Fansided

Picking the best NBA player from each state

By Brad Rowland

Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of the American Flag being displayed prior to the game between the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of the American Flag being displayed prior to the game between the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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SEATTLE, WA – MAY 19: ‘Full Court: The Spencer Haywood Story’ subject Spencer Haywood attends opening night of the Seattle International Film Festival on May 19, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Seattle International Film Festival )
SEATTLE, WA – MAY 19: ‘Full Court: The Spencer Haywood Story’ subject Spencer Haywood attends opening night of the Seattle International Film Festival on May 19, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Seattle International Film Festival ) /

Mississippi – Spencer Haywood

Spencer Haywood is wildly underrated in the historical context of the NBA, but we won’t be overlooking him here. The power forward from Silver City, Mississippi began his professional career as a 20-year-old by leading the ABA in scoring (30.0 points per game) and rebounding (19.5 boards), and he never looked back.

From that point forward, Haywood spent spent the next 13 seasons in the NBA, scoring nearly 15,000 points and playing more than 25,000 minutes, and his profile strongly exceeds any other player from his state. In Haywood’s first nine NBA seasons, he averaged 22.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. If those aren’t “best in state” level numbers, we don’t know what are.

It is slightly surprising when compared to other states, but Mississippi’s overall talent level is actually quite high. Monta Ellis, Al Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Danny Manning, Chet Walker, and Purvis Short are just a few names that were born inside the state’s borders, but Haywood’s ceiling was (much) higher than any other player, and he played for long enough to easily secure this prestigious honor.

How many people do you know that would remember Spencer Haywood as a perennial 20-10 player in the NBA? Let’s fix that together.

Next: Missouri

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