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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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Chicago Bulls
Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images /

Best NBA player born in Arkansas: Scottie Pippen

The state of Arkansas has manufactured a good number of household names in the league. Seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson is one player who hails from the state. He has put up over 20,400 points as an NBA player. However, Johnson isn’t the most notable to come from Arkansas.

Swingman Scottie Pippen is probably the most decorated player to come from Arkansas. Pippen was born in Hamburg on Sept. 25, 1965, and after attending the University of Central Arkansas, he was selected fifth overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He was traded on draft night to the Chicago Bulls and the rest was history.

Pippen became an instant impact player in the Bulls rotation alongside fellow Hall of Fame guard Michael Jordan. He was a 10-time All-Defensive selection, seven-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA selection during his 17-year career.

He put up a stat-sheet-stuffing 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest that season. Pippen didn’t earn an All-Star nod the following season, but the Bulls got something a whole lot better in a 1991 NBA title, setting off the first 3-peat of the Pippen/Jordan era.

Pippen and the Bulls missed the title in 1994 and in Jordan’s return in the 1995 playoffs but they set off the second 3-peat in 1996 when Pippen was just 30 years of age. He’s had quite the decorated career as an Arkansas native, with six NBA titles and a Hall of Fame induction in 2010 to show for himself.