All Time Top 5 Arizona Basketball players in the NBA
By Eric Brown
There have been 71 Arizona basketball players to play in the NBA, let’s take a look at the Top 5 NBA careers of them all.
The Arizona basketball team is one of the première college basketball teams ever. There have been 72 Wildcats who have made it to the next level. From the very first one, Morris Udall all the way back in 1948, to most recently Lauri Markannen and Kadeem Allen this year.
Here are the top five players from Arizona to make it to the NBA, based on their NBA Career.
Steve Kerr (1983-1988)
Once upon a time, Steve Kerr was the epitome of Arizona basketball. Oh, how times have changed. He is currently the main force behind the Golden State Warriors most recent title runs, coaching the team to 2 titles in the past three years.
When people think of Steve Kerr, they think of 2 things. Winning all the rings with the Chicago Bulls, and his ability to shoot the three-ball. What many don’t realize is that Kerr actually spent the first four seasons of his career with three different teams; Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic.
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After four years of moving around constantly, Kerr signed with the Chicago Bulls following the 92-93 season. He would go on to win four championships with the Bulls from 96-99, he also won a ring with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2003 season, which coincidentally would be his last in the Association.
Kerr never was the go-to player on any team he ever played for, after all, the highest point total he ever averaged was 8.6 during his first season with the Chicago Bulls. He is widely known in NBA lore as one of the best 3-point shooters to ever play the game. In 910 games played, he made 726 three’s at a 45% clip. Remember, this was before the 3-point shot became popular. So those numbers may look minuscule compared to modern NBA, but those numbers are otherworldly.