50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 45. John Starks
John Starks began the decade playing in the Continental Basketball Association and the World Basketball League and found his way onto an NBA roster because of a knee injury sustained when he tried to dunk on Patrick Ewing while on a tryout contract with the New York Knicks.
Starks stuck in New York and found a role once his knee healed, eventually becoming the starting shooting guard on a team that flirted with a championship throughout much of the decade.
Starks was an All-Star in 1994 and was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1996-97 while earning All-Defensive honors in 1992-93.
He was also the NBA’s most prolific 3-point shooter in 1994-95, making 217 long bombs on 611 attempts.
He helped the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals, where they lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets, averaging 17.7 points, 5.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 41.9 minutes per game in the series, but shooting just .368/.320/.769.
In eight seasons in New York, Starts averaged 14.1 points, four assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 28.7 minutes a game, shooting .423/.345/.769.
After the lockout ended in January 1999, Starks was traded with Terry Cummings and Chris Mills to the Golden State Warriors for Latrell Sprewell.
He closed out the decade with the Warriors, by averaging 13.8 points, 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 33.7 minutes per game, shooting .370/.290/.740.
Starks was 11th in the 1990s with 1,060 3-pointers.
He began his career as an undrafted free agent, signing with Golden State in September 1988 before they renounced his rights the following summer. After the 1990s, Starks played with the Warriors, Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz, retiring when he couldn’t land a deal for the 2002-03 season.