5 Best Iowa Hawkeyes To Ever Play In The NBA

Here are the five greatest Iowa Hawkeyes to ever play in the NBA.

Connie Hawkins of the Phoenix Suns is pictured in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Feb. 16, 1971. (AP Photo) / Associated Press

The Iowa Hawkeyes are certainly more known for their football program than anything else, but they do have some history with basketball.

Operative word: some.

While Iowa will never be UConn or Duke, the Hawkeyes have been able to place some pretty impressive talent in the NBA.

Here are the five best Iowa players to ever grace professional basketball.

5. Keegan Murray

Keegan Murray represents the highest-drafted player in Iowa history, as he was selected fourth overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2022.

He is only entering his third NBA season, so the fact that he ranks so highly speaks to the lack of elite talent that has come through Iowa City's doors.

That being said, Murray—a potential two-way star—has the chance to elevate himself near the top of this list when it's all said and done.

The 24-year-old is a terrific defender and has averaged 13.7 points and five rebounds per game on 45.4/38.4/80.5 shooting splits over his first couple of seasons. We're about to see if Murray can take the coveted third-year leap for the Kings.

4. Ricky Davis

A legitimate argument can be made that Ricky Davis is one of the biggest wastes of talent of the early-to-mid 2000s NBA era.

Davis played for seven teams, with his most notable campaigns coming with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves.

A truly elite slasher, Davis averaged 20.6 points per game with the Cavaliers in 2002-03 and approached that number again between the Celtics and Timberwolves a few years later, posting 19.7 points per game in 2005-06 (he was traded from Boston to Minnesota midseason).

However, inefficiency was a hallmark of Davis' game, as he recorded a lifetime true-shooting percentage of 52.5 percent.

Davis played 12 seasons in the NBA, averaging 13.5 points per game for his career.

3. Don Nelson

You probably just know Don Nelson as a coach, but he was also a pretty fine player during his day.

Nelson began his NBA tenure with the Chicago Zephyrs in 1962 and also spent a couple of years with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he is most known for his 11-year run with the Celtics between 1965-66 and 1975-76.

During that time, Nelson helped Boston win five championships and made a pivotal shot late in the 1969 finals against the heavily favored Lakers.

The 6-foot-6 forward spent 14 years in the pros, tallying 10.3 points per game while making 48 percent of his field-goal attempts.

2. Fred Brown

Fred Brown spent his entire NBA career with the Seattle Supersonics from 1971-72 and 1983-84 and is probably one of the more overlooked players of his time.

The Milwaukee native logged back-to-back campaigns where he averaged over 20 points per game in 1974-75 and 1975-76, making an All-Star appearance in the latter season when he registered 23.1 points a night on 48.8 percent shooting.

Brown's prime was rather brief, as he never approached 20 points per game again after those two years (he topped out at 17.2 points per game in 1976-77).

However, Brown was a fairly efficient scorer for his era and played a significant role in the Supersonics' run to an NBA title in 1979.

1. Connie Hawkins

That brings us to the clear cut No. 1: Connie Hawkins.

One of the greatest dunkers in basketball history, Hawkins is a Hall-of-Famer who began his career in the ABA before making the jump to the NBA after two seasons.

While this is an NBA list, Hawkins' ABA numbers cannot be ignored, as he won the scoring title during his rookie year with the Pittsburgh Pipers (26.8 points per game) in 1967-68 and led them to a championship. He then racked up 30.2 points per game with the Minnesota Pipers (same franchise) the following year.

Hawkins joined the NBA with the Phoenix Suns in 1969-70 and made four straight All-Star appearances with the squad, with his best year coming in his debut campaign when he averaged 24.6 points and 10.4 rebounds a night.

Injuries proceeded to derail Hawkins' career not long after, as he lasted just eight NBA seasons between the Suns, Lakers and Atlanta Hawks.

The 6-foot-8 forward concluded his NBA tenure in 1976 and ended with averages of 18.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.