Looking at Some of the Most Notable MSU Alumni to Play in the NBA

The Michigan State University (MSU) Spartans men’s basketball program is among the best and most storied programs in the NCAA. The team has won 12 Big Ten conference championships in addition to national championships in 1979 and 2000. It has also reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament eight times, which ranks seventh among all NCAA Division-I teams. In addition, more than 50 MSU alumni have gone on to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Magic Johnson is undeniably the most notable MSU alumni to play in the NBA. Johnson, the star of MSU’s national championship-winning team in 1979, was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1979 NBA Draft. He won NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game in the 1979-80 season. Johnson spent 13 seasons in the NBA, all with the Lakers, and was a 12-time All-Star, three-time MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and two-time All-Star Game MVP. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jason Richardson ranks second behind Johnson in career points per game among MSU alumni in the NBA. Selected fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2001 NBA Draft, Richardson averaged at least 10 points per game in 12 of his 13 seasons in the league. He averaged a career-best 23.2 points per game with the Warriors during the 2005-06 season. Richardson, who also played with the Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats, and Philadelphia 76ers, retired following the 2014-15 season with an average of 17.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

Zach Randolph, Ralph Simpson, and Kevin Willis are among the other MSU alumni who have had successful NBA careers. Randolph, a two-time All-Star and recipient of the Most Improved Player Award in 2003-04, averaged 16.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game through 18 seasons in the league. Simpson, a five-time All-Star, was a standout player in the ABA during the early 1970s and later played with the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, 76ers, and New Jersey Nets. Willis, meanwhile, played a remarkable 1,424 games through 23 seasons and averaged 12.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.

There were seven active MSU alumni in the NBA as of the 2021-22 season. These players include Miles Bridges (Charlotte Hornets), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Gary Harris (Orlando Magic), and Draymond Green (Warriors). Green, a second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, is a three-time All-Star, three-time NBA champion, and six-time All-Defensive team honoree. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year in 2016-17.

The MSU Spartans women’s basketball team has also been relatively successful since the program’s inception in 1972. The team has won four conference titles and reached the final of the NCAA Tournament in 2005 before losing to Baylor. Five of its players, including Aerial Powers, have played in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Powers, a native of Detroit, Michigan, was selected fifth overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2016 WNBA Draft. She averaged a career-best 16.3 points per game with the Washington Mystics in 2020.

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