Michigan State Basketball: Picking an NBA All-Star Team of Former Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans have turned out 38 NBA players in their illustrious history, but one of those has always outshined the rest. Magic Johnson arrived in the NBA flush with NCAA championship glory, then proceeded to win five championships as a Laker and earn credit for saving the NBA.

As great as Magic was, Michigan State has done a lot more for the NBA than producing one great point guard. But which Spartans have left the biggest impressions at the pro level?

Herein, a look at the cream of the East Lansing crop: the best NBA players to come out of Michigan State.

It’s worth making a couple of notes on the selection process here. First, these players have been chosen based on their NBA performance (hence the absence of college standouts like Greg Kelser and Mateen Cleaves).

Second, this is meant to be a team and not just a collection of players. As such, issues like finding a sufficient quantity of forwards (not the easiest task with this group) were taken into account.

With that in mind, read on for the 12 Spartans’ alums who made the cut as the school’s best NBA players ever.

12. Jamie Feick, C/F

Somebody has to be the backup center, which is the only way Jamie Feick gets a spot on this roster.

The career backup (whose best season came with the Nets in 1999-00) was a hard worker and competent rebounder, but never had the above-the-rim ability or offensive talent to make much of an impact at the NBA level.

11. Sam Vincent, PG

Sam Vincent is the first of two Magic point guards on this roster, having landed in Orlando for the club’s 1989-90 expansion season. The career backup got his first chance to start that year, averaging a career-high 5.6 assists per game.

Another former Spartans guard, Ralph Simpson, would have gotten this roster spot but for a technicality: Simpson’s impressive career as a Nugget was spent largely in the ABA. By the time Denver entered the NBA, Simpson’s best years were well behind him.

10. Eric Snow, PG

In East Lansing, Eric Snow formed half of the Spartans’ “Fire and Ice” backcourt with Shawn Respert, but only Snow managed to stick at the NBA level. After starting his career as a more-than-capable backup to Gary Payton in Seattle, Snow came into his own when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers.

Snow’s steady hand at the point let Allen Iverson move off the ball, and he racked up six straight seasons of at least six assists per game, including the Sixers’ NBA Finals run in 2001. That he’s only third on the PG depth chart here says a lot about the quality of the floor leaders Michigan State has produced.

9. Jay Vincent, SF/PF

A bit of a reach as the backup PF here, the 6’7” Jay Vincent was a fine rebounder in his youth (a career-best 8.9 boards per game for the 1984-85 Mavs). With little post talent to be found, Vincent at least provides a solid presence on the boards and some legitimate scoring punch.

And yes, he’s Sam’s older brother.

8. Morris Peterson, SF

Though his defense has never lived up to his prodigious athleticism, the high-flying Morris Peterson is certainly one of the most crowd-pleasing Spartans’ alums to have graced the NBA. His impressive dunks were a regular feature on highlight reels at the college level as well, especially during the Spartans’ national championship run in 2000.

Prior to his current stint languishing on the New Orleans bench, Peterson posted as many as 16.8 ppg as a Raptor, including five straight seasons sinking over 100 three-pointers.

7. Steve Smith, SG

Few players as talented as Steve Smith have ever had so much difficulty finding a home in the NBA. He donned six different uniforms in his 14-year career despite being one of the league’s best pure shooters.

Though Smith wasn’t an elite defender (despite his 6’7” frame), his devastating three-point shot made him one of the league’s most valuable role players. He even earned an All-Star selection as a Hawk in 1997-98.

6. Scott Skiles, PG

Scott Skiles wins a close three-way battle for the backup PG spot thanks to his assist numbers with Orlando (his 9.4 apg in 1992-93 tops the career-best efforts of either Vincent or Snow).

It also doesn’t hurt that he still holds the single-game assist record with an absurd 30 in one contest against Denver in 1990. Amazingly, Skiles was also the leading scorer that season for the pre-Shaq Magic.

5. Jason Richardson, SG

Another of the stars of the Michigan State’s 2000 national champ, Jason Richardson has become one of the most reliable scorers in the NBA. He’s put up at least 14 ppg every season of his eight-year career, highlighted by back-to-back 20-point years in Golden State.

Like Steve Smith, Richardson is limited defensively, but Richardson gets the starting nod thanks to his superior athleticism and ability to get to the rim.

4. Kevin Willis, C

Though he’ll be remembered most for his stunning longevity (21 NBA seasons, including five games as a Maverick at the age of 44), Kevin Willis was also a very good starting center for his first decade in the league. Overshadowed in an era loaded with Hall of Fame pivots, Willis was a quietly reliable force on both offense and defense.

His best NBA years came with the Hawks, where he earned an All-Star berth in 1991-92 on the strength of 18.3 points and 15.5 rebounds (!) per game. By the time he was dealt to the Heat two games into the 1994-95 season, he had played at least 75 games in each of his nine seasons in Atlanta, scoring in double figures eight times and rebounding in double figures four times.

3. Johnny Green, SF/PF

Proof that there was basketball in East Lansing before Jud Heathcote, Johnny Green was the first real star produced by the Spartans’ program. Drafted in 1959, Green made four All-Star teams (three as a Knick, where he began) in a 14-year NBA career.

Despite his unremarkable 6’5” height, Green’s biggest asset was his rebounding. He posted seven seasons with at least 10 boards a game, typically while scoring 15-20 ppg.

2. Zach Randolph, PF

A few years ago, this pick would’ve come with a lot of caveats about Randolph’s ball-hogging offensive game and lack of defensive effort. The Grizzlies’ impressive playoff run this spring, though, showed how much Z-Bo has improved in both areas.

A double-double machine, Randolph is also the Spartans’ only true PF who’s been good enough to make an All-Star team at the NBA level.

1. Magic Johnson, PG

You were expecting someone else?

The undisputed greatest player in Spartans history, Magic carried the 1979 squad to the NCAA title in a legendary championship showdown with Larry Bird and Indiana State. At the NBA level, all he accomplished was to continue his rivalry with Bird, lead the Lakers to five NBA titles and win three MVP awards in his Hall-of-Fame career.

Oh, and he ranks fourth in NBA history in career assists, just for good measure.