Three Arizona Wildcats make Sports Illustrated’s NBA Top 100 Players for 2019
By David Rosen
Three former Arizona Wildcats made Sports Illustrated’s NBA Top 100 Players for 2019 that was just released. Read on to find out who!
In an age of professional basketball, where there are so many talented athletes from all over the globe, to make a Top 100 list says a lot. Three Arizona Wildcats did just that, Andre Iguodala, Lauri Markkanen and Aaron Gordon made Sports Illustrated’s NBA Top 100 Player list for 2019. Continued success, striving for more, striving to be the best is what “bearing down” is all about. These three do that, earning them this recognition.
Each of these players has gone on to achieve much success in the NBA. From NBA Championships to All-Star game appearances and NBA records, these guys know how to play and deserve to part of the prestigious list. There were many factors in making this list, according to Sports Illustrated, including past performance, which was a major factor. Taking that into account, it’s safe to say these three players have performed at a high level, night in and night out.
Former Wildcat and NBA veteran Iguodala came in at No. 87 on the list, which to be honest seems a low on the list. Being a 3-time NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors, 2015 Finals MVP and one of the top defenders in the league, he deserves to be higher on the list. Iguodala’s achievements speak for themselves. Never the less, being recognized as one of the top players in the NBA comes with much respect, which he has earned!
Markkanen, the youngest of the bunch, came in at No. 84. In his rookie season, he set many NBA three-point records that we covered here before on Zona Zealots. He also made his first NBA All-Star Weekend appearance, taking part in the rookie challenge and skills challenge. Markkanen averaged 15.2 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, shot 43.4 % from the field and 36.2% from three-point range. He played in 68 games and averaged 29.7 minutes per game.
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The third and final Wildcat to make the list is Gordon at No.66. All four seasons that he has been in the NBA has been with the Orlando Magic. Every year his stats improved in just about every category.
This past season, Gordon averaged 17.6 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game and 49.7% from the field. In the 58 games played, he has averaged 32.9 minutes per game. He was rewarded this past season with a four-year contract extension with the Magic for $84 million dollars.
Gordon has also been seen putting in hard work at the gym with one the greatest players of this generation, Kevin Durant. It is apparent the Gordon is looking to take his game to the next level and to be one of the greats to play in the NBA:
Meet Former Wildcat greats Mike Bibby and Miles Simon. dark. Next
At Zona Zealots, we would like to congratulate all three former Wildcats on being recognized as one of the top players in the NBA. Wouldn’t be surprised to see more added to this list next year and for years to come as the Wildcat basketball program knows how to produce top-notch players. Bear Down Arizona!