Now you might surprised to see this but, there are some really good players that came from Arkansas and would go on to the NBA. Players like Mike Conley, Bobby Portis, and Sidney Moncrief. Today, I’m going to make my list of the top 3 best players that were born in Arkansas. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Number 3 on the list is Joe Johnson. The small forward/shooting guard combo player out of Little Rock was taken by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft that had potential stars like Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Zach Randolph. In his rookie season, he actually got traded to Phoenix Suns. That 2001-02 team had stars like Penny Hardaway, Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion. In his time with both the Celtics and the Suns, he averaged 12.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.2 APG. Then, he got signed to the Atlanta Hawks in 2005. That was when he really took off. In fact, he was so good on isolation plays that he has a nickname called “Iso Joe”. In 7 seasons with the Hawks, he averaged 21 PPG, 5 APG, and 4.3 RPG. He then spent 8 more seasons in the league, including 4 with the Brooklyn Nets. In that time, he averaged 12.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.9 APG. He recently played in the BIG 3 league created by Ice Cube and got signed by the 76ers, but it unfortunately didn’t pan out. Overall, in his career, he was a 7x All-Star and was on an All-NBA and All-Rookie list.
Number 2 on the list is Glen Rice. The small forward out of Jacksonville got drafted by the Heat with the 4th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft that had Nick Anderson, Shawn Kemp and Vlade Divac. In his first 6 seasons with the Heat, he averaged 19.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 2.2 APG. But then, he signed with the Charlotte Hornets who had Muggsy Bogues and Dell Curry. That was when he really rose to the occasion. He averaged 23.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.4 APG. He then signed with the Lakers, who had Dennis Rodman, Eddie Jones, Robert Horry, and the dynamic duo of Kobe and Shaq. In 2 seasons in downtown LA, he had 16.3 PPG, 4 RPG and 2.3 APG. After his time with the Lakers, he jumped around to 3 other teams, the Knicks, the Rockets, and the Clippers. All things considered, Rice had a great career. He was a 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, an All-Star Game MVP, an All-Rookie, and a world champion.
And finally, the best NBA player that is from Arkansas is… Scottie Pippen. Pippen was most known as the Robin to the Batman of the Bulls, the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan. The 6’8 small forward out of Hamburg was picked 5th overall by the Bulls in the 1987 NBA Draft that had David Robinson, Horace Grant, and the sharpshooting Reggie Miller. In 12 seasons with Jordan and the Bulls, he averaged 18 PPG (including 4 20+ PPG seasons), 6.8 RPG and 5.3 APG. In the rest of his career with the Trailblazers, Rockets, and one season with the Bulls, he had 11.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 4.9 APG. Altogether, he was a 7x All-Star, 6x NBA Champion, 10x All-Defense, 1994-95 steals champion, All-Star Game MVP, and 7x All-NBA. All of those accolades are capped off by a Hall of Fame induction in 2010.