shooting guard won the NBA championship once in his career and had been a part of the NBA all-star team ten times. Clyde used to wear #22 jersey.
4. Bob Pettit
Bob Pettit is from Baton Rouge and attended Louisiana State University from 1951 to 1954. He played 11 seasons in the NBA from 1954 to 1965. Bob Pettit became the first recipient of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1956. He again won the MVP award in 1959. Pettit won the NBA championship with the St. Louis Hawks in 1958.
3. Paul Millsap
Paul Millsap is among the few active players in the NBA from Louisiana. Just like Karl Malone, he is a graduate of Louisiana Tech. The Utah Jazz picked him in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft. The 36 years old currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets. He has been a part of the NBA all-star team four times in his career. Paul Millsap also won the Louisiana Mr. Basketball award in 2003.
2. Karl Malone
Another NBA legend hailing from Louisiana is Karl Malone. He is considered one of the best power forwards in NBA history. Malone is nicknamed ‘the Mailman’, Karl started his NBA professional career with the Utah Jazz in 2003. He switched to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2003 and played one season for them before retiring in 2004. Karl Malone won the NBA MVP award in 1997 and 1999. Despite being one of the greatest in the game, he failed to win the NBA championship.
1. Bill Russell
Bill Russell is the former American basketball professional player. He played for the Boston Celtics. Russell is one of the best NBA players hailing from Louisiana. He was born in Monroe, Louisiana but went to college in San Francisco. The 87 years old has 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics. Furthermore, he also won 5 MVP awards and 1 NBA all star MVP award.