by Dan Trammel

Created on: August 03, 2009   Last Updated: November 19, 2009

Although Massachusetts colleges have produced several all-time greats including Bob Cousy (Holy Cross), Tom Heinsohn (Holy Cross), and Julius Erving (UMass), and a Massachusetts high school (Cambridge Rindge and Latin) produced the legendary Patrick Ewing, very few NBA players were actually born within the State of Massachusetts. And of those that were, none would be described as great. In fact, only two of the thirty players born in Massachusetts appeared in NBA All-Star Games.

The Massachusetts-born product with the most successful career is former Detroit Piston center Bill Laimbeer. Although he attended high school in California, Laimbeer was born in Boston. He attended the University of Notre Dame and averaged 8.1 points per game in 1977-78 in leading the Irish to the NCAA Final Four. The following season he helped Notre Dame finish 24-6 and a berth in the Elite Eight where they succumbed to the eventual National Champion Michigan State Spartans and Magic Johnson. Laimbeer was selected in the third round of the 1979 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Midway through his second season, however, the Cavs traded him along with Kenny Carr to the Pistons for Phil Hubbard, Paul Mokeski, and 1st and 2nd round picks in the 1982 Draft. The deal worked out terrific for the Pistons as Laimbeer was named to 4 All-Star Games and was a starter on two NBA Championship squads. He helped the Pistons to 9 consecutive playoff appearances in his first 9 seasons in a Detroit uniform, averaging 12.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in those contests. Known for his physical play, Laimbeer was a terror on the boards, and ranks 35th in NBA history with 10400 rebounds. He currently stands 19th on the all-time list with 7581 defensive rebounds and 32nd on the career list with 2819 offensive rebounds. More than just a rebounder, he became just the 19th member of the exclusive 10000 point/10000 rebound club, and finished his career with 13790 points. The Pistons retired his uniform number 40 on February 6, 1995.

The Massachusetts-native with the second most productive NBA career is Dana Barros. Born in Boston and a graduate of Xavieran Brothers High School, Barros starred at Boston College where he was named to the All-Big East three times. He ranks third on the school's career scoring list with 2342 points and holds the school record for most career 30-point games (18, a record he shares with John Austin). He was selected in the first round (number 16 overall) by the Seattle

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