Top 10 NBA Players of the Syracuse Orange vs. Georgetown Hoyas Rivalry

Ever since the Georgetown Hoyas and Syracuse Orange became conference rivals in 1979, the two programs have seen a bevy of talent come through the system and go on to thrive in the NBA.

The elder John Thompson molded some of the best centers in NBA history, while Jim Boeheim coached some of the most versatile ballers in the country.

Georgetown and Syracuse products have had varying degrees of success in the NBA, so who ended up having the best careers?

Here's a ranking of the top 10 NBA players from these two storied programs.

Honorable Mention

Here are a few Syracuse and Georgetown players who had decent NBA careers, but missed the cut for the top 10:

Sherman Douglas, Syracuse

Jeff Green, Georgetown 

Billy Owens, Syracuse

Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

Lawrence Moten, Syracuse

Othella Harrington, Georgetown

Wesley Johnson, Syracuse

10. Hakim Warrick

Hakim Warrick's NBA career is still in progress, but he's proven to be a solid role player in the league.

His wingspan and athleticism helped Syracuse to the 2003 NCAA title, and his play on both ends of the floor helped the Orange best the Hoyas more often than not during his college career from 2001-2005.

Warrick was drafted in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, and he played there for four seasons until he bounced to Milwaukee, Chicago and Phoenix.

The 6'9" forward's best season was in 2006-2007, when he averaged 12.7 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

9. Reggie Williams

Reggie Williams was a four-year player at Georgetown and a key piece in the 1984 National Championship. In his senior year in 1987, Williams won Big East Conference Player of the Year honors.

His success continued into his professional career in the NBA, where he played for six teams during a 10-year span.

Williams retired in 1997 after pouring in over 7,500 points and grabbing 2,300 rebounds in his career.

8. Sleepy Floyd

Sleepy Floyd played for the Hoyas during the beginning of the Syracuse-Georgetown Rivalry, and he helped Georgetown reach the NCAA Tournament Finals in 1982.

When his time with the Hoyas was over, Floyd became a versatile and dynamic guard in the NBA. He spent most of his career with the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, scoring and dishing the rock at will.

Floyd notched over 12,000 points in his career, and the most spectacular of them came when he scored 39 points in one half of a playoff game in 1987.

7. Rony Seikaly

One of the best post players in Syracuse basketball history, Rony Seikaly helped lead the Orange to the 1987 finals where they fell to Indiana.

Seikaly didn't play for any great NBA teams, but the 6'11" center made sure he did his part to help his teams win. In 1990, he was named the Most Improved Player in the league.

Seikaly was a terrific rebounder in his prime, and the 1988 first-round pick averaged 9.5 rebounds per game over the course of his career.

6. Dikembe Mutombo

Congress intern. Shot-blocker. Linguist. Humanitarian. Is there anything that Dikembe Mutombo hasn't done?

After teaming up with Alonzo Mourning at Georgetown to form one of the best swat teams in college basketball history, Mutombo went on to become one of the best defensive players in NBA history.

Mutombo was the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year four times, and the 7'2" tower let opponents know that their shots weren't welcome.

The eight-time NBA All-Star retired in 2009 with 3,289 blocks under his belt.

5. Derrick Coleman

Syracuse forward Derrick Coleman made a huge impact for the Orange during all four years on campus, and he had some memorable moments against the archrival Hoyas.

He was selected first overall in the 1990 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets and won the 1990-1991 Rookie of the Year award. But after that, his career didn't quite live up to the elite hype.

Don't get me wrong, Coleman still had a massively productive career—12,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocked shots. He just never became the leader of a winning franchise.

4. Alonzo Mourning

Alonzo Mourning's career at Georgetown helped him become one of the best all-around NBA centers of the 1990's and 2000's.

After his All-American Hoya years, Mourning became an All-Star for the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat.

He was the quintessential powerful center. He could score, rebound, block shots and run the floor. Mourning was consistently one of the best defensive post players in the league, and he teamed with Tim Hardaway to make the Heat a force in the Eastern Conference.

3. Allen Iverson

Check out this throwback picture of Allen Iverson. No, that's not 1977, it's 1997.

Iverson was probably the best guard in Georgetown history, and he became the school's all-time scoring average leader. 

Once he was done giving Syracuse trouble, Iverson established himself as one of the best "little guys" in NBA history.

His ball-handling, hustle and athleticism helped him reach the All-Star game 11 times, win the league MVP in 2001 and lead his Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA finals in 2001.

2. Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony might be the most impressive college freshman ever. On his way to the 2003 NCAA title, 'Melo beat Georgetown three times during the season.

After the 2003 glory run, he took his talents to the NBA's Denver Nuggets, where he continued to impress.

Anthony has become a lethal scorer in the NBA. His long-range stroke is flawless, he has an array of ball-handling moves and footwork that he attacks the basket with and he also has a highly-effective post game.

We'll see if he can lead the New York Knicks to the NBA title in the near future.

1. Patrick Ewing

The best NBA career produced from the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry was Patrick Ewing's.

Ewing's post presence, jump shot and defense earned him this college/professional resume:

Georgetown: 1984 NCAA Champion, 1984 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, 1985 Naismith College Player of the Year, 1985 Adolph Rupp Trophy

NBA: 1986 Rookie of the Year, 11-time All-Star, three-time All-Defensive Second Team, 24,815 points and 11,617 rebounds

Oh, and Ewing also played on the best basketball team ever assembled, the 1992 USA Olympic Dream Team.

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