From bonafide guaranteed All-Star selections like the freshly retired Dwyane Wade to flat out ring-achievers like Magic Johnson, all 50 states have their most notorious NBA alumni. Unfortunately, your favorite player of all-time might not be able to make the cut to represent their hometown states. With that said, we have compiled the 50 best NBA players to ever hit the professional hardwood from each state in the US of A. See if your favorite NBA great has made the cut below.
Every year a new NBA prospect pops up with hopes of working hard enough to become an honorary member of the world's greatest basketball players of all-time. Unfortunately, for most, things don't pan out. Untimely injuries, poor work ethic, or sometimes just bad luck can plague an excellent NBA player into the forgotten oblivion of NBA hopefuls looking to become one of the greatest of all time.
Then there some players that have an irrefutable passion for the game and are constantly developing their skill set, allowing them to supersede their NBA peers and stack up the accolades necessary to be considered a Hall of Fame-caliber talent. Do you agree with our picks?
When we think of inventors, the image that comes to mind is usually that of a frazzled scientist toiling away in a lab, not celebrities pulled from the pages of Us Weekly. However, a number of well-known public figures hold patents for various innovations. Some are related to the work that made them famous, while others are offshoots of hobbies or just a single great idea.
Part of guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen's signature sound was his two-handed tapping technique, but letting all ten fingers fly while simultaneously holding up the guitar's neck could get a bit tricky. Van Halen came up with a novel way to get around this problem, though; he invented a support (top) that could flip out of the back of his axe's body to raise and stabilize the fretboard so he could tap out searing songs like "Eruption." While Van Halen was obviously interested in improving his guitar work, the patent application he filed in 1985 notes that the device would work with any stringed instrument. Want to tap out a scorching mandolin solo? Find someone selling Eddie's device.
It’s probably not surprising that James Cameron—who designed a submersible to take him to the deepest known part of the ocean—will often invent technology to make his films if what he needs doesn’t exist. He holds a number of patents, including US Patent No. 4996938, “apparatus for propelling a user in an underwater environment,” that he and his brother, Michael, created to film The Abyss and patented in 1989. The device is basically an underwater dolly equipped with propellers that makes it easy for a camera operator to maneuver in the water—and allowed Cameron to capture the shots he wanted for the 1989 film, part of which was filmed in an abandoned nuclear reactor.
In 1987 Jamie Lee Curtis designed and patented a disposable diaper that included a waterproof pocket that held baby wipes. She hasn't profited from her idea yet, though, since she refuses to license the patent until diaper companies make biodegradable products.
You know him as a rock legend, but Neil Young also loves trains—so much that he owns a stake in a model train manufacturing company and has an extensive collection. He also holds seven patents related to model trains, including Patent No. US5441223, "Model train controller using electromagnetic field between track and ground."