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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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Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images /

Best NBA player born in North Carolina: Bob McAdoo

North Carolina is home to some of the most powerful college basketball programs, namely the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels take the state’s bragging rights after producing Bob McAdoo in the 1972 NBA Draft class.

McAdoo played under legendary head coach Dean Smith and the Tar Heels in the 1971-72 season, averaging 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as they went 29-5 and made it all the way to the Final Four.

His standout season was enough to get him drafted second overall in the 1972 NBA Draft by the Buffalo Braves. He led the league in scoring with the Braves a season after winning the 1972-73 Rookie of the Year award from 1973-76, averaging over 30 points per game for three straight seasons.

During the 1974-75 season, he was awarded the regular season MVP award. He put up a career-high 50 points in a 108-102 victory over the Washington Bullets in the fourth game of the season, a foreshadowing of what was to come. He went on to average a career-best 34.5 points per game.

McAdoo was traded to the New York Knicks during the 1976-77 campaign. Once he excelled with the Knicks, he was traded again to the Boston Celtics (1978-79), from the Celtics to the Detroit Pistons (1979-81)H, then from the Pistons, he signed to the New Jersey Nets.

His value continued to show itself as the Nets then traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. With the Lakers, he won two NBA titles in 1982 and 1985 as a key reserve across five seasons. After joining the Philadelphia 76ers for the 1985-86 season, he stepped away from the NBA to play overseas in Italy. McAdoo was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 for his 14-year career.