While Montana is yet another state not known for pumping out professional athletes, the state was the birthplace to one of the greatest basketball minds the NBA has ever seen. Phil Jackson is officially Montana's greatest NBA player of all-time. While he might not be particularly known for his playing days, Phil Jackson was a problem on the court for many, standing at 6'8 playing the power forward position.
The then NBA hopeful bright-eyed kid, now known as The Zen Master was selected 17th overall in the 1967 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. Jackson spent eleven out the thirteen years in the blue and orange (1967-78) before closing out his playing career with the New Jersey Nets in 1980. In that time, Jackson won two NBA Championships with the Knicks (1970, 1973) and earned the honor of NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1968. Two NBA Championships is definitely nothing to blow off, but that's nothing compared to the eleven he earned as a head coach coaching the likes of two of the greatest NBA players ever in Michael Jordan and Kob Bryant.