Alabama and sports go together like chocolate chip cookies and milk. And even though Alabama is better known for its college football program, it has produced some of the best and most successful NBA players of all-time. Below, we are going to rank and review the best basketball players born and raised in Alabama.
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley was born in Leeds, Alabama on February 20, 1963. Barkley was born and raised in Leeds, Alabama, 10 miles outside Birmingham. He was the first black baby born at a segregated, all-white town hospital and was in the first group of black students at his elementary school.
He attended Leeds High School. As a junior, Barkley stood 5’`0” and weighed 220 pounds. He failed to make the varsity team and was named as a reserve.
However, during the summer Barkley grew to 6’4” and earned a starting position on the varsity as a senior. He averaged 19.1 points and 17.9 rebounds per game and led his team to a 26–3 record en route to the state semi-finals.
However, Barkley garnered no attention from college scouts until the state high school semi-finals, where he scored 26 points against Alabama’s most highly recruited player, Bobby Lee Hurt.
An assistant to Auburn University’s head coach, Sonny Smith, was at the game and reported seeing, “a fat guy…who can play like the wind”. Barkley was soon recruited by Smith and majored in business management while attending Auburn University.
Charles Barkley played at Auburn University for three years. Although slightly overweight, he was an excellent player and led the SEC in rebounding each year. In addition, Barkley was a crowd favorite and one of the most popular athletes in the NCAA.
In his three-year college career, Barkley would average 14.8 points on 68.2 field goal shooting. In addition, he would average just under 10 rebounds per game, with 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. In 2001, Auburn University retired Barkley’s number 34 jersey.
Barkley left before his final year at Auburn and made himself eligible for the 1984 NBA draft. He was selected with the fifth pick in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers, two slots after the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan.
Charles Barkley would join a veteran team that included Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks, players who took Philadelphia to the 1983 NBA championship. Under the guidance of Malone, Barkley was able to manage his weight and learned to prepare and condition himself properly for a game.
Charles Barkley has one of the most impressive NBA and basketball resumes. Named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 1993, he is an 11-time NBA All-Star, an NBA All-Star Game MVP, a 5-time All-NBA First Team, and an NBA All-Rookie First Team, to name a few. By far, Charles Barkley is definitely the best basketball player to come out of Alabama.
Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace was born in White Hall, Alabama on September 10, 1974. Wallace is the tenth of eleven children in his family. He would go on to attend Central High School in Hayneville where he received honors in basketball, football, and baseball.
Wallace would go on to attend Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland and then Virginia Union, a NCAA Division II school. He would lead Virginia Union to a Final Four for the Division II with a 28-3 record.
Wallace would go undrafted but would eventually play for the Washington Wizards. After a few trades, Wallace landed on the Detroit Pistons where he would solidify his reputation as a defensive player.
In his career, Wallace has nearly 10,500 rebounds and 2,100 blocks. He was named an NBA Defensive Player of the Year an astounding four-times and won the championship with the Pistons in 2004.
DeMarcus Amir Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins was born in Mobile, Alabama on August 13, 1990. He attended LeFlore Magnet High School and was a first-team Parade All-American in 2009 and played in the 2009 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game. He also played at the Nike Hoop Summit in 20009.
Cousins committed to the University of Kentucky and with teammate John Wall, led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. In 2010, Cousins would make himself eligible for the NBA draft and was selected fifth overall by the Sacramento Kings.
Since his debut in the NBA, Cousins has been a 4-time NBA All-Star, a 2-time All-NBA Second Team, an NBA All-Rookie First Team, and a Consensus second-team All-American.
Theo Ratliff
Theophalus Curtis Ratliff was born in Demopolis, Alabama on April 17, 1973. Playing the center position, Ratliff was one of the best shot blockers in the league and led the league three times in blocks per game. He is currently ranked 20th all-time in career blocks.
Ratliff was selected 18th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1995 NBA draft. He was an NBA All-Star in 2001, a 2-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and a 3-time NBA blocks leader in 2001, 2003, and 2004.
Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe was born in Birmingham, Alabama on December 9, 1989. He attended Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama and averaged over 20 points and 9 rebounds and 11 assists in his senior year. He was listed as the number 3 point guard and 23rd best player in the nation in 2009.
Playing only one season at the University of Kentucky, he would help lead the team to an Elite Eight appearance. He was also named to the Sporting News SEC All-Freshman Team.
Bledsoe had been touted for his quickness, ball handling skills, and his ability to knock down the three. He was drafted in the 2010 NBA draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the overall 18th pick.