Pennsylvania has a rich history in the union. As one of the Thirteen original founding states, Pennsylvania, and more specifically Philadelphia, have a deep-seated root in the nation and its founding. In fact, the Philadelphia 76ers name comes from the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence which happened in Philadelphia in 1776.
While Philadelphia may have been instrumental in the founding of the nation, so too has Pennsylvania as a whole to the NBA. Pennsylvania has produced a plethora of NBA greats and below we’re going to review the best NBA players born in Pennsylvania or Philadelphia respectively.
Kobe Bryant
What is there to say about Kobe Bryant that hasn’t already been said? Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 23, 1978, Bryant was known for his hard work, ethic, and commitment to the sport. A basketball legend and great whose life was tragically cut short on January 26, 2020 in a helicopter crash.
Kobe Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. Bryant began playing basketball at the age of three and the Lakers, for whom he would play for his entire career, were his favorite team. Bryant had a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion.
He played on the varsity team as a freshman and was the first freshman to play on the varsity team at Lower Merion High School in decades. During his junior year, Bryant averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 3.8 blocks, and 2.3 steals.
Bryant received several awards for his outstanding performance during his senior year at Lower Merion. These included being named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men’s National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-American, a first-team Parade All-American and a USA Today All-USA First Team player. Bryant’s varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that he was “a complete player who dominates” and praised his work ethic, even as the team’s top player.
Kobe Bryant would forgo a college career and make himself eligible for the 1996 NBA draft. He was chosen 13th overall in the first round by the Charlotte Hornets. Although he was drafted by the Hornets, they had an agreement with the Lakers to trade their first-round pick and were asked by the Lakers to select Bryant.
Kobe Bryant had a storied NBA career. He was a 5-time NBA champion, a 2-time NBA Finals MVP, an NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008, an 18-time NBA All-Star, a 4-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, an 11-time All-NBA First Team, an NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion, a 2-time NBA scoring champion, amongst others.
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 21, 1936. Chamberlain is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history. He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He played for the University of Kansas and for the Harlem Globetrotters before playing in the NBA. Chamberlain stood 7’1” tall and weighed 250 pounds as a rookie before gaining up to 275 pounds and later to over 300 pounds with the Lakers.
Chamberlain holds numerous NBA regular season records in scoring, rebounding, and durability categories. He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season. He won seven scoring, eleven rebounding, nine durability, and nine field goal percentage titles, and led the league in assists once.
Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season, which he accomplished seven times. He is also the only player to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career.
Although Chamberlain suffered a long string of NBA Finals losses during his career, he had a successful career, winning two NBA championships, earning four regular-season NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, the NBA Rookie of the Year award, one NBA Finals MVP award, and was selected to 13 NBA All-Star Game and ten All-NBA First and Second teams. Chamberlain was subsequently enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, elected to the NBA’s 35th Anniversary Team of 1980, and was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
Pete Maravich
Peter Press Maravich (Pistol Pete) was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania on June 22, 1947. Maravich starred in college with the LSU Tigers while playing for his father, head coach Press Maravich. He is the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer with 3,667 points scored and an average of 44.2 points per game.
All of his accomplishments were achieved before the adoption of the three-point line and shot clock, and despite being unable to play varsity as a freshman under then-NCAA rules. He played for three National Basketball Association (NBA) teams until injuries forced his retirement in 1980 following a 10-year professional career.
One of the youngest players ever inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Maravich was considered to be one of the greatest creative offensive talents ever and one of the best ball handlers of all time. He died suddenly at age 40 during a pick-up game in 1988 as a consequence of an undetected heart defect.
Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 25, 1986. He is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been a six-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2016. Lowry won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, their first title in franchise history. He was a member of the U.S. national team that won a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Lowry played two seasons of college basketball with the Villanova Wildcats before he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft with the 24th overall pick. He began his NBA career with Memphis and the Houston Rockets before being traded to Toronto.
In his second season with the Raptors, he helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in seven years and win an Atlantic Division title during the 2013–14 season. In 2015–16, he led the Raptors to 56 wins in what was then the highest win total in franchise history, as well as helped the team make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time.