NEWSLETTER
This article is part of a series of top North Carolina athletes and teams. As North Carolina sports betting gets set to launch in March, take a look at the top athletes across North Carolina college and professional sports.
The state of North Carolina is known for its tremendous basketball programs including Duke and North Carolina. There has been no shortage of NBA stars to dominate the league from these schools but what about players born in the state? On first instinct, Michael Jordan pops into mind. He was actually born in New York City. So, without further ado, here are the 10 best NBA athletes born and raised in North Carolina.
10. John Wall – PG
Born: Raliegh, NC
High School: Garner/Broughton
NBA Career: 2010-Present
John Wall was the first overall pick by the Washington Wizards in 2010 and he helped the franchise reach the playoffs in 4 straight seasons from 2013-17. Wall made the 2016-17 All-NBA team as well as the 2014-15 All-Defensive team.
He was a 5-time All-Star as he peaked from 2014-18 averaging 19.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. It seemed like Wall had plenty left in the tank before an achilles injury during the 2019-20 season set his career back.
Wall returned from the injury to average 20.6 points with the Rockets in 40 games in 2020-21 before sitting out the following season and finishing his career with the Clippers. Wall hasn’t retired yet but his NBA future is uncertain. Check out Wall’s career numbers.
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9. Walter Davis – SG
Born: Pineville, NC
High School: South Mecklenburg
NBA Career: 1977-92
Walter Davis spent his first 11 seasons with the Suns and averaged 20+ points per game in 6 of those seasons. He finished his career with 4 years in Denver and 1 in Portland. Davis was a 6-time All-Star and made 2 All-NBA teams while also winning the Rookie of the Year.
Davis averaged 18.9 points per game for his career while shooting 51.1% from the field and 85.1% from the free throw line. He started his career hot by scoring 24.2 and 23.6 points per game in his first two seasons. Davis made his last All-Star team in 1986-87 when he averaged 23.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 79 games.
See Davis’ career stats.
8. Lou Hudson – SG/SF
Born: Greensboro, NC
High School: Dudley
NBA Career: 1967-79
Lou Hudson proved he could score with the best of them as he averaged 25.8 points per game from 1970-75 while shooting 49.6% from the field with the Atlanta Hawks. Hudson earned 6 All-Star nods and made the All-NBA team in 1970.
Hudson averaged 20+ points 7 times in his career while playing 890 games with the Hawks and Lakers. When it was all said and done, Hudson finished with averages of 20.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and shot 48.9% from the field. Check out his career numbers.
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7. Bobby Jones – PF
Born: Charlotte, NC
High School: South Mecklenburg
NBA Career: 1976-86
Bobby Jones spent his first two seasons in the ABA before the Nuggets joined the NBA for the 1976-77 season. In the NBA, Jones was a 9-time All-Defensive player and was selected to 4 All-Star teams. He was the Sixth Man of the Year in 1982-83 with the Philadelphia 76ers as the team won an NBA Title.
From 1977-82, Jones averaged 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 55.4% from the field. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 and was known for being an incredible teammate. Take a look at Jones’ career numbers.
6. David Thompson – SG
Born: Shelby, NC
High School: Crest
NBA Career: 1976-84
Another Denver Nugget and teammate of Bobby Jones, David Thompson took the NBA by storm when the team moved from the ABA to the NBA in 1976-77. Thompson averaged 25.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in his first five years in the NBA. He made 3 All-Star teams during that stretch and was a 4-time NBA All-Star in his career.
Thompson was All-NBA First Team twice, had his number retired by the Nuggets, and made the Hall of Fame. He had a great college career as well winning the 1974 National Championship while being named the Most Outstanding Player.
His first season was spent in the ABA where won the Rookie of the Year. Check out Thompson’s stats.
5. Sam Jones – SG
Born: Laurinburg, NC
High School: Laurinburg Institute
NBA Career: 1957-69
Jones was a member of historic Boston Celtics teams as he won 10 NBA Championships in a career that spanned 12 seasons in Boston. He was a 5-time All-Star and made 3 All-NBA teams while also being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
Jones averaged 17.7 points per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. He had a strong finish to his career as he averaged 23.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists from 1964-68 helping the Celtics win 4 championships during that span.
Current NBA fans like to scoff at the great Boston Celtics teams in the early days of the NBA, but Sam Jones could flat-out play which is why he finds himself on this list. Check out Jones’ stats.
4. Walt Bellamy – C
Born: New Bern, NC
High School: JT Barber
NBA Career: 1961-75
Walt Bellamy was an elite scorer and rebounder early in his career as he averaged 27.8 points per game and 16.7 rebounds over his first four seasons with the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs and Baltimore Bullets. He was the 1961-62 Rookie of the Year after averaging a whopping 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds in 79 games.
Bellamy was a 4-time All-Star and earned those nods in his first four seasons before bouncing around the league to teams like the Knicks, Pistons, and Hawks. He was the starting center on the 1960 Olympic team which won a gold medal and he was the first overall pick in the 1961 draft.
He ended his career with 20,941 points and 14,241 rebounds to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Bellamy is 12th in NBA history in rebounds and finished his career with averages of 20.1 points and 13.7 rebounds. Take a look at Bellamy’s career stats.
3. James Worthy – SF
Born: Gastonia, NC
High School: Ashbrook
NBA Career: 1982-94
James Worthy is one of the most notable players from the great Lakers teams in the 1980s as he teamed up with the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win 3 NBA Titles. Worthy was great in his own right as he made 7 All-Star teams, 2 All-NBA teams, and was the 1987-88 NBA Finals MVP.
Worthy was also selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. During his peak, Worthy averaged 20.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals from 1986-91. He also shot 53.8% from the field.
Worthy played every season of his career with the Lakers and had career averages of 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 52.1% from the field. Check out Worthy’s stats.
Read More: Best NBA players from UNC
2. Bob McAdoo – C/PF
Born: Greensboro, NC
High School: Ben Smith
NBA Career: 1972-86
Bob McAdoo’s accolades are impressive as the Hall of Famer won 2 championships, made 2 All-NBA teams, was the NBA Rookie of the Year, and won 3 scoring titles. He made 5 All-Star teams and won the 1974-75 MVP Award.
While McAdoo was behind stars like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his later career with the Lakers in which he won two titles, he dominated his early career. In his second season in the league, McAdoo averaged 30.6 points. He followed that up by averaging 34.5 and then 31.1 points per game. He won the scoring title each of those seasons.
McAdoo was also no slouch on the glass as he grabbed 13.4 rebounds per game from 1974-78. He finished his NBA career with averages of 22.1 points and 9.4 rebounds. By the way, he went and played overseas after his NBA career. He won 2 championships in the Italian League in 1987 and 1989.
Check out McAdoo’s career stats.
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1. Chris Paul – PG
Born: Winston-Salem, NC
High School: West Forsyth
NBA Career: 2005-Present
The only thing missing from Chris Paul’s resume is a title. Paul has excelled at the point guard position for almost two decades and has been named to the All-NBA team 11 times. He’s also a 12-time All-Star, 9-time All-Defensive, 6-time steals champ, 5-time assists champ, and he won the 2005-06 Rookie of the Year.
Paul spent his first 6 seasons with the New Orleans Hornets before playing his next 6 seasons with the Clippers. The rest of his career has included stints with the Rockets, Suns (where he reached the NBA Finals), and Warriors.
As an excellent two-way guard, Paul averaged at least 10 assists in 7 seasons and at least 2 steals 11 times. Paul has the most career points, steals, assists, and three-pointers of any player born in the state of North Carolina.
From 2005-18, Paul averaged 18.7 points, 9.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and he shot 47.2% from the field. Take a look at Paul’s career stats.
Read More: 10 Best NFL Players born in NC and best Charlotte Hornets ever
