Some of the most legendary players in the NBA began their careers on university courts playing for their teams. They had uphill battles and not only made the jump to professional basketball but rocketed past their peers to become legends in their own right. Here is a list of famous basketball players who started on college teams and then leaped to the glory of the NBA.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal is arguably one of the most dominant players ever to play in the National Basketball Association. Before he went on to win four NBA championships, Shaq played NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) basketball at LSU (Louisiana State University). As one of the most dominant college basketball players of all time, O’Neal was the first pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He went on to win Most Valuable Player awards and several championships. He established himself as one of the greatest centers of all time.
Dennis Rodman
One of the more interesting, and certainly more controversial, stories of a player’s journey to basketball success is the one of Dennis Rodman. Rodman is famous for not being a top scorer – he averaged only 10.5 points per game in his career – but for being a master of the defensive side of basketball and a rebounding machine. He won the NBA championship a total of five times – twice with the Detroit Pistons and three times with the Chicago Bulls – playing alongside Michael Jordan. He was an important piece to those teams’ success through his ability to dominate through defense and rebounding and his outspoken personality, which made him one of the biggest stars in basketball.
Magic Johnson
After an epic college career at Michigan State University, Magic made his mark in 1979 when he led his team to the NCAA championship game, where they beat Larry Bird’s Indiana State team. After being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, Magic brought his exceptional playmaking and personality to the NBA, where he won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers as a point guard and built a position for himself that would be rivaled only by one other.
Larry Bird
Before joining the ranks of the greatest shooters in NBA history, Larry Bird led the Indiana State Sycamores to the 1979 NCAA championship game, where they lost to Magic Johnson’s Michigan State squad. Bird was named NCAA Final Most Outstanding Player and was the No. 6 pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. In the NBA, Bird won the league’s Most Valuable Player award three times and helped bring three NBA championships back to the Boston Celtics. Bird’s move from college basketball star to NBA legend was like a straight line.
Steph Curry
Steph Curry is one of the best NBA players of his generation, but he didn’t go to one of the traditional basketball powerhouses; instead, he attended Davidson College, where he single-handedly led Davidson on an inspired run to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, making the entire country take notice of his extraordinarily precise shooting. Despite question marks about his size and athleticism, Curry was still drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2009. Over the past 15 years, Curry has revolutionized the game with his ability to shoot from deep. With three championship victories and multiple MVP awards, he’s now one of the game’s all-time greats.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant spent one year at the University of Texas and was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2007. He has won two NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards and is still one of the most dominant players in the world. Durant was named the Naismith College Player of the Year in his only season at UT.
Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan, known as ‘The Big Fundamental’, spent four years at Wake Forest University, where his skills were developed in the country’s best athletic program and an environment of organizational excellence. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft and became the centerpiece of the San Antonio Spurs. One of the league’s all-time greats, Duncan won five NBA championships and earned three championship Finals MVPs. His consistency and longevity at the elite levels of college and professional basketball are the result of developing his skills and mind over years of dedicated practice.
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From College to NBA Legends
These players became some of the most decorated basketball players in the NBA’s history, and they all began their path to NBA stardom in the halls of their alma mater. Talent, hard work, and dedication took them to the top. Wherever you begin, greatness is there for the taking. If you study and play hard, your contributions can be a big part of how the game is remembered for decades to come.
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