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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ISTANBUL, TURKEY – OCTOBER 09: Sean Elliot, former basketball player of San Antonio Spurs of US National Basketball Association, poses as he gives a speech to the media before the match between Turkey’s Fenerbahce and US’s San Antonio Spurs in Istanbul, Turkey on October 09, 2014. (Photo by Ahmet Dumanli/Anadolu Agency/Getty mages)
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – OCTOBER 09: Sean Elliot, former basketball player of San Antonio Spurs of US National Basketball Association, poses as he gives a speech to the media before the match between Turkey’s Fenerbahce and US’s San Antonio Spurs in Istanbul, Turkey on October 09, 2014. (Photo by Ahmet Dumanli/Anadolu Agency/Getty mages) /

Arizona – Sean Elliott

Sean Elliott was a very solid player in the NBA over a 12-year career. It does, however, feel a bit odd that he would be the runaway choice from a state as sun soaked and basketball-loving as Arizona. Alas, that is the hand we were dealt by the borders of this particular state, and unless you think Jerryd Bayless is (much) better than he actually is, Elliott is the choice by a wide, wide margin.

The 6-foot-8 small forward spent 11 of his 12 professional seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, with Elliott’s lone season “abroad” coming in the form of a one-season stint with the Detroit Pistons in 1993-94. However odd that may be, Elliott was a highly effective role player in both spots.

Over his career, Elliott averaged 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while playing 33.0 minutes (742 games overall) as a highly effective floor spacer. To that end, the former Arizona Wildcat converted 37.5 percent of his three-point attempts over his career, including four full years in which Elliott made at least 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Sean Elliott was also a member of San Antonio’s first NBA Championship team in 1999, averaging 12.7 points per game in 17 playoff contests that year.

Next: Arkansas

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