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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
49 of 51
Next
Feb 20, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Former West Virginia Mountaineer Jerry West looks on during the game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Oklahoma Sooners at the WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Former West Virginia Mountaineer Jerry West looks on during the game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Oklahoma Sooners at the WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

West Virginia – Jerry West

“Zeke from Cabin Creek” almost has to be the choice from West Virginia, right?

In addition to being the NBA’s logo, Jerry West is one of the best players ever to play in the league, and his humble beginnings in West Virginia are the stuff of legend. At this point in the mid-2010’s, West is staggeringly underrated by the NBA-watching public, but in terms of his on-court brilliance, few can match what he was able to do.

For starters, West averaged 27.0 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game over 14 seasons. Those are video game level numbers in any era, and if you removed his first and last campaigns, the numbers would shoot up to 28.2 points, 6.9 assists and 5.8 rebounds per contest.

Given the length of his career, West is also a factor on all-time lists. He was a 14-time All-Star and he ranks within the top 25 all-time in points, points per game (6th), PER, minutes per game, and free throws made, among others. In short, that is pretty darn impressive.

Jerry West isn’t the only great to come from West Virginia, with Hal Greer and, to a lesser extent, Deron Williams born in the state. Still, it is a fairly large gap and the NBA’s logo just had to be here.

Next: Wisconsin

Home/NBA