New Jersey may always be known as the little brother to New York, but the Garden State has provided its fair share of great NBA players. Below, we are going to rank the best NBA players from New Jersey. These players not only helped to define the game but also provided fans and spectators with jaw dropping plays during their NBA tenure.
Let us know, who do you think is the best NBA player from New Jersey?
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey on March 6, 1972. O’Neal is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time. He was a 7-foot-1-inch and 325-pound center who played for six teams over his 19-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is a four-time NBA champion.
After playing college basketball for the LSU Tigers, O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals.
After four years with the Magic, O’Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. They won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Amid tension between O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, and his fourth NBA championship followed in 2006. Midway through the 2007–2008 season he was traded to the Phoenix Suns.
After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, O’Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009–10 season. O’Neal played for the Boston Celtics in the 2010–11 season before retiring.
O’Neal’s individual accolades include the 1999–2000 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star Game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections.
He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. He ranks 8th all-time in points scored, 6th in field goals, 15th in rebounds, and 8th in blocks. Due to his ability to dunk the basketball and score from close range, O’Neal also ranks third all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%). O’Neal was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Richard Francis Barry
Rick Barry was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on March 28, 1944. He played for both the NBA and ABA and is named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in the history of the league. Barry ranks among the most prolific scorers and all-around players in basketball history and is the only one to lead the NCAA, ABA, and NBA in points per game in a season.
He ranks as the all-time ABA scoring leader in regular season (30.5 points per game) and postseason (33.5) play, while his 36.3 points per game are the most in the NBA Finals history. Barry also is the only player to reach the 50-point mark in a Game 7 of the playoffs in either league. He is one of only four players to be a part of a championship team in both leagues.
Barry is widely known for his unorthodox but extraordinarily effective underhand free throw technique. His career .880 free throw percentage ranks No. 1 in ABA history, and at the time of his retirement in 1980, his .900 percentage was the best of any NBA player. In 1987, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Thomas William Heinsohn
Tom Heinsohn was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on August 26, 1934. He played for the Celtics from 1956 to 1965, and also coached the team from 1969 to 1978. He spent over 30 years as the color commentator for the Celtics’ local broadcasts.
He is regarded as one of the most iconic Celtics figures in the franchise’s history, known during his lifetime for his charisma and loyalty to the team and its traditions. From this he earned the nickname “Mr. Celtic.”
Dennis Keith Rodman
Dennis Rodman was born in Trenton, New Jersey on May 13, 1961. He lived in Trenton with his mother and siblings, where often his mom would work up to four jobs at once to provide for the family. He was not an especially skilled or gifted athlete or basketball player and was either benched or cut from his high school teams.
However, after finishing high school, Rodman would grow several inches and try out for basketball again. He made a name for himself in college and eventually made himself eligible for the NBA draft.
Although he was drafted, and made an NBA Finals appearance with, the Detroit Pistons, Rodman is most well-known for his personality and time with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Rodman experienced an unhappy childhood and was shy and introverted in his early years. After aborting a suicide attempt in 1993, he reinvented himself as a “bad boy” and became notorious for numerous controversial antics. He repeatedly dyed his hair in artificial colors, had many piercings and tattoos, and regularly disrupted games by clashing with opposing players and officials.