New Jersey has been pumping out NBA talent constantly from the most dominant player to ever play the
game to new faces in the Scarlet Knight uniforms going straight to draft night. NBA champions from all
eras have come from the Garden State, especially major cities like Newark and Trenton.
Shaquille O’Neal the Newark native has been one of the most dominant forces in the NBA. A four-time
NBA champion and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. During the time O’Neal revolutionized the position
with his size and power against the smaller centers. He has had a huge impact on the game of basketball
and on the city of Newark.
Dennis Rodman, from Trenton really set the tone for how defense should be played with the intensity he
brought and the hustle. A five-time champion, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a rebounding
expert with 13.1 rebounds per game career average. Rodman helped on multiple title runs with Chicago
and Detroit. This made him one of the best role players in NBA history.
Jalen Brunson born in New Brunswick has been a star for the New York Knicks these past few years and
has proven to be one of the craftiest scorers of today’s game.All you see in New Jersey and NYC is knicks
jerseys with 11 on the back he has become the icon of the city. He is one of the East’s top performers as
he is constantly making the big plays in the clutch.
Other stars in the NBA like Kyrie Irving and Bam Adebayo have been in the league for a good amount of
time and established themselves as superstars in the league. Kyrie with his playmaking and crazy handles
and finishing ability. Then you have Bam in Miami with the Heat being a dominant presence in the paint
on both sides of the ball. Kyrie comes from West Orange and Bam Adebayo from Newark.
Rutgers University has amplified this legacy drastically. The Scarlet Knights really got everyone talking
about them when they exploded onto the scene with two superstar high school prospects. Freshman stars
Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey became the highest drafted players in program history with Harper being
the number two overall pick to San Antonio and Bailey drafted fifth to the Utah Jazz. These are Rutgers’ first
top five picks ever.
Harper is a polished guard with elite playmaking and a good ability to create his own shots. Bailey is an
explosive and athletic forward who is a great two-way player. They helped Rutgers rise to a Big Ten
powerhouse for recruiting. These two have brought a lot of energy to NJ hoops and with their breakout
season with Rutgers has really made it more possible to funnel NJ talent straight to the pros.
The state will always have a thriving hoops culture especially with the parks in every neighborhood and
the powerhouse high school programs across the state. There have been 167 NBA and ABA players born
in New Jersey according to Basketball Reference. I think this number will increase rapidly throughout
these next couple years.
