West Virginia: Jerry West
Jerry West racked up plenty of nicknames throughout his 86 years on the planet. The Logo refers to his silhouette being used on the NBA's official logo. Mr. Clutch was earned for his crunch-time reputation, highlighted by his buzzer-beating heave against the New York Knicks in the 1970 NBA Finals. He's also known as a 14-time All-Star who averaged 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists over, well, 14 years.
But a different moniker is most relevant for our purposes: Zeke From Cabin Creek. That's a direct reference to the tributary of the Kanawha River that flows near West's hometown of Chelyan, West Virginia.
Honorable mentions: Hal Greer, Deron Williams, Jason Williams
Wisconsin: Terry Porter
Wisconsin is another sneaky state that punches above its population in the NBA-player-development category. Seventy-eight Badger State products have logged some run in the league, and 10 have made All-Star squads. One of them, Tyrese Haliburton, has a great chance to continue adding to his tally now that he enters the 2026-27 campaign ready to return from the devastating injury that forced him to miss an entire year.
But Terry Porter is still the state's north star after a strong run with the Portland Trail Blazers in the late '80s and early '90s. He was a perimeter scoring threat before such an archetype was a point guard prerequisite, and his reliable ball-handling and lateral quickness on the defensive end ensured that he always contributed positively even when the points weren't flowing.
Honorable mentions: Fred Brown, Tyrese Haliburton, Latrell Sprewell
Wyoming: James Johnson
Vern Gardner, Lawson Lovering, Moe Radovich, John Pilch, Jimmy Darden, and Floyd Volker combined for 1,980 career points. James Johnson single-handedly scored 5,830, and scoring was arguably one of the least impressive parts of his game. Much more of an enforcer than a polished offensive player, the Cheyenne native used his martial arts background and physicality to play relentless defense against a wide variety of opponents.
He's the only feasible choice for Wyoming.
Honorable mentions: Vern Gardner, Lawson Lovering, Moe Radovich
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