New Jersey has produced some of the best NBA stars of all time. From legends of the game to players currently making their mark and building a legacy, there seems to be something special about this part of the world.
In this guide, we’ll review four of the best NBA players to come out of New Jersey in recent times. We’ll also take a look at some of the latest NBA odds as we approach the Championship Finals.
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The NBA Finals are nearly upon us. Golden State Warriors have bounced back from being the worst-performing team a couple of seasons ago to sweeping aside the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the Western Conference Final.
The Warriors are going for their fourth championship since 2014, but this year, they’ll have tough competition from the East. Boston Celtics have shifted into tremendous form of late — since January, they’ve been ranked as the top team in the NBA.
The Boston Celtics overcame a tough Miami Heat team in a seven-game series to book their place in the championship finals for the first time since 2010.
The Warriors remain the favorites to claim the title this year, but that could change now that the Eastern Conference Final has been decided.
Now, let’s take a look at some of New Jersey’s greatest NBA players.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq, the Center from Newark, is arguably one of the best basketball players of all time. In a brilliant 19-year career, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics.
Shaq was a dominant center, standing at 7-foot-1 inch and weighing around 325 pounds. He could bully and dominate almost any player on the court. However, he could shoot too and ranks third in all-time field goal percentage with 58.2%, notably for his ability to dunk and shoot from close range.
In his career, he won four NBA championships, was voted the NBA Finals most valuable player three years in a row and was an NBA All-Star fifteen times.
Such was the Newark man’s impact on the sport that he’s had two jersey numbers retired by two separate teams — No. 34 for the LA Lakers and 32 for the Miami Heat.
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman was born in Trenton, New Jersey and is regarded as one of the best rebounding forwards in NBA history.
Despite his prowess on the offensive rebounding end, he was more known for being a dominant defender. The 6-feet-7-inch player was featured in the NBA All-Defensive Team seven times, and he won the Defensive Player of the Year award twice.
Such was Rodman’s skill that he won an impressive five NBA championships and was twice an NBA All-Star. In his illustrious career, he played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, the Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks.
Bam Adebayo
Born in Newark, Bam Adebayo has quickly risen to prominence in the NBA. The 6-feet-9-inch power forward has played for the Miami Heat for the five years that he’s been playing in the NBA.
In this time, he’s helped the Heat rise through the rankings to be one of the top teams in the league. In the 2021/22 season, for example, the Heat won the Eastern Conference and managed to reach the Eastern Conference Final too.
In 2020, Adebayo was named an NBA All-Star. For the past three years, he’s made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He also won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Despite being regarded as more of a defensive player, Adebayo has developed into an excellent point scorer and one of the Heat’s go-to shooters in the last few years. In the 2021/22 regular season, for instance, he averaged an impressive 19.1 points per game, as well as 10 rebounds per game.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Hailing from Edison, New Jersey, Karl-Anthony Towns is a powerful center that’s made a big impact on the NBA in the short time he’s been playing.
Towns plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves since he was initially drafted back in 2015 as the first pick in the first round.
He’s been voted an NBA All-Star three times and was voted Rookie of the Year back in 2016.
At just 26 years of age, he still has plenty of years to go to widen the impact he’s had on the NBA and build upon his impressive career to date.
