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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Dec 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Former players and members of the 76ers family during a halftime ceremony celebrating the USPS release of the commemorative Wilt Chamberlain stamp during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Former players and members of the 76ers family during a halftime ceremony celebrating the USPS release of the commemorative Wilt Chamberlain stamp during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Pennsylvania – Wilt Chamberlain

Much like our breakdown of the state of New York, this is another one that seems unfair to one player in particular. In New York, it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that was (somehow) left out of the proceedings and, in Pennsylvania, it’s Kobe Bryant.

No matter what you think of Bryant, he’s certainly one of the top 20 players ever. The now-former Lakers guard scored more than 33,000 points, won five championships, and authored a veritable library of legendary performances. However, he happens to be born in the same state that produced Wilt Chamberlain, so Bryant must get nudged, however barely, to the sidelines.

Chamberlain actually finished with fewer points scored than Bryant, but it would be a stretch to say Kobe was the superior scorer. Wilt averaged 30.1 points per game during his 14-year career, and while longevity matters, it isn’t enough to say that Bryant’s career accomplishments were better.

The 7-footer famously averaged 50 points per game for an entire season and, over his entire career, averaged 22.9 (!) rebounds per contest. That remains the all-time record. To put it bluntly, no one was as dominant in their era as Chamberlain was in his.

Names like Earl Monroe, Pete Maravich, and Paul Arizin couldn’t even sniff this choice, and with all respect due to Kobe Bryant, it wasn’t difficult to come up with Wilt Chamberlain.

Next: Rhode Island

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