List of Famous Basketball Players

Terrence Deshon Williams is an American former professional basketball player. Williams was drafted 11th overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He was the senior co-captain for Rick Pitino's 2008–09 University of Louisville Cardinals.

William Theodore Walton III is an American former basketball player who is a television sportscaster. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national college player of the year awards (1972–1974), while leading UCLA to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973 and an 88-game winning streak. After being selected as the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft, Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award that season. He won another NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 1986. Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Fredderick Edmund VanVleet Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Paul Anthony Pierce is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. He is currently an analyst on ESPN's basketball programs The Jump and NBA Countdown.

Toni Kukoč is a Croatian former professional basketball player who is currently Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of the first established European stars to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1996.

Jonas Valančiūnas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. At the 2019 trade deadline he was traded to the Grizzlies.

Rui Hachimura is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and is a member of the Japanese national team. Listed at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and 230 lbs (104 kg), he plays both the small forward and power forward positions. After being selected ninth overall by the Wizards in the 2019 NBA draft, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020.

Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Known for his intensity, defensive ability, and versatility, Garnett is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time. He is one of five NBA players to win both the Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year awards. In high school, Garnett was a 1995 McDonald's All-American at Farragut Career Academy and won a national player of the year award. He entered the 1995 NBA draft, where he was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and became the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years.

Jerome Alan West is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability to make a big play in a clutch situation, such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; "the Logo", in reference to his silhouette being incorporated into the NBA logo; "Mr. Outside", in reference to his perimeter play with the Los Angeles Lakers; and "Zeke from Cabin Creek", for the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia. West played the small forward position early in his career, and he was a standout at East Bank High School and at West Virginia University, where he led the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA championship game. He earned the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor despite the loss. He then embarked on a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and was the co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team, a squad that was inducted as a unit into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel is a French professional basketball player of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the French national basketball team in their international competitions. Standing at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) tall with a wingspan of 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) long, he plays the center position. Considered one of the best rim protectors in NBA History, he was the NBA blocks leader in the 2016–17 season. In 2018 and 2019, he won back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, making him one of only ten players in NBA history who have won that honor at least twice.