NBA: The Top 5 Players Ever from Montreal

For those of you who thought ol' Logic was from Miami or something, in actuality I'm from pretty much the opposite of Miami, i.e. Montreal, Canada (hooray for the Internet.)

I mention this because today, I thought I'd explore the handful of NBA players past and present with whom I share a hometown.

Now, while Canadian NBA players in general are more or less commonplace nowadays, the majority of them hail from the provinces of Ontario or British Columbia, leaving Quebec with little to no representation.

Quick, name three players from Montreal! Can't do it, can you? That's mainly because there were only half a dozen Montrealers ever to suit up for an NBA club, a number of which never made a name for themselves.

And yet, I feel compelled to compile this list, if only for my benefit and that of the approximately five people liable to ever Google the words "Montreal NBA player."

So without further ado, may I present this motley roundup of pretty much every NBAer to come out of what we here affectionately refer to as Mount Real.

Honorable Mention: Ron Crevier

Ron Crevier was a 7'0" center whose career was so brief he never got to score a single point. Still, this list rounds out at five entries, while there were a total of six NBA players from Montreal, and it didn't feel right to leave him off entirely.

Crevier only played one calendar year in the NBA, logging a grand total of four minutes in three games for the Warriors and Pistons in 1985-86 (that awkward era, apparently, just before color stills became the standard).

He continued playing pro ball after that, but quickly faded out of the NBA picture, though legend has it the All-Star votes that year included at least two hundred write-in ballots for Crevier's mustache.

5. Stewart Granger

Born and raised in Montreal, Stewart Francis Granger (pictured here with some unidentified arm-like appendage) went to high school in Brooklyn before playing college ball for Villanova.

Granger, a 6'3" guard, was drafted by Cleveland in 1983, where he played all of one season—posting career highs of 4.5 points and 2.4 assists—before landing in the CBA.

He bounced around between the leagues for a couple of years, returning to the NBA for stints with the Hawks in 1985 and the Knicks in 1986, which was his last season in the NBA.

Fact: Granger played high school ball alongside fellow Montrealer and future NBAer Bill Wennington at not one, but two separate schools.

4. Samuel Dalembert

Dalembert was born and raised in Haiti, but I have him on the list because he moved to Montreal as a teenager, which is where he first picked up basketball. I even have a friend who used to shoot around with the guy, so I'll be damned if he doesn't rep my city a little.

Dalembert went on to play center for Seton Hall, where his shot-blocking skills landed him on the 76ers at the 2001 draft.

From there, he played nine years in Philly, progressing slowly but eventually turning into a respectable center (offensive deficiencies aside). Since then he's been traded to Sacramento where he currently plays.

In 2007, Dalembert obtained his Canadian citizenship in order to join Team Canada for the Beijing Olympics, but he was dismissed from the team during the qualifiers in 2008.

3. Joel Anthony

Joel Anthony, the undersized center of Miami Heat/UNLV fame (I use the term loosely), went to Montreal's Selwyn House prep school and briefly attended Dawson College—which is famous outside Montreal, sadly, for a 2006 shooting—when yours truly was living two blocks away.

Anthony's Dawson career ended before it started when he was cut from the team, after which he went to Florida to play juco ball. By the time his college years rolled around, he was runnin' with the Rebels in Las Vegas.

Most people know the story from there: he signed on with Miami in 2007 and spent years as bench bait, but as of late he's been carving out a place for himself in the Heat rotation with his trademark perseverant attitude.

To this day, he fights alongside the forces of evil (or at least, the forces of ego) with whom he is fully expected to win multiple championships very soon.

Anthony is also currently a member of Team Canada, which isn't expected to do quite so well any time in the near future. That should give him an interesting perspective.

2. Bill Wennington

If Bill Wennington was a rap song, he'd be called "Straight Outta Beaconsfield," a district on the west end of the island.

Wennington was drafted by the Mavericks and played for a handful of teams (including overseas), but I'm sure I don't need to tell you, dear reader, that his claim to fame came in Chicago.

Wennington was center Luc Longley's backup during the Bulls' second three-peat, and if he had any reputation at all, it was as a no-nonsense, do-what-you-need role player.

Really, he had to be, because his meager skill-set alone wasn't going to keep him in the triangle offense for four years, let alone MJ's good graces.

Wennington has also played for (what is now called) Team Canada in the '84 and '92 Olympics. Since his playing days, he's been inducted into both the Quebec and Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the former of which I was unaware existed until I read it just now.

1. Ernie Vandeweghe

Yes, that Vandeweghe family.

Dr. Ernest Maurice Vandeweghe Jr. (a.k.a. Ernie,) father of Ernest Maurice Vandeweghe III (a.k.a. Kiki.) played seven seasons as a 6'3" guard for the New York Knicks from 1949 to 1956, averaging just under 10 points and five rebounds in that time.

I should point out that early NBA/BAA stats are just like currency—you need to allow for inflation over time. In today's NBA, Ernie's numbers would equate to about 20 and eight. In 1953, he ranked sixth in the league in field-goal percentage at a blazing .435...

And hey, anybody who can average 10 points as a rookie in the pre-shot-clock era must be doing something right.

By the way, that "Dr." you read earlier? Not a nickname. When his playing days were over, Ernie went on to be an Air Force physician. He had his first son while stationed in Germany (or rather his wife did) and that's why you always thought Kiki Vandeweghe was German.

Kiki, of course, went on to have his own successful NBA career on the court, on the bench, and in the front office. They are not the only star athletes in the family, however. Ernie also fathered an Olympic swimmer and a volleyball ace.

So for performing admirably as the NBA's original Montrealer, as well as for his distinguished post-NBA career and family legacy, Dr. Vandeweghe comes in at a well-deserved numéro un.

(Hat tip: http://www.basketball-reference.com)