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NBA History: Best NBA player born in each state

By Jerran Anderson

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 01: Former Milwaukee Bucks player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is honored at halftime during a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 1, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 01: Former Milwaukee Bucks player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is honored at halftime during a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 1, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Best NBA player born in Maryland: Sam Cassell

The state of Maryland is another one of those that hasn’t seen a Hall of Famer, but they’re close. Dennis Scott AKA 3D was born in Hagerstown and was one of the best 3-point shooters in his day. Steve Francis AKA Stevie Franchise was born in Silver Spring and made up one of the best duos with Yao Ming.

Point guard Sam Cassell is the best player from the state though, given his longevity. Cassell played in the NBA for 15 seasons with eight different teams during his career. As an NBA journeyman, he won three titles with two different squads as a quality point guard.

Cassell was taken 24th overall in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. He won two NBA Championships in 1993 and 1994 with the Rockets in his first two seasons in the league alongside Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olujawon.

He was considered a solid playmaker and one of the smoothest scorers during his playing career. After three seasons in Houston, he played for the Suns for 22 games and the Dallas Mavericks for 16 games during the 1996-97 campaign.

He landed with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1999-2003 for the longest stint of his career. In Milwaukee, he put up 19.0 points, 7.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest as a full-time starter. He nearly dished out 20 assists in a game, too. During the 1999-00 season, he put racked up 19 assists in a tough 109-105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Cassell made the only All-Star appearance with the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2003-04 season, averaging 20.3 points, 7.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

He played for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2005-08 before joining the Boston Celtics the same season at the age of 38. He won his final NBA title with the Celtics in 2008 before retiring from the game of basketball in May 2009.