Ivy Leaguers in the NBA

SI Staff | Jul 26, 2010

Ivy Leaguers in the NBA /

Ivy Leaguers in the NBA

Jeremy Lin

After Jeremy Lin's impressive performance with the Mavericks' summer-league team, the Warriors signed the Asian-American rookie point guard from Harvard to a two-year, partially guaranteed contract -- a rarity for an undrafted player. Once the regular season starts, Lin will be bidding to join the short list of former Ivy Leaguers to play in the NBA. According to Basketball-Reference.com, only 40 such players have appeared in an NBA or ABA game. Here are the most notable Ivy Leaguers to make it as pros.

Bill Bradley

Before becoming a U.S. senator and a candidate for the Democratic party's presidential nomination, Bill Bradley won two NBA titles with the Knicks during his 10-year Hall of Fame career. That decade run with New York followed a collegiate career in which he was a three-time All-America, helped the U.S. win a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics, led Princeton to the 1965 Final Four and that same year won the Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete.

Geoff Petrie

Geoff Petrie, the Trail Blazers' first draft pick, was the co-Rookie of the Year (with Dave Cowens) in 1970-71, when he led Portland with 24.8 points and made the first of two All-Star teams. He averaged at least 18.3 points in each of the next five seasons, but a potential Hall of Fame career was then cut short by knee injuries. Now the Kings' personnel boss, Petrie is a two-time NBA Executive of the Year.

Jim McMillian

An All-America at Columbia, 6-5 forward Jim McMillian was the third-leading scorer on the 1971-72 Lakers, who won an NBA-record 33 consecutive games en route to a 69-13 season and five-game Finals victory against the Knicks. McMillian averaged 13.8 points in nine NBA seasons.

Chris Dudley

Chris Dudley may have been known for his hapless free-throw shooting (he converted 45.8 percent with a release that was as unsightly as his accuracy), but the 6-foot-11 center did manage to stick in the NBA for 16 seasons split among five teams from 1987-2003. And with that longevity came $38 million in earnings, according to Basketball-Reference.com, a healthy haul for a backup big man with career averages of 3.9 points and 6.2 rebounds. In May 2010, Dudley won the GOP nomination for Oregon governor. The election is in November.

Matt Maloney

The 1995 Ivy League Player of the Year, the undrafted Matt Maloney began his career in the CBA before getting an opportunity with the Rockets. As a rookie in 1996-97, he started all 82 games for a Houston team that reached the Western Conference finals and featured Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Clyde Drexler. Maloney, a career 7.4-point scorer and 37.2 percent three-point shooter, also had stints with Chicago and Atlanta in his six NBA seasons.

Brian Taylor

A 25-point scorer at Princeton, Brian Taylor made the most of his four seasons in the ABA: The 6-2 guard was the 1973 Rookie of the Year, appeared in two All-Star Games and won two championships with the Julius Erving-led New York Nets. Taylor moved on to play six seasons in the NBA, including the final four with the San Diego Clippers. He averaged 15.4 points in the ABA and 14.3 points in the NBA.

Rudy LaRusso

Rudy LaRusso made five All-Star teams in his 10 seasons, earning the distinction three times with the Lakers and twice with the Warriors in the 1960s. The 6-7 forward finished with career averages of 15.6 points and 9.4 rebounds.

Armond Hill

The best season of Armond Hill's eight-year career came in 1978-79, when he averaged 10.2 points and ranked among the league leaders with 5.9 assists for Hubie Brown's 46-36 Hawks. Hill went on to become the head coach at Columbia and an assistant coach under Doc Rivers with the Celtics.

Corky Calhoun

Journeyman forward Corky Calhoun started his eight-year NBA career with the Suns and moved on to the Lakers, Trail Blazers and Pacers. In 1976-77, the first of his two seasons with Portland, the Trail Blazers won the their only title in franchise history.

Published Jul 26, 2010

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