Top 5 NBA Lottery Picks From Ohio

 

Over the years, players from around the USA and the world have found their way into the NBA. And each year, 14 players are taken in what we call the lottery. They are selected by a team that failed to qualify for the previous season’s playoffs.

Let’s take a look at some of the brightest stars that have shined from Ohio.

John Havlicek

A Celtics lifer, John Havlicek, entered the NBA and immediately went to work. Beyond his iconic steal, called by Johnny Most, he had quite the career in Boston. The No. 7 pick in 1962 out of Ohio State, he was an All-Rookie selection right off the bat.

Havlicek spent 16 seasons bleeding green, making 13 All-Star games and eight All-Defense teams. He was an 8X champ and a Finals MVP. There was not much else he could possibly have done. He played through the best era in the existence of one of the best-ever franchises.

CJ McCollum

In a parallel universe, we still don’t know who CJ McCollum is.

Lehigh’s first-ever NBA player has had quite the NBA career to date, given the path he took to get here. He was the No. 10 pick in 2013. CJ has not made any All-Star games, but he has averaged better than 20 points per game in six straight seasons and has won a most-improved award.

He’s had some magnificent performances as a Trail Blazer. A native of Canton, he has proven for years that he belongs not only in the league but as a focal point of an offense.

Though it isn’t too likely, there is a chance he is playing for the Cavaliers next season.

Nate Thurmond

Nate Thurmond spent 11 years with the Warriors and retired as a Cavalier. And though his year-and-a-half were not too eventful, his No. 42 jersey was retired by the team. It hangs proudly in the rafters.

The native of Akron was a 7X All-Star, 5X All-Defensive selection, and now proudly resides in the Basketball Hall of Fame. He died at 74 in 2016, after a life filled with tremendous accomplishments.

Stephen Curry

Dell Curry played one year for the Cavaliers. And it was during that season that his son Wardell was born. We know him as Stephen Curry, a guy that has had a profound impact on the way basketball is played in the modern era.

The No. 7 pick in 2009, Curry is a 7X All-Star, 7X All-NBA selection, 2X MVP, 3X Champ, and a 2X scoring champ. He has so many great years still ahead and is widely recognized as the best shooter not only in today’s game but all-time.

LeBron James

And, of course, the King. The No. 1 pick out of St. Vincent St. Mary’s in 2003, LeBron James has been one heck of a player for the past 18 years. 10 NBA championship appearances, four MVPs, and a whole lot of other accolades that we could list for days.

He has played alongside a number of all-time legends and found a way to be a dominant player into his late 30’s. He is considered by many to be the best player of all time and the second-best to everybody else.

James won a title for the Cavs, which will go down as his best accolade through a storied basketball history.