Best NBA player born in Idaho: Luke Ridnour
The state of Idaho has seen just five players make it to the NBA. Even then, its history is built on a quality point guard with quite the resume.
Point guard Luke Ridnour, born in Coeur d’Alene, got his start on the basketball stage at the University of Oregon. He earned Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in his final season (2002-03), putting up 19.7 points, 6.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game on 38.2 percent shooting from 3-point range.
His 3-point shooting and playmaking ability got the notice of NBA scouts enough that he was taken 13th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics the following summer.
He didn’t start right away, but Ridnour was one of the young faces for the Supersonics alongside Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen. During the 2004-05 season, their squad posted a 52-30 record, finishing third in the Western Conference. They fell in the playoffs to the San Antonio Spurs in six games that season.
In five seasons with the Supersonics, Ridnour averaged 9.1 points, 5.0 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He played with the Milwaukee Bucks as a reserve from 2008-10 before joining Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010. Rookie Ricky Rubio would join the following season with hopes of positive results.
With a roster of Ridnour, Love and Rubio, nothing much ever came of the pairing in terms of long-term success. As a member of the Timberwolves, Ridnour averaged a career-high 11.7 points per contest along with 4.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
He put together quite the career for himself as a starter with the Supersonics and Timberwolves and also had short stints with the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets.