The Michigan State Basketball tradition is a rich one, and a byproduct of that is quality players who go on to the NBA. Here are the top 20 former Spartans.
Nov 29, 2013; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans mascot Sparty helps with player introductions prior to game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Under the direction of Jud Heathcote and Tom Izzo, the Michigan State basketball program has built a rich tradition. Many legendary Spartans have come through the program then went on to have varying levels of success in the NBA.
Here you’ll find rankings of the top 20 former Spartans based on their NBA careers.
That means you won’t find former Spartan greats like Mateen Cleaves, but Draymond Green, who was often compared to Cleaves for his leadership, is included.
While the list focuses on the NBA career of each player, it should serve as a walk down memory lane for the Michigan State basketball fan as it features players recent and not so recent, active and retired.
Now on to the rankings!
Next: Number 20
Mar 22, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Adreian Payne (3) dribbles the ball up the court in the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Target Center. The Hornets won 109-98. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Adreian Payne is just starting his NBA career, but he has a skill set to succeed in today’s NBA. With the league increasing looking for versatile big men capable of playing away from the basket, Payne can be the stretch-four, so many teams are after.
Placing Payne on this list takes quite a big of projecting but don’t be surprised if he would be ranked higher if this list was to be re-visited in the years to come. His rookie year got off to a slow start because of injuries and a crowded Hawks roster, but minutes came with regularity after being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Payne’s potential was on display in an early March 2015 game against the Los Angeles Clippers in which he scored 16 points and brought down 15 rebounds.
Next: Number 19
A former Big Ten scoring champion, Shawn Respert never became a prolific scorer in the NBA. He played in 172 games over the course of four NBA seasons with four different teams, averaging 4.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
Call him a bust if you want, but the box scores don’t tell the whole story. Few people knew it at the time, but Respert was diagnosed with cancer late during his rookie season.
"It killed me every time my name was associated with being a bust. I really wanted to say, ‘Look. This is what I’ve had to deal with.’ But people don’t want to hear excuses in pro sports, even if the excuse is cancer."
Next: Number 18
Jamie Feick was a man on the move for much of his five NBA seasons, occasionally having to latch on with teams on 10-day contracts. Feick may not have been able to find a consistent home, but he was able to rebound effectively when given the opportunity.
Thanks to an opportunity to log some minutes with the New Jersey Nets in 1998-99 and 1999-00, Feick boasts a career rebounding average of 7.1 boards per game.
After appearing in 201 games, Feick’s career came to an end after suffering an Achilles injury.
Next: Number 17
The Warriors traded Anthony Miller to the Los Angeles Lakers for a future second round pick shortly after drafting him in the second round of the 1994 draft. Miller went on to play 46 games (1 start) as a rookie, averaging 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Miller played eight NBA seasons for four different teams but never stayed with a team more than two years in a row. He finished his career with 181 games played and averages of 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds.
Next: Number 16
Apr 15, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard
(26) advances the ball during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Shannon Brown has been on the move a lot during his nine NBA seasons. He has played for eight different NBA teams and three more teams in the Developmental League but was able to find some stability for a two-plus season stretch with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He finally played a full 82 game schedule in his first full year with the Lakers, his fourth professional season overall. For that 2009-10 season, Brown averaged better than 20 minutes per game – a career high at that point.
During the Lakers’ title runs in 2009-10 and 2010-11, Brown averaged 4.9 points per game while playing 14-15 minutes.
Brown was waived after five games with the Heat this past season. If this is the end of Shannon Brown’s career, he ends having played 408 games and averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
Next: Number 15
Terry Furlow was traded three times in his four NBA seasons and each team got more from him than the previous as he upped his scoring average each season.
Furlow’s career came to a premature end when he was killed in a car accident shortly after the 1979-80 season, his best as a professional. Splitting time between the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz that season, Furlow averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
Next: Number 14
Feb 1, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; A general view of the Jack Breslin Student Events Center during the first half of the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Sam Vincent‘s NBA career began slowly with only modest playing time in his first two seasons as a member of the Boston Celtics but then finally hit his stride in his third year when he landed in Chicago. Vincent finished that year as a member of the Bulls’ starting lineup, averaging 13 points per game while averaging 33 minutes.
Vincent spent the next year (1988-89) with the Bulls as well before finishing his career with three seasons in Orlando. In those final four and a half seasons with the Bulls and Magic, Vincent averaged 10.2 ppg while starting roughly two-thirds of his teams’ games.
Vincent finished his career with 396 games played and 3,106 total points to his name.
Next: Number 13
Greg Kelser is best known to the current generation as the color commentator on Detroit Pistons television broadcasts, but he carved out a six-year NBA career after his time at Michigan State.
He didn’t ultimately live up to the promise of his status as the fourth overall draft pick due (in part) to chronic knee injuries, but his career did start with some immediate success. Kelser averaged 14.2 points per game in his rookie campaign with the Pistons and 12.3 points per game in his sophomore season, but his knees limited him to only 75 games between the two years.
Kelser was traded to Seattle in his third season, but he didn’t get as much playing time and saw his points per game production drop to 7.0 over the next year and a half. The limited action may have helped him stay healthy, however, as he played a full season for the first time in the 1982-83 season.
He averaged double figures once again with the Clippers as a 26-year-old in the 1983-84 season — appearing in 80 games once again — but that would be his final year as an effective NBA player. Kelser was limited to just ten games the following year with the Pacers in what would ultimately be his final year as a player.
Greg Kelser finished his career with 19.8 minutes per game, 9.7 points per game, and 4.6 rebounds per game averages in 305 games played.
Next: Number 12
Eric Snow was never a great scorer and didn’t possess a great outside shot but that wasn’t his game as a pass-first point guard who brought defensive intensity.
He had his greatest success under the coaching of Larry Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers where he was able to be himself and let Allen Iverson worry about putting the ball in the basket. Snow played a big role on those Sixers teams that were among the Eastern Conference’s best in the early 2000s.
Snow’s 4,245 career assists ranks second all-time among former Spartans to Magic Johnson.
Next: Number 11
As college basketball players, it was Mateen Cleaves who was the most well-known of Michigan State’s “Flintstones” but it was Morris Peterson who would go on to have the best NBA career.
“Mo Pete” quickly earned a spot in the Toronto Raptors starting lineup and was consistently a double-digit scorer, topping out at an average of 16.8 points per game for the 2005-06 season.
Peterson’s playing time diminished from there, particularly after leaving the Raptors to finish his career with the Hornets and Thunder. Still, Peterson finished with a scoring average of 10.7 points per game despite the diminished opportunities in the final years of his career.
Next: Number 10
Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward
(1) during the third quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
For what Draymond Green has shown early on in his NBA career, he is poised to rocket up the rankings in future years as he builds a larger body of work. He has quickly quieted critics who questioned how his game would translate to the next level.
In doing so, Green has become a cornerstone piece on a championship-level team with the Warriors, just as he was at Michigan State. The versatility of his game is perfect for the way the Warriors want to play, and his leadership will help ensure there is no post-championship letdown in Oakland.
Next: Number 9
Scott Skiles isn’t one of the best scorers to come out of Michigan State, but he is one of the best shooters. His career three-point shooting percentage of 37.9% is just a hair better than Morris Peterson, and Skiles got it done from the free throw line at an 88.9% clip for his NBA career.
Skiles was a great shooter but was also a good distributor of the basketball. He averaged 6.5 assists per game for his career and still holds the NBA record for most assists in a game with 30 – a record that has stood since he set it in 1990.
Next: Number 8
Dec 30, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans and mascot Sparty huddle prior to a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Jay Vincent went on to have a productive, but perhaps under-appreciated, career after being a second-round draft pick of the Dallas Mavericks. Vincent spent nine years in the NBA but did so as a member of six different teams.
The two-time Big Ten scoring champ went on to average better than 15 points per game over his NBA career while averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.
Unfortunately, Vincent has been in the news in recent years for legal problems involving fraud charges that sent him to prison.
Next: Number 7
Mar 6, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; General view of a basketball on the court prior to a game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Iowa Hawkeyes at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Ralph Simpson was drafted into the NBA in 1972 by the Chicago Bulls, but he had already been playing professionally for two seasons in the ABA with the Denver Rockets, where he had signed after playing two seasons at Michigan State.
Simpson wouldn’t sign with the Bulls, instead electing to stay with Denver for four more seasons until the two leagues merged ahead of the 1976-77 season.
Simpson was named to five consecutive ABA All-Star teams in the prime of his career, being named to the squad every year from 1972 to 1976 (the final five seasons of the league’s existence).
I his ten seasons across the ABA and NBA, Simpson tallied more than 11,000 career points (11,785) — over 16.5 points per game — making him one of the most prolific scorers ever to come out of the Michigan State basketball program.
Next: Number 6
The high-flying Jason Richardson is best known for his athleticism and highlight reel dunks, but he was much more than that. Over the course of a career that spanned more than 850 games, Richardson developed a dependable three point shot, topping out at better than 40% in 2007-08.
To his credit, Richardson developed into a well-rounded basketball player to finish his career with averages of 17.1 points, 1.9 threes, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Richardson signed a deal over the summer with the Atlanta Hawks but announced his retirement in September.
Next: Number 5
Steve Smith finished his NBA career with a career scoring average of 14.3 points per game, but that doesn’t do his career justice. That average was hurt with Smith taking on smaller roles late in his career after he was routinely approaching 20 points per game through the prime of his career.
Best known for his years in Atlanta, Smith was the number one option for some pretty decent Hawks teams. Still, he was named to just one All-Star team.
Smith’s successful NBA career not only benefited himself but also his alma mater as Smith has been a generous donor back to Michigan State. Smith’s donations back to the school have topped $3 million.
Next: Number 4
A career PER of 15.7 suggests Kevin Willis was just an average NBA player, but what he may have lacked in overall quality he made up for in quantity. Willis ranks first all-time among former Spartans with 1,424 NBA games played.
The longevity of his NBA career bumps him up this list over some other guys who were more productive but over a shorter period. But it’s not like Willis wasn’t a productive NBA player – career averages of 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds is nothing to sneeze at.
Zach Randolph may pass Willis down the line but for now no one from Michigan State has scored more NBA points or pulled down more NBA rebounds than Kevin Willis.
Next: Number 3
Nov 18, 2013; East Lansing, MI, USA; General view of Jack Breslin Student Events Center during the 2nd half of a game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Portland Pilots. MSU won 82-67. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Johnny Green’s basketball career got off to a late start because of time in the military after high school. He didn’t play his first varsity game at Michigan State until he was 23 years old and was an NBA rookie at 26.
Despite the late start, he was still able to go on to have a nice NBA career totaling more than 1,000 games over the course of 14 seasons.
Green’s best season came in the 1962-63 season in which he averaged 18.1 points and 12.1 rebounds and averaged 11.6 points and 8.6 rebounds for his NBA career.
Next: Number 2
May 15, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) shoots a free throw in the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Zach Randolph played just one season as a Spartan, but it is hard to fault his decision as he has gone on to have a nice NBA career. With his career still active, he looks to be a good bet to become the third former Spartan to hit the 1,000 career games played mark at the NBA level.
Although a bit undersized, Randolph has been a consistent double-double guy in the NBA and has no problem playing a physical style of basketball against bigger guys.
Randolph’s career PER of 19.6 heading into the 2015-16 season is second-best among all-time Spartans in the NBA, with only the number one player on this list ahead of him. I bet you can guess who that is…
Next: Number 1
Mar 29, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Michigan State Spartans former player Magic Johnson celebrates after the game against the Louisville Cardinals in the finals of the east regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Carrier Dome. The Michigan State Spartans won 76-70.Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
This was the easiest player to place in the rankings because Magic Johnson is not only the best draft pick to come from Michigan State; he’s one of the best picks to come from any school.
Not much needs to be said in defense of Magic. He was the rare player who could immediately step in and play at a championship level as a rookie and could play any position in a pinch.
Over 906 career games, Magic averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game.
Next: 20 Best NBA Draft Picks from Michigan
Who was ranked too high? Who was too low? Was there someone you think should have been ranked who wasn’t? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.