Ohio has a long history when it comes to breeding NBA talent. Some of the NBA’s best players of all time have been born in Ohio and here is a list of the top 10. Lebron James is not the only player to be born in Akron Ohio and make a splash in the NBA and this list will show you who else was born there.
1. Lebron James- The list starts off well with this future Hall of Fame player who is one of most dominating guards to ever play the game of basketball. Lebron is built like a football player and gives Ohio someone to be proud of. Lebron has averaged 27.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game since being born years ago in Akron Ohio. Lebron has played in the NBA since 2004.
2. John Havlicek- Havlicek played in the NBA from 1963-1978 and is another great talent that has played in the NBA. Havlicek is in the NBA Hall of Fame and had career averages of 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Havlicek was born in Martins Ferry.
3. Michael Redd- Redd is still an outstanding player and is third on the list out of Ohio. Redd is one of the best 3-point shooters that has played in the NBA and has career averages of 20.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Redd has played in the NBA since 2001 and was born in Columbus.
4. Neil Johnston- Johnston played professionally from 1952-1959 and had impressive numbers during those 8 seasons. Johnston has career averages of 19.4 points, and 11.3 rebounds per game. Johnston was born in Chillicothe Ohio.
5. Jerry Lucas- Lucas is the number 5 player out of Ohio and is in the NBA Hall of Fame. Lucas should probably be higher on the list but his scoring was a little down from some of the others. Lucas played in the NBA from 1964-1974 and averaged 17 points, and 15.6 rebounds per game. Lucas was born in Middletown Ohio.
6. Larry Jones- Larry Jones was born in Columbus and played in the NBA from 1965-1974. Jones finished his career with averages of 19.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
7. Clark Kellogg- Kellogg is probably more known now for his spot working for CBS doing college basketball but he was also an outstanding basketball player out of Ohio. Kellogg played in the NBA from 1983-1987 and finished with averages of 18.9 points, and 9.5 rebounds per game.
8. Bo Lamar- Lamar only played 4 seasons in the NBA but was a factor when he did. Lamar finished his career with 16.4 points and 3.9 assists per game. Lamar was also born in Columbus like the aforementioned Redd and Jones.
9. Gus Johnson- Johnson was born in Akron like Lebron James and averaged a double-double during his playing career in the NBA. Johnson played professionally from 1964-1973 averaging 16.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
10. Nate Thurmond- Thurmond is in the NBA Hall of Fame and began his NBA career in 1964 before wrapping things up in 1977. Thurmond finished his career averaging 15 points and 15 rebounds per game. Thurmond was another in the pool of strong talent from Akron Ohio.
